How Much Does a Commercial Kitchen Cost in DC?
Last updated: September 1, 2026. Current Union Kitchen prices are on the homepage.
About: Union Kitchen is Washington, DC’s certified shared commercial kitchen where food businesses produce from first batch to full scale — packaged brands, meal delivery, and everything in between.
In DC, a shared kitchen, commercial kitchen, or commissary kitchen usually charges one of three ways. By the hour. By the month. Or for a private production area that is only yours. The number on the website is often missing the extras: time to set up and pack out, a place to store your stuff, gas, water, electricity, internet. At Union Kitchen, monthly membership starts at $899. That includes production space, co-working office space, gas, water, electricity, and high-speed internet. The kitchen is located at 1625 Eckington Place NE in Eckington.
If you are still learning about shared kitchens and production space, read what a shared kitchen is.
If you are ready to get your food business license with Washington, DC, use Licensing a food business in Washington, DC.
How the pricing usually works
Pricing works differently at different shared kitchens. It can be by the hour, day, month, or some combination. At the core of it, though, you are paying to make food in a licensed production space.
By the hour means you get a specific window of time, then you leave. By the month means you have an ongoing membership. You get a set number of production days, or unlimited days, and you can leave product and materials on site. Private space means you bring your own equipment into an area no other business uses. The building still handles the facility management including things like trash management, pest control, and utilities.
Those three things all get called “commercial kitchen cost” even if they include different things and will impact the final price your business pays.
What you gain and what you give up
Hourly commissary kitchen or a one-day drop-in This model is best for one-off events or are operating a food truck that only needs a sink and a place to check in. The hourly-model looks cheap. And in some ways, it is if you have very limited production needs. The quoted price usually does not include the time it takes to set up and break down. You pay from the moment you enter the space until you leave. If you cannot store ingredients or equipment at the kitchen, you bring everything, cook, clean, and take it all home. That work is not in the hourly price. It adds up if you are a packaged brand or a meal delivery business coming back every week. If they need you out in 90 minutes, you are not in a production facility. You are in a time slot.
Monthly membership
This is a good fit when you already know you will be back. You license days instead of racing a clock. You can store product. You can use the docks. You can sit in the office. You pay for the month even if one week is quiet. If the goal is first batch to full scale, that is usually the better deal once you calculate in all the extra expenses that come with an hourly rate.
Private production space
This is best when your production is in full swing. It allows you to run your own mini facility without having to deal with facility management. You bring your equipment. You set up an area that is only yours. The useful versions let you add space as you grow. You still do not have to sign an expensive multi-year lease or deal with the full scope of facility management. You pay more than shared days but less than running your own building.
Your own facility
This is best once you are ready to take on the full scope of running your own production facility including everything from pest control and utilities to building certifications, SSOPs, and staffing. You own every decision. You also own the lease, the buildout, the broken freezer, and the staff who keep the building running.
What the low number often hides
Before you compare two DC quotes, ask what isn't included in the initial price.
- Gas, water, and electricity
- High-speed internet
- Office space
- Cold storage and docks
- Whether you can leave product and equipment overnight
- Time to set up and break down
- Freight elevators and walk-ins that can take pallets
- Certifications for more specialized production like Gluten-Free, Meat (which requires USDA-inspection), etc.
USDA, FDA, gluten-free, and Whole Foods–approved matter when a buyer or inspector walks in. A kitchen built only as a stop for food trucks is a separate set of needs. Read more about the various types of production facilities in DC: Shared kitchen vs commissary vs ghost kitchen.
How to compare kitchens in Washington, DC
Ask the same five things on every tour.
- Is this the full price, or do utilities and office get added later? What else should I expect to pay for in addition to this rate?
- Is it an hour on the clock, or time to actually produce? Count set up, pack out, and storage.
- Can you grow here? Shared days, unlimited days, day passes, private space you can expand, pallets.
- Is this facility already approved for regional and national retailers like Whole Foods Market? How about by the DC Health Department, FDA, or USDA?
- Who else cooks here and how is the space shared between users? Packaged brands and meal delivery, or only trucks checking in.
How Union Kitchen does it
You license production space from Union Kitchen in two ways. A monthly membership. Or a drop-in day pass for a big event.
Shared membership starts at $899 a month. Memberships run 3, 6, or 12 months and longer. You can walk in any hour of any day. The production facility is open 24/7, 365 days a year.
- R&D — 2 equipment days each month
- Essentials — 5 equipment days each month
- Production Pro — 8 equipment days each month
- Premium — unlimited equipment days
Unlimited is for packaged brands and meal delivery teams that need more time as they grow, without leaving the certified shared commercial kitchen. Private space is an area in the same building that no other business uses. You bring your equipment. Union Kitchen still runs the building. You can add even more private space as you grow.
The kitchen is 30,000 square feet. There are freight elevators. The walk-in coolers and freezers take pallets. That is how a first batch can become full scale here. Staff are trained and certified in GMP and HACCP. DC Health inspects members in this facility. Current prices stay on the homepage. Your own DC Food Business license is separate. This is true no matter where you produce. Licensing guide.
FAQ
How much does a commercial kitchen cost in DC? Most places charge by the hour, by the month, or for private space. Union Kitchen shared membership starts at $899 a month and includes production space, office, gas, water, electricity, and high-speed internet. Current prices. Book a tour.
Why do two quotes look so different? One is often an hour on a table. The other is licensed production space with storage, docks, and certifications. Ask what is included before you call either one cheaper.
Does Union Kitchen charge by the hour? You pick monthly membership or a drop-in day pass. Hourly kitchens often skip set up, pack out, and whether you can leave anything on site.
What is included in Union Kitchen membership? Production space, shared equipment on your days, co-working office space, gas, water, electricity, high-speed internet, cold storage, docks, freight elevators, 24/7 access, and help with the facility paperwork DC Health expects. USDA, FDA, and gluten-free certifications are on the building.
Can I have space that is only mine? Yes. You can license private production space in the same building. You bring your equipment. You can add more of that space as you grow. Book a tour.
Can meal delivery companies use this? Meal delivery and meal prep businesses use the same memberships as packaged brands. They can also take private space if they need it. The walk-ins and freight elevators are built for pallets.
Do I have to join First Run to use the kitchen? Union Kitchen is the licensed facility where you produce. First Run is the playbook that runs with it. First Run is a food and beverage Accelerator in Washington, DC that meets you at the idea stage and builds the brand with you. 90 days to shelf. 90 days to prove it's ready to scale.
Are DC licenses included? The building is licensed and certified. You still file your own DC Health and business licenses. This is true no matter where you produce. You always need your own food business license to legally produce and sell food products. Licensing a food business in Washington, DC.
Where is Union Kitchen? 1625 Eckington Place NE, Washington, DC 20002, in Eckington near NoMa. Members can come in 24/7, 365 days a year. Book a tour.