What's Included in a Union Kitchen Membership? A Line-by-Line Breakdown
You can find a cheap commercial kitchen hour in Washington, DC. That number usually leaves out the parts that make production possible: a place to store in-progress or finished products overnight, power that can run a real machine, a dock when a buyer wants cases instead of a cooler in your trunk.
If you are trying to understand what a commercial kitchen costs in DC, start with what the membership is actually buying. At Union Kitchen, you get into the certified shared kitchen at 1625 Eckington Place NE. It is about 30,000 square feet in Eckington, and it stays open all day and all night, 365 days per year.
The membership covers production space, the shared equipment on the days you hold, all utilities (gas, water, electricity), internet, and the office. Shared membership starts at $899 a month. You pick a tier by how many equipment days you need. Those prices live with the rest of the membership details on the homepage.
That is usually when someone asks if the more expensive tier is a better kitchen. It is not. R&D includes two equipment days. Essentials includes five. Production Pro includes eight. Premium is unlimited. You are on the same floor, with the same dock, certifications, team, facility management, and storage walk-ins. You are buying more time on the machines, not a different address.
Here is what those days look like in practice. The mixers on the floor are 60-quart. You will also find blast chillers, extruders, steam kettles, tilt skillets, rolling rack ovens, proofers, and a flow wrapper. The electrical service is built for manufacturing equipment, not for a countertop mixer. If that is what you are using at home, you will feel the difference the first time you stand next to a 60-quart. Some specialized equipment has an extra fee. It’s there when your demand requires it. We will tell you on the tour which machines apply to your product, instead of asking you to guess from a photo.
Storage is the other thing people come in unsure about. The walk-in coolers and freezers take pallets, and you can leave product here. Union Kitchen offers storage by the shelf, locked cage (the equivalent of three shelves), or by the pallet in all temperature zones. The docks and freight elevators are part of the same setup. So is a co-working office, where you can take a buyer call without standing next to a kettle. Pest control, trash, and maintenance stay with us. Your job is to get your official food business license, run food safe operations, and manufacture the best product! We’ve got the rest of the facility operations.
A few things are not in the membership, and we would rather say that before you tour than after. Ingredients, packaging, and your team are yours. There is no overnight food-truck parking on this block.
You may also have read about the First Run Accelerator. First Run is not bundled in. 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. You can join the kitchen without it.
If you outgrow shared days, dedicated space is in the same building. It is a modular private area. You bring your equipment. You add area when the line needs it. You do not have to leave Eckington to get there.
Bring the product and the volume you will actually run next month. On the tour you can look at the machines you would use and walk out to the dock. Forty-five minutes is enough to know if this is the right floor.
If you want the wider picture of how kitchen pricing works in DC, and how this membership compares with an hourly quote, read how much a commercial kitchen costs in DC.
