Seattle food truck commissary kitchens

Start with the work

Fit the kitchen into your launch plan

Treat commissary planning as part of the same decision as your menu, truck or trailer, plan review, and operating budget. Changing one can affect the others.

1. Map each menu item’s preparation flow. Write down where ingredients will be received, stored, prepared, cooked, held, transported, and served. King County’s plan-review materials list the menu and a food-preparation flow chart among the documents to review for the application. King County mobile food plan review checked Nov 1, 2026.
2. Decide what work happens at the kitchen and on the unit. Compare the proposed prep steps with the equipment, water, cold and dry storage, and service space you plan to have. Use that comparison to shape the questions you take to candidate kitchens and to the plan reviewer.
3. Resolve review before construction decisions. King County says mobile food plan-review approval is required before starting construction. Use the menu, preparation flow, commissary information, and unit plan together when confirming your proposed setup. King County plan-review instructions checked Nov 1, 2026.
4. Put the whole arrangement in the launch budget. Ask each kitchen for its own written, itemized costs and contract terms. Include the quoted commissary amount and any separately priced services in your own startup and monthly scenarios; do not assume a listing’s services or price applies to your menu.

King County says its approved-kitchen search map is a starting point: the operator is responsible for establishing a connection and checking whether a kitchen meets their needs. It describes possible access to production space, storage, and specialized equipment, but those are not promises about any particular listing.King County commissary kitchen guidance checked Nov 1, 2026.

Confirm the path

What the agreement and exemption guidance says

King County’s mobile-food permit and plan-review pages list a Use of Commissary Agreement. The plan-review checklist also asks for commissary information, including a permission letter and a drawing of the kitchen. Those same instructions list the menu and food-preparation flow, restroom agreement, site information, and operational questionnaire. Confirm which forms and supporting documents apply to your exact operation with the reviewer. King County mobile-food permit checked Nov 1, 2026 and plan-review checklist checked Nov 1, 2026.

Seattle’s mobile-food guide says food vendors must operate from an approved commissary kitchen in King County or apply for an exemption from the commissary requirement through the application process. That is an application path, not a promise that a particular menu or setup qualifies. Seattle mobile-food vending guide checked Nov 1, 2026.

Ask every kitchen the same questions

A commissary kitchen comparison checklist

Use these questions to compare actual options. Record the answer, who confirmed it, and any written terms; the checklist does not describe a facility’s services or guarantee that a particular kitchen will be approved for your plan.

1. Permitted work and menu fit

   Which of my proposed prep, cooking, cooling, storage, and packing steps can I perform here? Does the kitchen’s approval cover the work I want to do, and what should I verify with Public Health?

2. Workspace, equipment, and storage

   Which stations, appliances, sinks, refrigeration, dry storage, and freezer space can I use? What space is reserved for my ingredients, utensils, and supplies, and how is availability confirmed?

3. Access hours and reservations

   What access windows are available for my prep schedule? How far ahead must I reserve, how are peak periods handled, and what happens if my service time changes?

4. Included services and itemized costs

   What is included in the quoted price? Which services, utilities, storage, equipment, deposits, minimums, or other charges are billed separately, and can I get the complete price in writing?

5. Cleaning, utilities, and waste

   Who supplies and maintains cleaning materials? Who cleans each area, handles wastewater and grease, manages trash or recycling, and pays for utilities or disposal?

6. Written agreement and insurance

   What are the agreement term, renewal process, cancellation rules, and notice requirements? What insurance coverage or additional-insured wording is required, and where are those obligations written?

7. Travel and operating route

   How long is the trip between this kitchen, my storage or parking, and my expected service area at the times I would travel? Does the location fit the planned prep, loading, service, and return schedule?

8. Public Health documentation

   Can the kitchen provide the agreement or permission letter and a drawing of the areas, equipment, and storage I would use? What should I submit for my menu, prep flow, sites or route, and restroom arrangements? Ask Public Health which documents apply before treating a draft packet as complete. King County plan-review checklist checked Nov 1, 2026.

Make the next comparison

Turn answers into a decision you can revisit

Keep one row per kitchen. Save its written quote, agreement draft, answers to the checklist, and any Public Health questions. Compare the same menu and weekly operating schedule across options, then update the launch budget when you have confirmed terms.