What should I ask about a food truck’s commissary kitchen arrangement?
Ask who holds the commissary agreement, what it covers, what it costs and whether it carries over to a new owner. Visit the kitchen. See where your prep, storage and cleaning would happen, who else uses it and what the rules are. If the arrangement ends with the sale, you need a plan before closing.
Start with the paperwork. Ask to see the agreement or the written terms. Find out what the truck gets: prep space, cold and dry storage, dishwashing, water and waste handling, parking overnight. Ask how fees are set, how often they change and what notice either side must give. If it is only a verbal understanding, treat that as a risk.
Then go and look. Visit during a prep period and see how busy the space is. Is there room for the truck’s routine, or does the owner wait for others? Check cleanliness, storage conditions and whether the truck’s food is kept apart from other users’ food. Ask the kitchen operator how they see the current owner and whether they would welcome you.
Finally, ask about oversight. Ask what inspection records the truck and kitchen hold, and whether any complaints or corrective notes exist. Check your local requirements with the authority that oversees food safety. Your lawyer should confirm in writing whether the arrangement can transfer or be renewed in your name.
Key takeaways
- Get the commissary terms in writing and find out whether they transfer.
- Visit during prep time and see how busy the shared space really is.
- Ask for inspection records for both the truck and the kitchen.
- Ask how fees change and what notice each side must give, and treat a purely verbal understanding as a risk to settle before closing.
Related reading
13 pages on the same subject, grouped by topic.
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Selling
Sources
This answer is checked against primary sources. Links were last confirmed on the dates shown.
- 01Business Development Bank of CanadaGovernmentHow to conduct due diligence when buying a business
- 02Business Development Bank of CanadaGovernmentWhat are the steps to buying a business?
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