Why We Opened a Shared Kitchen

Having observed the painful process which many food business owners we knew were going through to produce food legally, efficiently, and affordably—often sacrificing efficiency or spending wildly to open their own space—and noting how other cities like Pittsburgh had one or more large, shared commercial kitchens, we believed that there was both a need and an opportunity to open a large-scale kitchen here in Pittsburgh.

Why did many cities similar to Pittsburgh have one or more larger-scale shared ktichens whereas the options at the time of our assessment here were limited? The local food scene at the time of our assessment was gaining national attention. But was there enough demand for a kitchen to do well here?

When a former elementary school—with remnants of it’s cafeteria intact—become available for redevelopment, it provided the opportunity to build the kitchen. Anecdotal coversations and analysis of market data aside, ultimately we gained the confidence to proceed from the experience—and successful growth—of shared kitchens in other cities around the country.

Fulton Commons is more than a shared commercial kitchen. It is also a coworking space with offices, desks, meeting rooms and the like for orgnaizatons and individuals across industries and professions, not just food-related. The coworking space complements the kitchen space since food business owners utilize it for the business and administrative side of their ventures (or just to break for a coffee). But it’s the kitchen that makes Fulton Commons unique.