Garland Approves New Commissary Kitchen Concept and Associated $2 Million Investment
Following a string of exciting new development announcements, Garland has approved a deal with Revolving Kitchen to develop a large-scale commissary kitchen facility in the 500 block of Shepherd Drive. More than $2 million will be invested in the 60-year-old industrial site and, upon completion early next year, Revolving Kitchen will offer 25 private, commercially outfitted kitchens for use by any number of local food entrepreneurs in the existing 34,000-square-foot building.
The developer of Garland’s Revolving Kitchen includes as key operational advantages the company’s proximity to multiple major food hubs, convenient freeway access, new mechanical, electrical and plumbing infrastructure, and state-of-the-art commercial cooking equipment. Nearly 17,000 square feet of the renovated facility’s large basement will be dedicated to freezer, cooler and dry storage space along with other amenities such as shared office space and a sizeable conference room.
Most commissary kitchen facilities offer shared kitchen space and tenants normally pay for individual preparation tables, not for use of the actual kitchen. In this more traditional operating environment, tenants have to share major elements including cooking equipment and refrigeration units with other tenants. Garland’s Revolving Kitchen will offer the exclusive use of an entire commercial kitchen to each of its users for a dedicated period of time.
In order to service the 25 distinct kitchens specified by the project, new electrical rooftop AC units, supply and exhaust vents, and an enormous 8,000-gallon grease trap will be installed as part of the building renovations. Dedicated electrical and plumbing infrastructure will be connected to each of the kitchens in order to accommodate more users in a safer and more efficient manner.
Currently, there are 2,500 catering companies, i.e., caterers, food trucks, bakeries/cafes, bars, prepped-meal providers and private chefs, within a 10-mile radius of the Revolving Kitchen project site. The entire DFW region currently has fewer than 10 commissary kitchens in operation. With this exciting new addition, three of these will soon be fully operational in Garland.
“We see a great opportunity to open one of the largest commissary kitchens in the area to accommodate the growing number of local food entrepreneurs. More and more food businesses-from caterers to food trucks-are looking for space to cook. We’re here to help them drive costs down and scale business up,” said Tyler Shin, Managing Director at Revolving Kitchen.
Commissary kitchens are operationally much more efficient and convenient due to their ability to accommodate more room for equipment, food preparation and actual cooking. Most food trucks are narrow and crowded, which makes it especially difficult to do preparation with multiple culinary staff working in the same tight space. Local food entrepreneurs looking to kick start or expand their business can more quickly enjoy access to enhanced food service infrastructure at a much lower cost threshold by using time-apportioned commissary kitchen facilities and services.
“The Revolving Kitchen is renovating an aging commercial building and providing much-needed cooking infrastructure and storage services for area food trucks, bakeries and caterers. With this exciting new project, local food entrepreneurs will continue to view Garland as one of the best choices in growing operations and turning their innovative ideas into business reality,” said David Gwin, Garland’s Director of Economic Development.
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