What is the difference between a commissary kitchen and a ghost kitchen?

A commissary kitchen is a shared, licensed commercial kitchen you rent to prep and store food — used by caterers, food trucks, and meal-prep businesses. A ghost kitchen is a delivery-only kitchen with no dine-in, built to fulfill online orders. A commissary provides access; a ghost kitchen is a business model.

What is a commissary kitchen used for?

It gives food businesses licensed, health-department-approved space to prep, cook, and store food without owning a full restaurant — common for food trucks, caterers, bakers, and meal-prep operators. Food trucks often need one to keep their permit.

Which is cheaper, a commissary or a ghost kitchen?

Commissary access (hourly or monthly membership) is usually the lower-cost, lower-commitment option, ideal for occasional prep. A private ghost-kitchen space costs more but gives dedicated, delivery-optimized space for a full-time operation.

Do I need a commissary kitchen for a food truck?

In most U.S. jurisdictions, yes — health departments require food trucks to be affiliated with a licensed commissary for prep, water, and waste disposal. Confirm your local rules.

Commissary Kitchen vs. Ghost Kitchen: What's the Difference?

Q: What is a ghost kitchen?

A ghost kitchen (also called a cloud or dark kitchen) exists only to fulfill delivery and takeout orders — no dining room, no storefront. Operators run one or more delivery-only brands from it, usually via apps like DoorDash or Uber Eats.

If you're launching a food business — a catering company, food truck, meal-prep service, or delivery-only brand — you need licensed commercial kitchen access, but you may not need (or be able to afford) your own restaurant. Two options dominate: commissary kitchens and ghost kitchens. They sound similar and people use the terms interchangeably, but they solve very different problems. Choosing wrong can cost you thousands a month. Here's how to decide.

What Is a Commissary Kitchen?

A commissary kitchen (also called a shared or commercial kitchen) is a licensed, health-department-approved kitchen you rent by the hour, day, or month, usually shared with other food businesses. You bring your team and ingredients, prep your food, clean up, and leave. There's no dedicated space and no long-term lease — you pay only for the time you use, often with access to shared storage, walk-ins, and dish areas.

Best for: food trucks (many cities legally require a commissary base), caterers, packaged-food and cottage-food businesses scaling up, pop-ups, and anyone testing a concept before committing to a location.

Typical cost: roughly $15–$35 per hour, or a few hundred to ~$1,200/month for a regular block of time — a fraction of a full restaurant lease.

What Is a Ghost Kitchen?

A ghost kitchen (also called a dark, cloud, or virtual kitchen) is a dedicated space — usually a private stall in a purpose-built facility — where you run a delivery-only restaurant brand. There's no dining room and no foot traffic; orders come through DoorDash, Uber Eats, and Grubhub. You get a consistent, always-available space and can even run multiple virtual brands out of one kitchen.

Best for: delivery-first concepts, established restaurants adding a delivery-only brand, and operators ready to commit to steady volume.

Typical cost: roughly $1,500–$5,000+/month depending on the market and facility, often plus setup fees — plus the 15–30% the delivery apps take of every order.

Commissary vs. Ghost Kitchen: Side by Side

Space: Commissary = shared, booked by the hour. Ghost = dedicated, yours full-time.
Commitment: Commissary = pay-as-you-go, easy to leave. Ghost = monthly lease/license, more commitment.
Best use: Commissary = prep for trucks/catering/packaged goods. Ghost = fulfill delivery orders all day.
Cost model: Commissary = lowest fixed cost, you scale time up or down. Ghost = higher fixed cost, built for volume.
Customer: Commissary supports an off-site sales channel (events, retail, the truck). Ghost is the channel (delivery).

Which One Do You Need?

Choose a commissary kitchen if you have a food truck or catering business, you need flexible hours, you're producing packaged or wholesale food, or you're testing a new concept before signing a lease. It's the lowest-risk way to operate legally.

Choose a ghost kitchen if you're building a delivery-only brand, you already have proven demand, and you want a consistent dedicated space to fulfill steady online order volume.

Many operators even start in a commissary to prove the concept, then graduate to a ghost kitchen (or a full restaurant) once the orders are reliable.

Find a Kitchen Near You

ListingLedge lists commercial and commissary kitchens for rent by the hour, day, or month — filter by location and booking type, see real pricing, and book directly with the owner. If you're ready for your own four walls, you can also browse restaurant spaces for lease.