How to Start a Catering Business From Home: 6 Steps

You can learn how to start a catering business from home by booking kitchen time only when clients place orders. Most home caterers rent a licensed kitchen by the hour to prepare food for paid events.

This guide serves home cooks who want to start a home catering business without building an expensive kitchen. You may wonder if your home kitchen is legal and what commercial kitchens cost.

You can price events and choose permits after you read these steps. Every price on this page comes from the published rates that kitchens post on their own websites.

Step 1: Check what your home kitchen may sell

Cottage food rules limit home cooking to items that do not require refrigeration. Most rules cover shelf-stable foods such as breads, cookies, and jams sold direct to buyers.

The steps to sell food from home list the foods a home kitchen may make and the labels they need.

Catered meals with meat, dairy, or cooked dishes usually fall outside home rules. You must prepare these hot meals in an approved commercial kitchen. Read the cottage food laws in your state before you accept catering orders.

Step 2: Pick a niche and a short menu

A short menu cuts kitchen hours and prevents food waste. You spend less on hourly rental fees when you cook fewer recipes.

If baked goods are your main product, see how to start a baking business from home.

Good options for a simple menu include drop-off trays, office lunches, and baked goods for events. These formats let you cook food ahead of time and transport it easily.

Step 3: Rent a licensed kitchen by the hour

Across the country, 239 kitchens publish an hourly rate, with a national median of $24.50 per hour. You can find shared-use kitchens near you that rent space to multiple food businesses at the same time.

Shared-use kitchens post rates from $5 to $300 per hour at 140 kitchens. Their median is $25 per hour. Most kitchens require an advance time commitment. The most common minimum booking is 4 hours, which applies at 52 kitchens.

Step 4: Get your license, permit, and insurance

Most jurisdictions require four basic credentials before you can serve food to paying guests:

• A general business license for your company
• A food manager or food handler certificate
• A health permit from local authorities
• General liability insurance to cover property and guests

Requirements change by location, so ask your county health department about local rules before you buy equipment.

Step 5: Price each event to cover kitchen time

Your event pricing must cover food, labor, packaging, transport, and kitchen hours at the hourly rate. Calculate all prep time, cooking time, and cleanup time when you quote an event.

Caterers who cook every week often choose monthly plans instead of hourly rates. Across 232 kitchens with published monthly memberships, the median is $693.75 a month. Review what a commercial kitchen costs to pick the best pricing model for your schedule.

Step 6: Book your first clients

Start selling by pitching small events, office lunches, past clients, and personal referrals. These smaller jobs help you test your prep speed without overwhelming your schedule.

Book kitchen shifts around confirmed event dates so you only pay for hours you use. Use the Kitchen Match tool to locate an open kitchen with your needed prep equipment.

What do people ask about starting a catering business from home?

Can you legally cater from your home kitchen?

In most places, you cannot cook full catered meals in a home kitchen. Cottage food rules usually cover shelf-stable foods only. Check the rules for your state and county before you sell any food.

How much does it cost to start a catering business from home?

Renting an hourly kitchen means you have no kitchen to build yourself. Your repeating expenses include food inventory, kitchen hours, local permits, and commercial insurance.

What is the easiest food to sell from home?

The easiest foods to sell from home are shelf-stable baked goods and jams. You can legally sell these items from home where a cottage food law allows them.