Commissary / Ghost Kitchen / Catering Conversion Inspection Manual

WHERE THIS CUISINE QUIETLY COSTS YOU MONEY

Commissary / Ghost Kitchen / Catering-specific conversion gotchas

• 01 · Driver-pickup vestibule + queue

  A 5-brand ghost kitchen at lunch peak sees 30–60 drivers in 90 minutes. Plan a separate pickup vestibule (200–400 sq ft) with heated/cooled bagging shelves, driver-ID screen, and one-way flow that doesn't cross prep. Inherited retail with one front door becomes a fire-marshal problem at peak.

• 02 · Per-tenant separation requirements

  Many AHJs treat each ghost-kitchen tenant as a separate food establishment requiring its own 3-comp sink, hand sink, and walk-in shelving section. A shared single 3-comp doesn't pass. Plan 6–8 ft of plumbing rough-in per tenant station from day one ($8K–$15K per tenant slot).

• 03 · Loading dock + commissary deliveries

  A commissary runs 3–5 deliveries/day (produce, dairy, dry goods, paper). Without a dedicated loading dock or door-side staging area, deliveries cross the kitchen at the same time orders go out. Plan a 200–300 sq ft receiving zone with floor scale, fridge staging shelving, and a separate dock door.

• 04 · Pack-station + insulated-bag inventory

  Catering and delivery require a pack zone with 8–12 ft of stainless table, label printer, sealable container storage, and 50+ insulated delivery bags ready at peak. Inherited spaces always under-allocate this — orders pile up at the expo line and food cools. Spec the pack zone equal in size to the cook line.

• 05 · POS + tablet aggregator stack

  Ghost kitchens run 4–8 third-party aggregator tablets (Uber Eats, DoorDash, Grubhub, brand-direct, etc.). Each needs 110V, a network drop, and tablet-arm wall mount. Plan a tablet wall behind the expo line with dedicated outlets and structured cabling — pulling cables after the wall is finished is a $3K rework.