It goes by several names — commissary letter, kitchen use agreement, licence to occupy — and it does two jobs. It sets the commercial terms between you and the operator, and it evidences that you have a permitted place to work. Nova Scotia formalises the second job with its Permission to Use a Permitted Eating Establishment form for market vendors who do not own a permitted kitchen; elsewhere the operator’s letter is doing the same work informally.
Read for the clauses that cost money later: the cancellation window and what it refunds, any minimum booking or monthly commitment, exactly what storage you get and who may open it, insurance you are required to carry, whether the rate is all-in, and who is responsible when an inspection item is raised against the space.
Expect fees beside the rate. The Food Corridor’s shared-kitchen toolkit lists the standard add-ons US operators charge: application, security deposit, cancellation (typically on 24 to 48 hours’ notice), overage, cleaning, kitchen training, special equipment rental and waste disposal. The dollar amounts are a US market and not worth importing, but the list is a good checklist for reading any agreement. Food Web publishes its own cancellation and refund terms at refunds, and the kitchen rental guides cover what to negotiate.
