Shared Kitchen User License (long-term or short-term): Chicago restaurant guide
Chicago BACP
What it is
The license for a business that cooks in someone else's licensed shared (commissary) kitchen instead of its own space — common for delivery-only brands, caterers and food trucks.
When a restaurant needs it
If you prepare food in a licensed shared kitchen. Long-term covers the 2-year license period; short-term covers up to 90 consecutive days.
How to apply
Apply online in Chicago Business Direct or in person at the Small Business Center (City Hall, 121 N. LaSalle St., Room 800) naming the licensed shared kitchen you'll use.
Documents you’ll need
- Business identification documents
- Name and license of the Shared Kitchen Operator (or Supplemental licensee) you'll cook in
- Food Service Sanitation Certificate holder
Good to know
The kitchen you rent must hold a Shared Kitchen Operator license ($660) or, if it's a licensed restaurant renting space on the side, a Shared Kitchen Supplemental license ($330). If you later rent your own kitchen to others, you need the Supplemental license.
Official source
BACP — Shared Kitchen licenses · BACP — shared kitchen fact sheet
Answer a few questions about your space and get every permit in order, with a timeline, a cost range, walkthroughs, and every application filled in for you to sign with Open.
Last reviewed 2026-10-06. Guidance only, not legal advice.