Join Our Network of Profitable Kitchens

This is a common question, and the decision is entirely up to you.

Dishefs doesn’t set the rules for renting or subleasing your kitchen space. We encourage you to take a look at your lease agreement and maybe have a chat with your landlord or legal advisor to make sure everything’s in line.

We’ve seen all kinds of setups: some kitchen owners fully own their spaces, some have flexible leases, and others have a few more restrictions when it comes to subleasing. Even in cases where subleasing isn’t allowed, some owners have worked with their landlords to find alternative solutions.

At Dishefs, we’re here to help you succeed by connecting you with qualified, background-checked renters. We’re with you every step of the way—from onboarding to day-to-day support, whether it’s getting permits sorted out or making sure your earnings hit your bank account without a hitch. Once you’re on board, we recommend trying out our Earning Calculator. You can play around with your off hours, set your ideal hourly rate, and see how much you could start earning today. Or, think about how much you might be leaving on the table by not renting out your space.

Just a quick note: the Earning Calculator is a helpful tool to give you an idea, but it’s not a guarantee. Actual earnings can vary depending on a bunch of factors like market demand and your specific setup.

We’re here to make your experience as smooth and hassle-free as possible so you can focus on what you love while we take care of the details. We’re confident in what we do and committed to earning your trust by delivering great service every step of the way.

We strive to create a harmonious environment where both you and our renters can thrive. Typically, renters operate during off-peak hours, such as early mornings (6 AM to 9 AM) or during your off hours, allowing for a schedule that complements your business needs.

For instance, food truck owners might require access during these times, while a juice maker can bring in her certified equipment and ingredients, or a granola bar maker might just need a mixer for a couple of hours. Our goal is to foster a culture that enables you to earn money even when you’re not working.

This collaborative approach benefits everyone involved and builds a supportive community where we can all learn from each other. We believe in creating a space where innovation flourishes, and we’re here to support you every step of the way.

Why Choose Dishefs for Kitchen Rentals?

Dishefs provides a smarter solution for utilizing underused kitchens, much like Airbnb for homes. By connecting commercial kitchen owners—whether in restaurants, churches (Note: Churches should consult with a CPA on earning opportunities; please consult with a tax advisor), nonprofits, or homes—with those needing temporary space, Dishefs helps maximize kitchen utility while generating additional income for owners.

Renters such as food vendors, aspiring chefs, or event organizers can easily find and book kitchens by the hour. This win-win approach ensures cost-effective kitchen access while offering flexible rental options.

What is Dishefs?

Dishefs connects owners of commercial kitchens—whether in restaurants, churches, nonprofits, or homes—with individuals or businesses seeking flexible, affordable rentals. Our platform goes beyond basic Kitchen Management Software. We actively source leads suited to your kitchen, managing the entire pre-onboarding process, including background checks, insurance, certifications, and deposits, and delivering vetted renters for your approval.

Once approved, we assist with permits, documentation, and inspections. Our shared calendar and app ensure smooth reservations, check-ins, check-outs, and accurate billing, including overtime if applicable. Partnering with Stripe, we automate payments and deposits directly to your account, while our escrow service manages security deposits and potential issues, providing hassle-free peace of mind.

How Does It Work?

• For Kitchen Owners: List your kitchen with size and equipment details.
• For Renters: Browse and book kitchens based on your schedule—hourly or long-term.

Who Can Benefit?

• Kitchen Owners: Churches, nonprofits, restaurants, and homeowners with commercial kitchens.
• Renters: Food vendors, aspiring restaurateurs, market merchants, or anyone needing event or production space.

Example Scenario:

A restaurant that opens at 5pm could rent its kitchen to a baker from 5am to 4pm, generating 10 hours of rental at $45/hour. That’s $450 per day, or $2,250 weekly, in additional income from otherwise idle space.

Dishefs maximizes kitchen utility, creating a win-win for both owners and renters.

Next Steps:

1. Choose your preferred package.
2. Start with the Startup package and add the Background Check Add-On to receive inquiries from vetted renters.
3. Our recent work with Gracious Kitchen resulted in $2,000 of additional recurring monthly income while keeping existing tenants happy.

With Dishefs, you get a dedicated partner committed to helping your kitchen operations thrive.

You can find the perfect match for every space – the trick is to set clear expectations.
You may not think that a well-equipped commercial kitchen in the midst of a tucked away food alley or an unused kitchen of a suburban home-owner could be popular choices for kitchen rental on Dishefs, but in fact, many different kinds of spaces appeal to renters —even the out of the way and modest ones. The key is to create an honest listing that not only spells out the details but also highlights the unique features that creates appeal – whether it’s affordability, ease of use, or state of the art kitchen equipment.

Begin with the basics

What do you need for a Dishefs kitchen rental space? At the very least, those renting your space expect a clean and hygienic working space and functioning kitchen appliances and equipment. It is important to indicate whether or not those renting your kitchen will have access to the pantry.

Describe your kitchen space

Kitchen spaces can be as varied as they get so it’s important to indicate in your listing the exact type of space that you’re offering. Is it a commercial kitchen housed in a restaurant or are you a homeowner with an approved commercial kitchen to spare? Are you a bakery that has downtime on the kitchen hours and is looking to earn some extra cash by renting it out? You may even be the owner of a banquet hall equipped with a fully-functioning kitchen that has its “off season” and could be rented out to those in need of such a space. Beyond that you could be school PTO who wants to raise extra cash for school team and have unused kitchen that could benefit your neighborhood chef entrepreneur or Churches, synagogue, temples or any non-profits who have approved kitchens that would like to earn donations in returns

Choose what your tenants can access

You can indicate to rentees that they’ll have complete access to your entire kitchen, to all equipment and appliances or they may have restricted access to only some select equipment. Whether you give free rein to tenants or keep a check on how much and what can be used is up to you. The important things are to keep your space clean and to communicate about exactly what to expect.

Be honest about pros and cons

Lets say, restaurateur Allen from Charlotte has a fully-equipped expansive kitchen that is tucked away in a quiet corner of the city—making it a chef’s/baker’s dream but sometimes a little inconvenient owing to its distance from the city’s thoroughfare. He’ll find that being honest in his listing about both the pros and cons is very important—and this will earn him honest reviews from his tenants. Example of what Allen might say – What’s most convenient about my kitchen is that it’s as large as it can get but if you’re someone who wants the local markets at a stone’s throw, it might not be the ideal space for you.

Show and tell

Clear communication is crucial here: mentioning details in a listing is a great start, but pictures are worth a thousand words, as some tenants might book without reading everything thoroughly.
For instance, Dishefs recommends that private-kitchen host Priya include her Indian style kitchen as a prominent feature of her listing. Being clear about the fact that she has a homely kitchen will attract people who are just looking for a quiet place to rustle up some good old fare sans all the paraphernalia associated with state-of-the-art kitchens. Anybody who rents the space is only looking for a simple kitchen that helps do the job without all the fanfare. Those who are looking for more will go somewhere else.

Set a realistic price for your space

No worries if your space isn’t a five-star kitchen! Many rentees are looking for a modest space as long as the purpose gets served. It’s a good idea for new landlords to start with a price that justifies the space you are offering. Once you have a steady stream of bookings and a few great reviews, you can adjust your price based on operational costs. But make sure to uphold great service standards and keep up demand.

Everybody’s space

Anyone who has spare space to share can thrive on Dishefs Kitchen Rentals. There’s no such thing as an “ideal” listing—you just need to be honest and detailed in your description and photos to help potential tenants understand exactly what to expect. From modest approved home kitchens to heavily equipped commercial cooking spaces, there’s a perfect space for everyone on Dishefs.

Your listing should be viewed as an advertisement for your space. Be honest about any quirks, while making it as compelling as possible.

• Get the basics right. Include details such as where your kitchen space is located, the type of space you offer, and the appliances/equipment available at the disposal of the tenant.
• Photograph the space. Photos can help people decide where to rent. Organize your space beforehand to capture the best pictures. Use natural light whenever possible and take pictures in landscape orientation.
• Draw attention to unique details. When creating your listing title or description, be sure to include what makes your place special, such as a large working area with storage built in and the latest kitchen equipment. Include in your description any important details that tenants should know before booking, such as the hours during which it is available for booking.

Organize the logistics

Your next step will be lining up all the logistics for your listing to make the hosting process run smoothly.

• Add Kitchen Rules to your listing. To help tenants understand your expectations, add rules for your space, including details like restrictions on appliance usage, penalty incurred in case of damages done, or type of cooking that can be done.
• Get your calendar set up. Your Dishefs calendar should reflect your availability so you only get reservations when you can host. You can also specify how far in advance guests can book or how much advance notice you need.
• Set your hourly price. As for your prices, they are always up to you, but Dishefs offers Smart Pricing tools to help you match your prices with demand, as well as custom pricing controls for times such as weekends and specific seasons.
• Check your local laws. There are city regulations regarding space sharing, such as limits on the number of days you can rent out, registration requirements, or special taxes.

Prepare your space

Whether you’re expecting your first guest or your 100th, these are the steps you’ll need to take to ensure your space is ready to go.

• Put things in order. Clean up your kitchen space and remove unnecessary items. Check that the countertops, cabinets, insides of appliances are free of dust, rust, or mold.
• Keep the essentials on hand. To give tenants that extra something, consider providing amenities like some regular-use kitchen utensils, basic spices, baking items, etc. A little goes a long way in earning those rave reviews!
• Describe the registration process. Be prepared to help take your guests through the registration process. If no one is around, you can always use a lockbox or electronic lock and provide guests with check-in instructions in the Dishefs app.
• Add the final touches. People appreciate it when you go the extra mile. A kitchen guide with instructions can assist guests. If you want to make people feel extra welcome, you can give them a small gift as a token.

As soon as you set up your listing and space, you’ll be ready to begin welcoming people and making money!

Your listing should be viewed as an advertisement for your space. Be honest about any quirks, while making it as compelling as possible.

Hosts often use Kitchen Rental earnings to fund retirement. For others, it’s often used to finance an unfulfilled dream. It may be your dream to see the world and hosting may help pay for those sojourns. Regardless of your financial goals, being a renter on Dishefs can be a great way to earn extra income. Follow our guide to start listing and getting paid today.

You can be a host

How does one become a Dishefs Kitchen Rental host? First, you need to have a space available at all hours to share with those in need of a commercial/approved home kitchen. There will always be guests who will enjoy your space, whether it’s a fully equipped commercial kitchen or a sparsely furnished home-style approved kitchen. Make sure the listing accurately and honestly describes what to expect. In general, you need to be willing to provide warm hospitality to your guests, which means:

• Be prompt and clear in your communication
• Provide a clean and comfortable environment with basic amenities
• Make your space special by adding any extra touches

What you charge is up to you

By hosting on Dishefs, you can advertise your Approved Kitchens to rentees with no strings attached—no sign-up charges or membership fees. And you decide on your own hourly rate. You can set custom prices for seasons, weekends, and any other nights where you want to control what you charge. You can also add fees upfront for things like extra guests or kitchen cleaning*. If you want some help determining how much to charge, Dishefs has tools that match your prices with demand and suggest a competitive price on hourly basis.

Start getting bookings

You will begin receiving inquiries and bookings once you list your space on Dishefs. You’ll be paid on time when you host with Dishefs as they charge each tenant before arrival. You get saved the trouble of handling money directly.

Get paid once your check-in is completed

You have the option of getting paid by direct bank deposit or PayPal. In most cases, Dishefs releases your payment approximately 24 hours after your tenant arrives. You may need to wait a couple of days for the funds to impact your account. You will be paid your hourly rate minus a small service fee plus standard credit cards processing fees.

It’s natural to have concerns about protecting your possessions and belongings when people you don’t know use your space, whether you’re new to hosting or just thinking about it. It might be helpful for you to know that Dishefs offers a number of protections for both hosts and guests.

The thought of letting strangers into your home and kitchen can give you the jitters but Dishefs’ protection guidelines have got you covered. We ensure that we give landlords the confidence to list their kitchen and give kitchen renting a try!”

Guest identification and other requirements

Guests provide their full name, date of birth, phone number, email address, and payment information to Dishefs before booking. Hosts also have the option of requiring guests to provide Dishefs with a government ID before they can book.

You’re encouraged to set your own house rules—for example, note any restrictions on the type of food they can cook and the number of helpers they can bring in. All guests are required to agree to your house rules before booking. If your listing was booked instantly, remember that you can take advantage of penalty-free cancellations if the need arises.

Profiles and reviews

Aside from providing peace of mind, Dishefs helps you get to know your tenants before they book. Read their profiles and past reviews to get a feel for them.

Due to the fact that renters and rentees can only review each other after a reservation is complete, you can be confident the feedback you’re reading is based on real experiences. If you have questions or want to set expectations, you can use Dishefs secure messaging tool at any point before their stay.

Host damage protection

Every renter is required to update their liability insurance to mention your facility as part of the reservations. Please make sure to verify your name is listed correctly in the renters liability insurance.

Account security

Several measures are taken by Dishefs to protect your account, such as requiring extra authentication when logging in from a new computer or phone and sending you alerts when your account is changed. So long as you stay on Dishefs’ platform through the entire process-from communication to booking, to payment-you’re protected by its policies.

Amazing support

Dishefs’ support team is just a ping away and happy to help in many topics:

• Assistance with rebooking
• Cancellations and refunds
• Reimbursement requests for host damage protection
• Arbitration

You can begin hosting with confidence once you have these protections in place and take some basic security measures on your part.

Dishefs Trust and Safety page provides more information about how they ensure the safety of renters and tenants.