I don't know where to start... I rented the kitchen space for exactly one year.
One of the owners was extremely unpleasant to be around. She was nosey, a bully, passive aggressive, and then moved, re-organized and wrote mean messages on my and some other tenants' business belongings with Sharpie without our permission. When I complained about it to her, she told me that the space is owned and managed by her so she should be able to do whatever she wanted. Not to mention all tenants do pay monthly for the space, and the rent/utility cost is much higher than any other commercial kitchens around Seattle.
She literally nickles and dimes by a square foot, and her bullying behavior indicated that she did not anyone to succeed. If you are busy, she will be all over you persistently bug you trying to charge more money for more hours. I thought it was extremely inappropriate asking me how much money my business was making. She seems to ask the same question to everyone, so I guess she just doesn't realize how inappropriate it is??
***Things they don't tell you when you move in***
1. Schedule
Schedule here was extremely strict too. The owners "said" they were flexible on schedule, but that was not my experience with them. They stick businesses in a very strict schedule every week with no flexibility. So plan your schedule wisely, and expect to get a mean email back if you need to move your schedule around.
2. Utility cost
They don't tell you when you move in, but the utility cost they charge is brutal too. I was on the $600 per month, plus 7% of their utility bill, with the kitchen usage of 15hours per week plan. "7%" does not seem like a lot, but it is a lot. Every other months, it was like $140, and some summer months it went up to $180. When I was moving in, one of the owners told me the utility is "anywhere between $60 and $85" but it was totally a lie.
If you are looking for a shared commercial kitchen in Seattle, do NOT rent at Cookspace. Not worth the stress dealing with the bullying owner, and the extremely overpriced rent. read more