What "fully fitted" means in a commercial kitchen lease, and what it usually does not

Fully fitted is one of those phrases that sounds specific and is not.

A landlord can say it about a unit with a bare canopy and no gas connection. A different landlord can say it about a unit with three gas points, a walk-in fridge, and a personal smoke detector wired into the building system.

Both are accurate. They describe very different working environments.

What every commercial kitchen needs by law

Before you compare units you need a baseline. UK environmental health regulations require a sink for handwashing separate from food preparation, a sink for equipment washing, mechanical extraction sufficient for the cooking equipment, food-safe surfaces, and pest-proofing. The Food Standards Agency publishes the full list.

If a unit is missing any of these, it is not fully fitted. It is partially fitted at best.

What "fully fitted" usually includes

In a strong listing, fully fitted will include extraction (a stainless steel canopy with mechanical fan and gas interlock), gas connection (live, capped, or both), three-phase electrical supply, double sink plus separate hand sink, food-safe wall cladding to a working height, food-safe flooring, and adequate lighting (at least 500 lux on the prep line).

A few will include cold storage. Most will not. A few will include shelving. Most will not.

What it almost never includes

Cooking equipment. Burners, ovens, fryers, salamanders. The operator brings these.

Small wares. Pots, pans, knives, scales, containers.

POS hardware, packaging storage racks, dry storage shelving, EPOS terminals, printers, tablets for the delivery apps.

Cleaning chemicals, cleaning equipment, mops, buckets, sanitiser dispensers.

Crockery and serviceware (almost never relevant in a delivery kitchen, occasionally relevant in a hybrid).

Where the small print lives

The cost gap between two "fully fitted" units almost always traces to four lines in the contract.

Services charge. This is the bucket for shared costs (waste, pest control, fire compliance, building management, business rates if included). It is usually quoted monthly. Read what is in it. A low rent with a high services charge can cost the same as a high rent with services included, and the latter is easier to budget.

Utilities. Some units include gas and electricity in the rent (rare). Most charge them separately, on a sub-meter, at cost. A few add a margin to the unit rate. Ask which.

Waste. Trade waste in central London runs anywhere from 80 to 250 pounds per month per kitchen depending on volume and the contractor. Some landlords include it. Some pass it through. Some make you arrange your own contract, which is the worst outcome because you also need to coordinate collection times.

Repairs and maintenance. The standard split is that the landlord maintains the building shell, the extraction, and the gas distribution. The operator maintains everything they bring in. A weak contract leaves the canopy clean and certification with the operator, which is a five-figure annual cost done properly.

Questions to ask before signing

What is included in the services charge, in writing?

Are utilities sub-metered, and at what rate?

Who arranges and pays for trade waste collection?

Who is responsible for canopy cleaning, gas safety, and fire system testing? At what frequency?

What is the notice period to leave, and is there a break clause?

Is access 24 hours, and how is it controlled (fobs, codes, smart locks)?

Two kitchens with the same headline rent can carry a 1,500 pound monthly gap once these are answered. The work is in the asking.

A worked comparison

Two units, both advertised as "fully fitted commercial kitchen, central London". Both 25 square metres. Both 2,800 pounds rent.

Unit A: services charge 350 pounds (covers waste, pest control, business rates). Utilities sub-metered at cost. Canopy clean and gas certification handled by the landlord. 24-hour smart-lock access. All-in monthly cost for a small operator running 60 covers per night, six nights: about 3,800 pounds.

Unit B: services charge 200 pounds (covers building cleaning only). Operator arranges and pays trade waste at 180 pounds per month. Operator pays business rates separately at 280 pounds per month. Utilities at a 15 percent landlord margin. Operator responsible for canopy clean (about 1,200 per year) and gas safety check (about 350 per year). 9 to 7 access only. All-in monthly cost: about 4,400 pounds plus the access constraint.

Same advert. Same price on the headline. A 600 pound monthly difference, plus the access penalty for any operator running into the late evening. The work is in reading the schedule, not the headline.