Kiddo and I have spent the last few months indulging in playgrounds. At least that’s what Kiddo would tell you. We rode all the different U-bahn lines and all the best buses. At every destination, we played hard.
Really, we were on a mission to find a production kitchen. And it wasn’t easy. Kiddo and I ventured far and wide.
You can’t open a food business in Germany without a proper kitchen which complies with a whole bunch of rules. However, there are zero production kitchens available for rent in Stuttgart. How, then, do people start food businesses? I had absolutely no idea.
Kiddo and I took matters into our own hands. Thankfully, two of Kiddo’s favorite things are public transportation and playgrounds. We settled into an afternoon routine. I would pick a destination from my list of possible food-establishments-with-kitchen, and the two of us would venture over. When we got there, the conversation would usually last about 10 seconds.
Me: Hi, I’m Alissa, and I’m starting a food business…blah blah…would you be willing to let me rent your kitchen during the hours you’re not using it?
Them: Nope.
Me: Do you have any other leads or information that could help a new company find a kitchen [or similar followup question]?
Them: Nope.
And then Kiddo and I would go find the nearest playground and play hard to recover from the rejection.
The rejection was seriously tough. Luckily, we didn’t give up, and our perseverance paid off. After many, many rejections, we finally got a yes. It’s all thanks to a generous person who is willing to give this far-fetched idea a chance. This can’t really be how people normally start food businesses, right?