Kitchen Kickstart

Welcome!

We're excited about your plans to open your business in the City of Spokane! Whether you're planning to open a restaurant, a coffee shop, a drive-through, or a commercial kitchen, this program is your guide to opening your own food-based business in the city. Every business is unique and will have different timeframes, costs, and specific requirements, but we will help you navigate through several of the regulations and requirements as you prepare to open up shop in the Lilac City!

History to Now

Over 10 years ago, the City of Spokane developed a Get Started guide for restaurants in the city limits. In 2026, this guide was revamped and refined to focus on the building permit process, offering guidance specific to location selection prior to purchasing buildings or signing leases. The new program, titled "Kitchen Kickstart" was also expanded to include all food-based businesses, in order to guide more than just traditional restaurants through the permitting process.

The program updates include the following:

• A helpful checklist for potential applicants to use when searching for a physical location
• A dedicated team of plan reviewers for the building permit process
• Improved coordination with the Spokane Regional Health District to help educate applicants about important processes over and above the Food Establishment Permit required for food-based businesses.