New: the free 12-step MobCater startup guide is now in the app. Open the app →

Can I Use My Garage Office as a Food Prep Room for My Pizza Business?

by Nath
(Wiltshire UK)

Olive green three-wheel pizza van serving customers at a busy English village fete

Olive green three-wheel pizza van serving customers at a busy English village fete

Heya people. Just starting on my journey and I can’t find the answer to my first question lol.

I have an “office” basically my garage was turned into a place with my pc in it. I want to use that as the prep area where I will make dough for my pizzas and cut pre cooked food or fresh veg.

I have a mixer, a stainless steel table and a fridge to keep things in on one side and on the other side a wooden kitchen worktop for a desk with a computer and a few screens on and accessories for the computer.

The room itself is totally wipe clean as we. Used plastic cladding on all walls and ceiling and a strong laminated floor. There is 1 outward fully opening window for fire regs which I can fit an insect net to.

There is no washing up basin but as it is part of my house I have a dishwasher in the kitchen with sink for cleaning utensils and a bathroom with sink for washing hands etc.

Would this all be ok? I don’t see why not but I wonder as I have it as an office and prep room and hand washing and cleaning facilities are in the house.

Ta,


Nath.

Comments for Can I Use My Garage Office as a Food Prep Room for My Pizza Business?

Average Rating starstarstarstarstar

Click here to add your own comments

Oct 28, 2026
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Can I Use My Garage Office as a Food Prep Room for My Pizza Business?
by: MobCater

Nath, plenty of people start by turning a garage into a prep room, and from what you describe you have done most of the hard work already. Wipe clean cladding on the walls and ceiling, a sealed floor, a stainless table and a fridge make a good base. The weak spot is the one you have already noticed, which is handwashing.

When you register with your council, which is free and should be done at least 28 days before you trade, the EHO will want to see that you can wash your hands where you handle the food. Home businesses get a bit more leeway than commercial kitchens. Even so, walking through the house to the bathroom with dough on your hands, touching door handles on the way, is exactly what they want to stop. Most officers I have dealt with would ask for a wash hand basin in the prep room itself, with hot and cold running water, soap and paper towels. If plumbing one in is awkward, a self contained portable handwash unit with a heated tank does the job, and they cost roughly £300 to £500.

The house dishwasher is usually fine for utensils, as long as business kit is not going in with the family's dirty plates and it runs a proper hot cycle. Fresh veg needs washing somewhere clean, so use the kitchen sink only when it has been cleared and cleaned for the job.

The office side is what I would think hardest about. It is not against the rules to have a desk in the room, but flour gets everywhere when you make pizza dough, and keyboards and screens are hard to keep clean. Keep the desk at the far end, never put food or equipment on that wooden worktop, and stay off the computer while you are prepping. Tell the EHO about it up front. In my experience officers respond far better to a plan than a surprise.

Because you are cutting precooked food as well as raw veg, keep the two apart with separate boards and knives, and write that into your Safer Food Better Business pack. The insect net on the window is a good touch, and the officer will notice it.

My honest advice is to ring your local environmental health team before you finish the room and ask what they would want to see. It saves doing the work twice.

Keep going

David

Disclaimer: Food safety rules are updated from time to time. Always check the latest FSA guidance and speak to your local EHO for the most current requirements in your area.

Try the free MobCater App, our startup checklist and guide walks you through every step: https://www.mobcater.co.uk/mobile-catering.html

Click here to add your own comments

Join in and write your own page! It's easy to do. How? Simply click here to return to Mobile Catering Food & Hygiene Certificate.

Your first trading day is closer than you think

Start free today with the 12-step guide, and skip the trial and error most new caterers learn the hard way.

Start the free 12-step guide