The Q – Commercial Kitchen & Commissary

90-Day Retail Pickup Launch Plan

A Smaller First Step for Serious Food Operators

The 90-Day Retail Pickup Launch Plan is designed for approved food operators who want to test one focused food concept without opening a restaurant.

This plan may fit someone who has a food item people keep asking for and wants a legal, practical way to begin selling through a preorder and pickup model.

Examples may include:

  • Italian family meals
  • Chicken plates
  • Casseroles
  • Meal-prep menus
  • Dessert boxes
  • Taco packs
  • Pasta trays
  • Soup or sandwich pickup
  • Take-and-bake meals
  • Other focused food concepts approved by The Q

This plan is intended for small, structured launch concepts — not full restaurant operations, casual food sales, or high-volume production.

What the Plan Includes

90-Day Retail Pickup Launch Plan: $495/month

Includes:

  • Up to 4 scheduled kitchen hours per week
  • One 2-hour Retail Pickup Window per week
  • Preorder-only customer model
  • Limited approved menu
  • Scheduled production and pickup times
  • Use of approved kitchen areas and equipment during scheduled kitchen time
  • Customer pickup through The Q’s approved pickup area during the scheduled pickup window

All kitchen time and pickup time must be scheduled in advance.

What the Plan Does Not Include

This plan does not include:

  • Dedicated refrigeration
  • Dedicated freezer space
  • Dedicated dry storage
  • The Bear wood-fired smoker
  • Chargrill use
  • Food Truck Commissary service
  • Additional kitchen hours
  • Additional pickup days
  • Dine-in service
  • Walk-in restaurant service
  • Unscheduled access
  • Overnight holding or storage unless separately approved
  • Use of areas or equipment not specifically approved

Any additional services must be separately approved, scheduled, and priced.

Who This Plan Is For

This plan may be a good fit for an operator who wants to test a focused food idea such as:

  • one weekly pickup menu;
  • one family-meal offering;
  • one meal-prep menu;
  • one dessert box;
  • one pasta-tray pickup;
  • one chicken-plate day;
  • one take-and-bake concept;
  • or another limited food offering.

The best fit is an operator who already has a clear food idea, can manage preorders, and wants to test demand before taking on larger facility costs.

This plan works best when the operator can produce, package, clean, and reset within the included kitchen time.

Preorder and Pickup Model

The 90-Day Retail Pickup Launch Plan is built around preorders.

The operator is responsible for:

  • menu;
  • pricing;
  • online ordering;
  • customer communication;
  • payment collection;
  • packaging;
  • labeling, if required;
  • sales tax compliance;
  • customer service;
  • permits, licenses, and insurance;
  • Health Department compliance.

The Q does not operate the food business for the operator.

The Q provides approved kitchen access and scheduled retail pickup access under a written agreement.

Health Department and Approval

All operators must be approved before using The Q.

The operator is responsible for satisfying applicable Health Department requirements for the food business.

The Q may provide facility information or commissary/facility confirmation when appropriate, but use of The Q does not automatically mean the operator is approved to sell food.

No operator may begin production or retail pickup until the required approval, agreement, schedule, and payment arrangements are complete.

90-Day Review

This plan is intended as a launch period.

At the end of 90 days, The Q and the operator will review:

  • actual kitchen hours used;
  • pickup flow;
  • customer volume;
  • menu fit;
  • cleanup and reset;
  • scheduling needs;
  • refrigeration or storage needs;
  • operator reliability;
  • whether the concept appears workable;
  • and whether the operator should continue, adjust, expand, or move to a regular plan.

After the 90-day launch period, continued use may require a new agreement, a regular Kitchen Access tier, Retail Pickup Window pricing, or separately approved services.

Onboarding Fee and Deposit

A one-time $100 onboarding fee applies before first use.

A refundable security deposit may also be required before first use, depending on the approved arrangement.

Example

An operator wants to sell Italian family meals once per week.

She uses her own Square online store for preorders.

She schedules four kitchen hours on Friday to prepare, package, clean, and reset.

Customers pick up prepaid orders during a two-hour Retail Pickup Window.

She does not need dedicated storage, dedicated refrigeration, smoker use, chargrill use, or additional pickup days.

That kind of focused weekly launch may fit the 90-Day Retail Pickup Launch Plan.

Start with a Conversation

The 90-Day Retail Pickup Launch Plan is not automatic.

It is available only for approved operators whose food concept, schedule, menu, and facility needs fit the plan.

The Q — Commercial Kitchen & Commissary
106 South Main Street
Boaz, Alabama

Call or text 256-557-0517 to schedule a tour or conversation.