The headline number for a single-brand cloud kitchen
For a 250-400 sqft single-brand cloud kitchen in Pune, Bengaluru, Mumbai, or Hyderabad, expect ₹12 lakhs to ₹22 lakhs all-in. The spread is driven by city tier (Mumbai/Bengaluru vs Pune/Hyderabad), cuisine complexity (biryani + tandoor vs wrap/salad), and whether you're in a managed cloud-kitchen facility or a standalone commercial unit.
Line item 1: kitchen equipment — ₹4.5-9 lakhs
Cloud kitchens run leaner than dine-in but still need commercial-grade gear. A typical north-Indian or biryani kitchen: 2-burner range (₹75k), tandoor or salamander (₹55-65k), 2-door under-counter chiller (₹1.1L), upright freezer (₹95k), prep tables + shelving (₹60k), exhaust hood + ducting (₹1.2-2L), gas bank + LPG manifold (₹55k), commercial mixer/grinder (₹35k). Add 10-12% for transport, installation, and small wares.
Line item 2: fitout and utilities — ₹1.5-4 lakhs
| Component | Lean (₹) | Mid (₹) | Premium (₹) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flooring + drainage (300 sqft) | 45,000 | 80,000 | 1,20,000 |
| Wall tiles + grease-proofing | 35,000 | 65,000 | 1,00,000 |
| Electrical + gas line | 60,000 | 1,10,000 | 1,80,000 |
| Exhaust + ventilation | 80,000 | 1,40,000 | 2,20,000 |
| Prep counter + storage | 40,000 | 75,000 | 1,20,000 |
| Pest control + fire safety | 25,000 | 45,000 | 70,000 |
Managed cloud-kitchen facilities (Rebel, Kouzina, etc.) often include fitout in the monthly rent — but charge ₹18-35/sqft/month vs ₹12-22 for standalone. Run both models before committing.
Line item 3: property deposit — ₹1-3.5 lakhs
Standalone commercial units: 3-6 months rent as deposit. At ₹12-18/sqft for a 300 sqft kitchen in a secondary commercial zone, that's ₹1.1L-3.2L. Managed facilities typically ask 1-2 months as security deposit on top of the monthly fee.
Line item 4: licences and approvals — ₹80k-2 lakhs
FSSAI state licence (₹2-5k), GST registration (free), trade licence (₹3-15k), fire NOC (₹5-25k incl. basic fire-safety), shop & establishment (₹500-5k), pollution NOC (₹3-25k). Cloud kitchens in Maharashtra also need a BMC health trade licence. See the Forkcast licence checklist for state-specific lists.
Line item 5: packaging and launch inventory — ₹1-2.5 lakhs
The line most pitch decks skip. Branded containers, bags, cutlery kits, and tamper seals for 30 days of orders: ₹40-80k. Opening-week ingredient inventory (proteins, dry goods, dairy): ₹60k-1.2L. Aggregator menu photography: ₹15-40k if you don't have assets.
Line item 6: tech stack — ₹40-90k
- POS — Petpooja or UrbanPiper: ₹25-45k hardware + ₹12-24k/year software.
- KDS / printer — ₹8-15k for a thermal printer + basic KDS if not bundled.
- Aggregator onboarding — ₹5-15k per platform for photography, menu setup, and listing fees.
- Packaging design — ₹10-25k for label and bag design if branding from scratch.
Line item 7: working capital — ₹1.5-3.5 lakhs
Aggregator settlement is T+7 to T+14. Vendor terms are 7-30 days. Salaries on the 1st. You need 30-45 days of operating cost in the bank on launch day — not month three when the cash crunch hits.
Calculate as 1.5× monthly fixed cost. For a mid cloud kitchen at ~₹1.8L monthly fixed + ₹80k variable at low-volume month one, that's ₹2.5-3.9L. Most first-time founders budget ₹1L and borrow at 24%+ by week six.
Total capex summary
| Line | Lean (₹L) | Mid (₹L) | Premium (₹L) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Equipment | 4.5 | 6.5 | 9.0 |
| Fitout + utilities | 1.5 | 2.5 | 4.0 |
| Deposit | 1.0 | 2.0 | 3.5 |
| Licences | 0.8 | 1.2 | 2.0 |
| Packaging + launch inventory | 1.0 | 1.5 | 2.5 |
| Tech stack | 0.4 | 0.6 | 0.9 |
| Working capital | 1.5 | 2.5 | 3.5 |
| Total | 11.7 | 16.8 | 25.4 |
What's not included
- Aggregator ad spend — budget 6-10% of revenue from day one if you want discoverability.
- Recipe development — ₹80k-2L if you don't have a tested, costed menu.
- Multi-brand listing fees — each additional virtual brand adds ₹5-15k onboarding + separate inventory.
- Delivery fleet — most cloud kitchens use aggregator riders; own fleet adds ₹15-25k/rider/month.
Run the numbers for your format and city
The ranges above assume a single-brand, aggregator-first kitchen. Multi-brand cloud kitchens add 20-30% to equipment and inventory. For comparison, a 60-seat casual dining in the same city runs ₹38-62L — see cost to open in Pune for the dine-in breakdown.
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