Capital Requirement Estimator
Format + city → kitchen equipment + interiors + deposit + licences + working capital. Real ranges by format and city tier — not generic 'around ₹25 lakh' guesses.
| Line item | Range (₹ lakhs) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Kitchen equipment | 8 – 22.4 | Tandoor, ranges, refrigeration, exhaust, dishwasher, food prep, dry storage. |
| Interiors & furniture | 9 – 25.2 | 1,400 sqft fit-out, false ceiling, lighting, seating, signage. |
| Property deposit | 3.5 – 9.8 | Typically 6-10 months of rent at ₹85-220/sqft (T1 Pune). |
| Licences & approvals | 1.3 – 3.5 | FSSAI, GST, fire NOC, signage, music, professional tax — see /start/licences for the state-specific list. |
| Working capital (30-45 days) | 3.3 – 9.1 | Aggregator T+7 to T+14 settlement vs vendor cash terms. Bridge the gap or close on a Tuesday. |
- Estimate calibrated for Pune (T1) and casual dining.
- Notable signal for this city: IT hub demand mid-month; college catchments swing 30% with exams.
- Rent + labour + interior depreciation are the big three.
Related reading
- pre launchHow much does it actually cost to open a restaurant in Pune in 2026?
Most ‘restaurant cost’ blogs stop at ‘around ₹25 lakh’. Here is the line by line breakdown for a 60 seat casual dining restaurant on FC Road or Kothrud: equipment, interiors, deposits, licences, working capital, and the four numbers most owners forget.
- pre launchFSSAI licence in Maharashtra: cost, timeline, documents
FSSAI is the single most-asked-about licence for new restaurant owners. The actual process is simpler than the fixers around FoSCoS suggest. Here is what you actually pay, what you actually upload, and what trips up first-time applicants.
- pre launchCloud kitchen vs casual dining: real costs, real margins, India 2026
Cloud kitchen looks cheaper to open. Whether it actually earns more is a different question once aggregator commission, ad spend, and refund drag are layered in.
Common questions
Why are the ranges this wide?
Because format-city pairs really do vary by 2-3x. A 1,200 sqft casual-dining in T1 Mumbai is genuinely 4-5x the capex of the same format in T3 Aligarh. We show the band and tell you what drives the swing — kitchen vs interior vs deposit.
Is working capital really 13% of capex?
It's a starting estimate. Aggregator settlement is T+7 to T+14 in India; vendor cash terms are 7-30 days. The mismatch is usually 30-45 days of operating cost — and that's after rent + salaries + utilities go out on day 1.
Where do these numbers come from?
A curated dataset of 200+ Indian restaurant openings (2023-2026), cross-checked against equipment-vendor quotes from Petpooja's hardware partners. Numbers are refreshed quarterly.
Does this include licence + branding + marketing?
Licences yes (~5%). Branding and pre-launch marketing are not included in capex — budget another 3-8% on top depending on city tier.
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