◆ Cost reference

Ghost kitchen startup costs (2026)

Published July 2026 · Updated July 26, 2026

Quick answer

Opening a ghost kitchen typically costs $20,000 to $60,000 in shared or commissary space (Toast), versus a $375,000 median for a traditional restaurant (RestaurantOwner.com survey). The line most startup models underestimate is not the build. It is the commission: a delivery-only concept routes roughly 100% of revenue through DoorDash, Uber Eats, and Grubhub at a 25-35% blended cost, so a kitchen doing 1,200 orders a month at a $30 ticket pays about $129,600 a year in marketplace fees, two to six times its entire startup cost, every year.

Every dollar range on this page is attributed to a named source with an accessed date and linked in the Sources section. Figures were last checked July 2026.

The breakdown

10 sourced figures behind a ghost kitchen budget.

Kitchen space, equipment, licensing, technology, platform onboarding, and the ongoing commission line that dwarfs all of them. Each figure quotable on its own.

  1. $20K-$60K

    Opening a ghost kitchen in shared or commissary space typically costs $20,000 to $60,000 all-in, and 7shifts puts the full observed range at $20,000 to $100,000 depending on market and equipment needs.

    SourceToast, "How Much Does it Cost to Open a Ghost Kitchen?" and 7shifts, "How Much Does It Cost to Open a Ghost Kitchen in 2026?", accessed July 2026.

  2. $375,000

    The median cost to open a traditional independent restaurant is $375,000 ($113 per square foot, $3,586 per seat). $275,500 to remodel an existing restaurant space, $425,500 to convert a non-restaurant space, and $650,000 to build from the ground up.

    SourceRestaurantOwner.com, Independent Restaurant Cost to Open Survey (350+ operators), accessed July 2026.

  3. $15-$50/hr

    Shared commissary kitchens rent for roughly $15 to $50 per hour (or a flat monthly fee for set hour blocks), and a ghost kitchen launched on this model can start for about $20,000 to $40,000.

    Source7shifts, "How Much Does It Cost to Open a Ghost Kitchen in 2026?", accessed July 2026.

  4. $3K-$15K/mo

    A dedicated private suite in a CloudKitchens-class kitchen-as-a-service facility runs about $3,000 to $15,000 per month depending on the market, with startup costs on this model in the $40,000 to $80,000 range.

    Source7shifts, "How Much Does It Cost to Open a Ghost Kitchen in 2026?", accessed July 2026.

  5. $100K-$300K+

    Building out your own delivery-only kitchen from scratch (lease, ventilation, plumbing, buildout) costs $100,000 to $300,000 or more, which is why most first-time operators rent instead.

    Source7shifts, "How Much Does It Cost to Open a Ghost Kitchen in 2026?", accessed July 2026.

  6. $15K-$35K

    A lean ghost kitchen equipped entirely with quality used equipment (range, refrigeration, fryer, prep table, dishwasher, ventilation) can be operational for $15,000 to $35,000 in equipment, rising to $20,000 to $50,000 with a combi oven. Buying used cuts equipment cost 40-60% versus new.

    SourceKitchenEquipmentTrader, "Ghost Kitchen Equipment Guide," accessed July 2026.

  7. $2K-$10K

    Licensing and permits for a ghost kitchen typically total about $2,000 to $10,000 depending on jurisdiction, with the business license itself running $50 to $500 and a food-facility health permit $300 to $1,000.

    SourceRestroworks, "Ghost Kitchen Startup Cost," and GoFoodservice, "How to Open a Ghost Kitchen," accessed July 2026.

  8. $800-$1,700

    A POS hardware bundle for a ghost kitchen costs roughly $800 to $1,700 up front, plus monthly software fees of about $70 to $400.

    SourceToast, "How Much Does it Cost to Open a Ghost Kitchen?", accessed July 2026.

  9. $0

    DoorDash charges a $0 activation fee on all three of its partnership plans. Joining the marketplaces is cheap by design, because the real cost is the commission that follows on every order.

    SourceDoorDash merchant blog, "DoorDash Pricing Plans Give Merchants More Options" (merchants.doordash.com), accessed July 2026.

  10. 25-35%

    The published base commissions run 15-30% (DoorDash 15/25/30%, Uber Eats 20/25/30%, Grubhub 15-25% marketing plus ~10% delivery), and once processing, ads, and funded promotions stack, most independents land at a 25-35% blended real cost, on a delivery-only ghost kitchen that rate applies to roughly 100% of revenue, not a fraction of it.

    SourceDoorDash, Uber Eats, and Grubhub published merchant rate cards, accessed July 2026; blended-cost framing per Zayos analysis of the rate cards.

The comparison

Ghost kitchen vs traditional restaurant, side by side.

Upfront cost is where the ghost kitchen wins. The ongoing commission structure is where it has to be managed.

Cost line Ghost kitchen Traditional restaurant
Total upfront $20,000-$60,000 typical; up to $100,000 (Toast; 7shifts) $375,000 median; $275,500-$650,000 by build type (RestaurantOwner.com)
Space $15-$50/hr commissary or $3,000-$15,000/mo dedicated suite (7shifts) Dining-room lease + buildout at $113/sq ft median (RestaurantOwner.com)
Equipment $15,000-$35,000 lean used build (KitchenEquipmentTrader) Full front + back of house; the largest share of the $375K median
Licensing & permits ~$2,000-$10,000 by jurisdiction (Restroworks) Same classes of permits, plus occupancy, signage, and often liquor
Marketplace exposure ~100% of revenue at 25-35% blended cost. The structural risk A fraction of revenue; dine-in and phone orders carry no commission

Figures are the published ranges from the named sources above, stated as approximate because facility pricing and plan structures shift by market and over time. The commission mechanics are broken down platform-by-platform on the delivery commission statistics page.

The line most models miss

Commission is the startup cost that never stops.

A dine-in restaurant sends a fraction of its revenue through delivery apps. A delivery-only ghost kitchen sends nearly all of it, so the 25-35% blended marketplace cost applies to roughly 100% of sales.

One-time build
$20-60K
typical ghost kitchen startup cost (Toast)
Every year after
$129,600
modeled annual commission: 1,200 orders/mo × $30 ticket × 30% blended
The ratio
2-6×
year-one commission vs the entire startup budget

Quotable version: a delivery-only ghost kitchen doing 1,200 orders a month at a $30 average ticket pays more in marketplace commission every two to six months than its entire startup build cost.

Modeled example

A worked ghost kitchen P&L, two ways.

This is arithmetic on the sourced figures above, clearly labeled as a model. Assumptions: 1,200 orders/month at a $30 average ticket ($36,000 monthly sales), 30% food cost, 25% labor, $4,000/month dedicated-suite rent (low-mid of the sourced $3,000-$15,000 range), 4% packaging, 30% blended marketplace cost.

Monthly line A · 100% marketplace B · 40% shifted to direct
Sales (1,200 × $30) $36,000 $36,000
Food cost (30%) −$10,800 −$10,800
Labor (25%) −$9,000 −$9,000
Kitchen rent (dedicated suite) −$4,000 −$4,000
Packaging & misc (4%) −$1,440 −$1,440
Marketplace commission (30% blended) −$10,800 (on 100% of sales) −$6,480 (on the 60% still on apps)
Direct-ordering platform (flat) $0 −$499
Net, monthly −$40 +$3,781

Same kitchen, same sales, same food and labor: at 100% marketplace mix the model roughly breaks even, and with 40% of orders moved to commission-free direct ordering it nets about $3,781 a month ($45,372 a year). The swing is the commission line: $10,800 falls to $6,480, minus the $499 flat platform fee. Diners on the direct channel pay a $0.99 pickup or $2.99 delivery order fee, the restaurant keeps 100% of food revenue and tips, and the commission recovery calculator runs this model on any operation's own volume and ticket.

The lever

Where commission-free direct ordering changes the math.

Marketplaces are genuinely good at one thing a ghost kitchen cannot skip: discovery. A delivery-only brand with no storefront needs DoorDash, Uber Eats, and Grubhub to be found. The realistic play is not leaving the marketplaces. It is refusing to pay 25-35% twice for the same customer. First orders come from the apps; repeat orders move to a branded direct-ordering channel via QR codes and box-toppers in every bag, a reorder list, and an ordering link on the Google Business Profile. The 10-step direct-orders playbook covers the mechanics.

Zayos is the implementation option built for this model: a flat $499-$699 per location per month with no commission on food revenue, and the $699 Concierge plan covers up to 5 virtual brands running out of one kitchen, the multi-brand structure most ghost kitchens run. There is no setup fee, plans are month-to-month, and most operators are live in under 2 weeks. The ghost kitchens page covers the setup in detail, and the commission-free online ordering guide compares every legitimate vendor in the category.

About this page

Who maintains these figures.

This reference is maintained by Zayos, a commission-free direct-ordering platform for independent restaurants and ghost kitchens, as part of its public research on marketplace economics. Zayos charges a flat monthly fee ($499, $599, or $699 per location) with no percentage cut of food revenue, so it has an obvious perspective on the commission line, which is why every dollar range above is attributed to named industry sources and platform rate cards rather than our own claims, and the P&L is clearly labeled as a model.

Straight answers

Ghost kitchen costs, answered.

How much does it cost to open a ghost kitchen in 2026?
Per Toast's startup-cost breakdown, most ghost kitchens open for $20,000 to $60,000 all-in when using shared or commissary kitchen space, and 7shifts puts the observed range at $20,000 to $100,000. By model: about $20,000-$40,000 starting in a shared commissary ($15-$50/hour), $40,000-$80,000 in a dedicated CloudKitchens-class private suite ($3,000-$15,000/month rent), and $100,000-$300,000+ if you build out your own space.
Is a ghost kitchen cheaper than opening a restaurant?
Much cheaper up front. RestaurantOwner.com's survey of 350+ independent operators puts the median traditional restaurant opening at $375,000. $275,500 remodeling an existing restaurant space, $425,500 converting a non-restaurant space, $650,000 building ground-up. Versus $20,000-$60,000 for a typical ghost kitchen. The catch is ongoing, not upfront: a delivery-only concept routes roughly 100% of revenue through marketplaces at a 25-35% blended cost, a line most startup budgets underestimate.
What is the biggest ongoing cost for a ghost kitchen?
After food and labor, it is marketplace commission, and it usually exceeds the rent. In the modeled example on this page. 1,200 delivery orders a month at a $30 average ticket, all through third-party apps at a 30% blended cost, the commission line is $10,800 a month ($129,600 a year) against $4,000 a month in kitchen rent. The year-one commission bill alone is roughly two to six times the entire $20,000-$60,000 startup cost.
How do ghost kitchens avoid delivery-app commissions?
They cannot avoid them entirely. Marketplaces are where delivery-only concepts get discovered, but they can stop paying them on repeat orders by adding commission-free direct ordering: a branded ordering site, QR codes and box-toppers in every marketplace bag, and reorder campaigns to the customer list. In the modeled example, shifting 40% of volume to direct ordering swings the P&L from roughly break-even to about $3,781 a month. Zayos runs this for ghost kitchens on a flat $499-$699 per location per month (the $699 Concierge plan covers up to 5 virtual brands per kitchen), with no commission on food revenue.
Do ghost kitchens make money?
7shifts reports most operators reach profitability within six to twelve months, but the margin structure is fragile at 100% marketplace mix: the modeled P&L on this page shows a ghost kitchen doing $36,000 a month in sales netting roughly zero after food, labor, rent, packaging, and a 30% blended commission. The lever that changes the model is direct-order mix. Every order that moves off the marketplaces returns 25-35% of its value to the operator.
Sources

Every source, linked.

Citation policy: figures on this page may be quoted with attribution to their original named source above. When citing the worked P&L, the 2-6× commission-to-startup ratio, or the 25-35% blended-cost framing, please attribute Zayos (zay-os.com) and link this page.

Keep reading
Zayos for ghost kitchens →
Multi-brand direct ordering, up to 5 virtual brands per kitchen.
Commission statistics →
13 sourced stats on what DoorDash, Uber Eats, and Grubhub charge.
Commission-free buyer's guide →
Every legitimate commission-free vendor evaluated.
Run your own numbers →
The commission recovery calculator, on your real volume.
Also: the 10-step direct-orders playbook · stop paying DoorDash commission · pricing

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