Pre-launch

Cloud kitchen capex is quoted as '₹10-15 lakh' in pitch decks. The real number for a single-brand, aggregator-first kitchen in a tier-1 city is ₹12-22 lakh all-in — if you don't forget packaging inventory, aggregator onboarding, and 45 days of working capital.

Most restaurant failures are signed into existence at the lease stage — before a single cover is served. Seven numbers, calculated before you sign, separate viable sites from expensive mistakes. Here they are, with the thresholds that should stop you from signing.

A café costs less than a full-service restaurant but the capex spread is still wide — ₹28L in a Bengaluru suburb vs ₹55L on Mumbai's Linking Road for the same concept. Here is the line-by-line breakdown for both cities in 2026.

Tier-2 city restaurant capex runs 40-60% below Mumbai for the same format — but the savings are mostly rent and deposit, not equipment. Here is the 2026 line-by-line for Ahmedabad, Jaipur, and Kochi.

Chennai capex sits between Bengaluru and Mumbai on rent, but Tamil Nadu licence timelines are longer. Here is the line-by-line for a 60-seat casual dining in T. Nagar, Adyar, or OMR.

A liquor licence in Maharashtra is not one licence — it is a class (FL-II beer and wine vs FL-III full bar) tied to seating, location, and excise ward. Here is what you pay and how long it takes in 2026.

Fire NOC is the licence that blocks everything else — no Trade Licence, no aggregator listing, no opening without it. Cost and timeline vary sharply by state and premises size. Here is the 2026 breakdown and the filing sequence that avoids a 60-day delay.

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.

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.

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.

Hyderabad capex sits at 0.85-1.1× Pune; surprisingly affordable for a T1 metro. Banjara Hills and Jubilee Hills are the rent ceiling; HITEC City and Madhapur are the IT corridor sweet spots. Here is the line by line.

Delhi capex runs 1.3-1.6× Pune. Khan Market and CP rents are the headline; MCD/NDMC paperwork, fire NOC, and Eating House Licence drag the timeline. Here is the line by line.

Bengaluru capex sits at 1.2-1.5× Pune; driven by Indiranagar/Koramangala rents and BBMP paperwork. Here is the line by line for a 60 seat casual dining and how it shifts by micromarket.

Mumbai's restaurant capex runs 1.4-1.7× a comparable Pune opening; the deltas are rent, deposit, and contractor rates. Here is the line by line for a 60 seat casual dining in Bandra/Andheri/Lower Parel.

Indian restaurants need 9-11 licences depending on state, format, and liquor status. Most owners discover #10 in month four. Here is the complete checklist with cost, validity, authority, and lead time for each.

Gujarat is the most ‘pure vegetarian’ FSSAI region in India and a fully dry state. Here is what changes for your FSSAI category, food list dropdowns, and signage; plus the AMC and SMC Health Trade pieces.

Tamil Nadu adds a Greater Chennai Corp Health Trade licence and TNPCB pollution consent on top of FSSAI. Here is the exact sequence for Chennai, Coimbatore, and Madurai openings; and where Tamil Nadu specifically trips up first timers.

Delhi is the most paperwork heavy F&B regime in India. FSSAI is centrally administered but MCD/NDMC Health Trade, fire NOC pairing, and DPCC pollution NOC interact in ways that block openings. Here is the exact 2026 process.

Karnataka's FSSAI flow is straightforward once you know how it interacts with the BBMP Health Trade licence. Here is the exact process for Bengaluru, Mysuru, and Mangaluru restaurants; including the three rejections specific to Karnataka.

Twelve steps, four months of work, ₹25L–₹2Cr of capital, and 60–70% odds against you. This is the complete 2026 playbook for opening an Indian restaurant; the order matters more than any single step.