F&BosA cloud kitchen earns roughly ₹10–₹50 profit per order on a ₹350 average bill in our estimates, before owner salary, loan EMI and tax. Before rent and staff, a ₹400 order leaves about ₹156 after food, packaging and aggregator deductions. A small kitchen on 20 orders a day barely breaks even, so order volume and bill size matter most.
A monthly P&L tells you whether the kitchen made money. A per-order view tells you why. It shows what happens to each ₹400 bill, how many orders you need and which offers lose money. For the monthly overview and benchmarks, read cloud kitchen profit margins in India; to test your own rates, try our Zomato and Swiggy commission calculator.
All figures on this page are F&Bos estimates for planning, not audited results or guarantees. Net is shown before owner salary, loan EMI and income tax. Check them against quotes for your own location.
What happens to one order
We assume 22% commission, 2% gateway fee, 3% in offers you fund, 2% ads and 1% refunds, or 30% in all. Food is assumed at 26% of the listed bill, or about 33% of what remains after commission, within the 28–34% range in our monthly guide.
| Per order | ₹250 bill | ₹400 bill | ₹600 bill |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listed bill | ₹250 | ₹400 | ₹600 |
| Commission (22%) | −₹55 | −₹88 | −₹132 |
| Gateway fee (2%) | −₹5 | −₹8 | −₹12 |
| Offers you fund (3%) | −₹8 | −₹12 | −₹18 |
| Ads (2%) | −₹5 | −₹8 | −₹12 |
| Refunds (1%) | −₹2 | −₹4 | −₹6 |
| Food (26%) | −₹65 | −₹104 | −₹156 |
| Packaging | −₹14 | −₹20 | −₹28 |
| Left for rent, staff and profit | ₹96 (38%) | ₹156 (39%) | ₹236 (39%) |
Look at what the ₹250 bill leaves compared with the ₹600 bill: about 2.5 times as much per order, for far less than that multiple of kitchen effort. That's why low-priced menus often look busy without making much money.
Gross margin by category
These are estimates before aggregator deductions, using typical 2026 prices. Rework them with your own recipes.
| Item | Approx. cost | Typical price | Gross margin | What to know |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Biryani | ₹75–105 | ₹180–280 | 58–62% | High bill, batch-cooked, travels well |
| Rolls and wraps | ₹35–60 | ₹110–180 | 67–68% | Fast to make, needs good packaging |
| Burgers and fries | ₹55–85 | ₹150–240 | 63–65% | Good add-ons; loses quality in long trips |
| North Indian curry with rice | ₹80–120 | ₹220–320 | 62–64% | Solid bill, higher ingredient cost |
| Pizza (medium) | ₹90–140 | ₹250–400 | 64–65% | Oven needed, strong margin at higher prices |
| Dessert add-on | ₹15–30 | ₹70–130 | 77–79% | Best margin; lifts the bill with little effort |
Gross margin alone doesn't decide your best seller. A roll may earn more gross margin in percentage terms than a biryani, but after 30% aggregator deductions, the higher rupee bill usually leaves more. Rank dishes by rupees left per order, then by how much kitchen time they use during peak hours.
Monthly P&L for three kitchen sizes
All three use a ₹350 average bill and 30 trading days. We assume rent of ₹60–90 per sq ft for 250–600 sq ft of non-prime space, which is our estimate based on typical Kolkata asking rents.
| Monthly line | Small (20 orders a day) | Medium (50 orders a day) | Large (120 orders a day) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue | ₹2,10,000 | ₹5,25,000 | ₹12,60,000 |
| Ingredients (food cost) | ₹54,600 (26%) | ₹1,36,500 (26%) | ₹3,27,600 (26%) |
| Gross margin | ₹1,55,400 (74%) | ₹3,88,500 (74%) | ₹9,32,400 (74%) |
| Aggregator deductions (30%) | ₹63,000 | ₹1,57,500 | ₹3,78,000 |
| Packaging (5%) | ₹10,500 | ₹26,250 | ₹63,000 |
| Rent | ₹18,000 | ₹30,000 | ₹60,000 |
| Staff | ₹40,000 | ₹80,000 | ₹1,70,000 |
| Gas and electricity | ₹10,000 | ₹20,000 | ₹40,000 |
| Repairs, marketing, other | ₹8,000 | ₹15,000 | ₹40,000 |
| Net before owner salary, loan EMI and tax | ₹5,900 (3%) | ₹59,750 (11%) | ₹1,81,400 (14%) |
Per order, that works out at about ₹10, ₹40 and ₹50. Measured against the amount you receive after deductions, net margin would be about 4%, 16% and 21%, in line with the ranges in our monthly guide. A small kitchen's ₹5,900 isn't really profit, since it would barely cover one person's wages.
With ₹136 left per order at a ₹350 bill, the small kitchen needs about 19 orders a day to cover fixed costs, the medium about 35 and the large about 76. Compare these with your average over a full month, not your best weekend.
When an offer loses money
Take a ₹400 order with a ₹100 discount that you fund completely. Commission and other percentage fees are charged on different bases by different contracts, so use your statement. As a rough guide, the discount takes most of the ₹156 left per order, before you've paid rent or staff. An offer like that needs to bring new repeat customers, not just a busy dinner.
Compare that with a direct order. On ₹400 with a 2% payment fee, ₹104 of food, ₹20 of packaging and an assumed ₹60 for delivery, about ₹208 remains, or ₹52 more than the aggregator order. Direct won't replace aggregators, which bring the discovery, but moving even 10% of orders can make a real difference. Test your rates in the commission calculator.
Five ways to raise what each order leaves
- Set a minimum basket through combos: a ₹60 dessert or drink adds strong margin without another main dish on the line.
- Audit your offers monthly: compare each one's new customers and repeat orders with what it cost. Stop those that bring only one-time buyers.
- Pick packaging by bill: a ₹28 box on a ₹180 order takes 16% of the bill. Keep premium boxes for premium dishes, and test cheaper ones for quality.
- Trim the menu: slow dishes tie up stock and create waste. Remove those that sell rarely and earn little, then keep the core items consistent.
- Check refunds and payouts: match every statement to your order records. Repeated missing-item or quality refunds point to a kitchen problem as well as a money one.
Run these numbers separately for each platform and each virtual brand if you have several. A kitchen can look healthy overall while one brand quietly loses money on every order. Give any change at least four weeks, because one weekend proves little. If a brand can't reach 30% left per order after a fair test, fix the price or recipe, or close it.
Five ratios to track every month
| Ratio | Healthy range | Warning sign | What it tells you |
|---|---|---|---|
| Left per order % | 35–40% of bill | Below 30% | Whether unit economics work before fixed costs |
| Total aggregator take % | Under 30% of bill | Above 35% | Commission, offers, ads and refunds together |
| Food cost % | 24–28% of listed bill | Above 30% | Recipe, portions and waste |
| Packaging per order | 4–6% of bill | Above 7% | Box choice and small-bill orders |
| Orders a day vs break-even | 20%+ above break-even | Below break-even | How safe your fixed costs are |
Frequently asked questions
How much profit does a cloud kitchen make per order?
In our estimates, about ₹10 to ₹50 per order on a ₹350 average bill, after food, packaging, aggregator deductions, rent and staff but before owner salary, loan EMI and tax. Before fixed costs, each order leaves about ₹136. Order volume decides how much of that survives.
How many orders a day does a cloud kitchen need to break even?
On our assumptions, about 19 orders a day for a small kitchen, 35 for a medium one and 76 for a large one, at a ₹350 average bill. Staff and rent rise as a kitchen grows, so break-even moves too. Replace our numbers with your own costs and your actual average bill.
How much do Zomato and Swiggy take per order?
Base commission is commonly quoted at 18–28%, and gateway fees, offers, ads and refunds can take the total higher. We assume 30% of the listed bill in this guide. Contracts vary, so check your own payout statements and use the total deductions, not only the headline commission.
What is a good contribution margin per order for a cloud kitchen?
We'd aim for at least 35–40% of the listed bill after food, packaging and all aggregator deductions. On a ₹400 order, our example leaves ₹156, or 39%. Below about 30%, it becomes hard to cover rent and staff without very high order volumes.
Does raising the average order value improve cloud kitchen profit?
Usually, yes. Percentage deductions rise with the bill but packaging and kitchen effort usually don't rise as fast. In our example, a ₹250 order leaves ₹96 and a ₹600 order leaves ₹236 before fixed costs. Combos and add-ons are generally the easiest way to lift the bill.
Sources
- Unit economics, dish costs and rent assumptionsF&Bos estimates, November 2026. Aggregator rates are assumptions, so check your contract and payout statements.
- JLL, Kolkata retail market report. Mall rents; used as an upper reference only.