Consulting for Cloud Kitchens
Aggregator economics, multi-brand production and a small footprint that has to run several menus at once.
A cloud kitchen has no dining room to hide behind. Every order shows its economics: menu price, platform commission, discounts, packaging, ad spend and the rating that decides whether you get seen at all.
Many delivery brands look profitable on gross margin and lose money once every cost is counted. The work is to cost delivery properly, design a line that handles several menus at once, and choose food that still tastes right after a 25-minute ride.
What usually breaks
- Dishes that lose money after commission. A dish with 70% gross margin can turn into a loss once commission, the discount you fund, packaging and GST on commission are taken out.
- Brands that collide at peak. Three brands share one small line, and at 8:30 pm every order needs the same burner.
- Food that does not travel. Fried items go soggy, gravies leak, and the rating falls with every cold order.
- Ad spend with no limit. Platform ads buy visibility, but without a cost per order target they quietly take the margin.
What we do
Cost every dish for delivery. We build a costing sheet per dish that includes ingredients, packaging, commission, discount share and GST on commission, and shows what you keep per order. Our guide to cloud kitchen unit economics in India walks through the full calculation.
Design brands and line together. Brands should share base preparations, sauces and stations. We plan menus so ingredients overlap and the line can fire every brand without crossing paths. Space is tight, so kitchen planning and design matters more here than anywhere.
Choose food and packaging that travel. We test dishes in their packaging over a real delivery time. Items that fail are changed or dropped. Packaging is chosen for the food, not just the price.
Manage ratings and visibility. Food quality, packing checks and response to reviews protect the rating. See how to improve restaurant ratings.
The numbers we watch
| Metric | Typical healthy range |
|---|---|
| Food + packaging cost % | Under 30–32% of menu price |
| Net payout per order | Tracked by brand and by dish |
| Ad spend per order | Set as a target and reviewed weekly |
| Rating | 4.2+ on each platform |
| Kitchen prep time | Under 15 minutes from order accepted |
Starting or fixing a cloud kitchen
New brands start at Create in the CulinaPro Method with restaurant startup consulting. Existing kitchens usually start with menu engineering and food costing, because that is where the money goes missing.
Services that fit Cloud Kitchens
Cloud Kitchens: questions owners ask
How much commission do Swiggy and Zomato charge cloud kitchens?
Commission usually falls between 18% and 30% of order value, depending on your contract, plus GST on the commission. Discounts you fund and ads come on top, so the real platform cost is often higher than the headline rate.
What food cost should a cloud kitchen target?
Food plus packaging should usually stay under 30% to 32% of the menu price, because commission, discounts and ads take a large share. We cost every dish with all of these included before setting prices.
Can one cloud kitchen run several brands?
Yes, if the brands share ingredients and stations. We design the menus and the line together so brands do not collide at peak.
Do you help set up a new cloud kitchen?
Yes. We help with location, kitchen layout, equipment, menu, costing, packaging and launch on the delivery platforms.
Other industries
Tell us what is not working. We will tell you what to fix first.
A 30-minute discovery call, free, no pitch deck. You leave with two or three things to act on whether you hire us or not.
We do not publish prices. Every engagement is scoped to your business, so connect with us and we will quote after the call.