How to start a ghost kitchen, step by step
Updated October 20, 2026
To start a ghost kitchen, choose a delivery-friendly concept with a short menu, find a licensed commercial kitchen (your own restaurant's, a rented unit or a shared kitchen), register the business and get the local health permit before you cook, then list on delivery apps and on your own ordering page, and set up Google and delivery. In the US the paperwork is local: the SBA notes that "Local governments determine registration, licensing, and permitting requirements", and a ghost kitchen is permitted and inspected like any restaurant. Most new brands go live on one or two apps first, then move regulars to their own link to avoid 15–30% commission.
In short
- Kitchen: a licensed commercial kitchen. A home kitchen generally can't run a delivery restaurant; state cottage food laws cover only certain home-made foods.
- Paperwork: business registration and local licenses, a food service permit from your local health department, a certified food protection manager.
- Menu: 10–20 items that travel well, built from shared ingredients.
- Channels: delivery apps for reach, your own ordering page for margin, a Google profile with the address hidden if you're delivery-only.
- Delivery: the apps' couriers, a courier on your own orders, or your own drivers once orders are dense.
How to start a ghost kitchen in 10 steps
- Pick a concept that travels: food that holds its heat and texture for 20–30 minutes (bowls, wings, burritos, pizza, curries), with a clear name and a short menu.
- Check demand near the kitchen: search the delivery apps from the kitchen's address at lunch and dinner, and note what's missing or slow.
- Choose the kitchen: your existing restaurant (a virtual brand), a private unit in a ghost kitchen building, or a shared commissary kitchen by the hour.
- Register the business and get local licenses: your state's business registration, an EIN, sales tax registration and any city or county business license.
- Get the health permit: apply to your local health department for a food service permit for that kitchen, and pass the inspection before you sell.
- Have a certified food protection manager: the FDA Food Code, which most states adopt in some form, says the person in charge shall be a certified food protection manager.
- Build and cost the menu: cost every dish, price for commission, and test how each one travels in its packaging.
- List on delivery apps: sign up on one or two apps, with photos, a short description and accurate prep times.
- Set up your own ordering page and Google profile: an ordering link with no commission, and a Business Profile with service areas and the address hidden if you're delivery-only.
- Launch, measure, fix: watch ratings, prep times and refunds for the first month, and drop dishes that travel badly.
Uber Eats' own six steps for a virtual restaurant cover the same ground from the app side: join a delivery platform, research customers, choose a concept that fits your kitchen, write a business plan, create and test the menu, then launch and learn.
Can you start a ghost kitchen at home?
Usually not as a delivery restaurant. A ghost kitchen sells restaurant food, so it needs a permitted commercial kitchen. State cottage food laws let people sell some foods made at home, and what they allow varies a lot: Texas, for example, excludes meat, poultry and seafood, caps a cottage food business at $150,000 a year, and requires online sales to be delivered in person. These laws are written for home-made goods sold directly, not for running a delivery restaurant. Check your state in our cottage food laws guides; if your menu is cooked meals, rent time in a shared commercial kitchen instead.
What licenses and permits does a ghost kitchen need?
| Requirement | Who issues it | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Business registration | Your state (secretary of state or equivalent) | LLC, corporation or sole proprietorship |
| EIN | IRS | Free: the IRS says "You never have to pay a fee for an EIN" |
| Sales tax registration | Your state's tax department | Ask how your state taxes prepared food and delivery fees |
| City or county business license | Local government | The SBA lists restaurants among activities commonly regulated locally |
| Food service establishment permit | Local or state health department | One per kitchen; an inspection comes first. In a shared kitchen, each business may hold its own permit |
| Certified food protection manager | An accredited certification program | The FDA Food Code says the person in charge shall be one |
| Food handler cards | Varies by state or county | Required for staff in some places |
| Fire and building approvals | Local fire marshal and building department | Hoods, suppression, occupancy for buildouts |
| Insurance | Your insurer | General liability, property, workers' comp; ask about delivery drivers if you hire them |
Health departments are still writing rules for virtual brands. North Carolina's shared-use kitchen guidance allows "more than one permitted food establishment operating within the same facility", in separate areas or at different hours, with a primary operator responsible for the shared space. Ask your local health department how it treats a virtual brand added to an existing permit before you launch one.
How to design a ghost kitchen menu
- Short: 10–20 items, so the kitchen can be fast and consistent.
- Shared ingredients: if you run more than one brand, build each menu from the same base ingredients.
- Travel-tested: pack each dish and leave it 25 minutes before tasting. Keep sauces separate, vent fried food, and use containers that hold heat.
- Safe temperatures: the FDA Food Code requires time/temperature-controlled food to be held at 135°F (57°C) or above when hot and 41°F (5°C) or below when cold. Insulated bags help on the way (do you need an insulated bag?).
- Priced for the channel: apps take 15–30% in the US, so cost every dish with the recipe cost calculator for cloud kitchens and price with the menu price calculator. Our guide to making a restaurant menu covers names and descriptions.
How to get orders: apps, your own page and Google
| Channel | Why | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Delivery apps | Customers already searching for food nearby | 15–30% commission on delivery; ads cost extra |
| Your own ordering page | No commission; you keep the customer | You have to bring the traffic: bag inserts, Google, Instagram |
| Google Business Profile | Shows up on Maps and Search | Delivery-only brands must hide the address and add service areas (how); one profile per brand (several brands) |
| Bag inserts | Turn app customers into direct regulars | Check what your app agreement allows |
Set your own ordering link as the preferred option under Food ordering on Google (Google Business Profile guide).
How will you deliver?
- The apps' couriers for app orders: included in the app's delivery commission.
- A courier on your own orders: DoorDash Drive lists $6.99–$10.99 a delivery and Uber Direct starts at $7.99 (Uber Direct without Uber Eats).
- Your own drivers once deliveries are short and frequent, about 3 or more per driver-hour (in-house delivery guide).
Worked example: how many orders does the first month need?
A delivery-only bowl brand rents shared kitchen time and wants to know its order target. Illustrative numbers:
| Line | Amount |
|---|---|
| Monthly fixed costs (kitchen time, insurance, software, packaging stock) | $4,500 |
| Average order | $28 |
| Food cost at 30% | $8.40 |
| Packaging | $1.00 |
| App commission at 25% | $7.00 |
| Left per app order | $28 − $8.40 − $1.00 − $7.00 = $11.60 |
| App orders to cover fixed costs | $4,500 ÷ $11.60 = 388 a month, about 13 a day |
| Same order on your own page, pickup (Stripe 2.9% + 30¢ = $1.11) | $28 − $8.40 − $1.00 − $1.11 = $17.49 |
| Own-page pickup orders to cover fixed costs | $4,500 ÷ $17.49 = 258 a month, about 9 a day |
Labor isn't in the fixed costs here; add yours. The gap between $11.60 and $17.49 an order is why ghost kitchens push regulars to their own link. For rent, buildout and full unit economics, see ghost kitchen cost and business models.
Your ghost kitchen launch checklist
| Before launch | Done when |
|---|---|
| Concept, name and 10–20 item menu | Every dish costed and travel-tested |
| Kitchen agreement | Signed, with hours or unit confirmed |
| Business registration, EIN, sales tax, local license | Numbers in hand |
| Health permit | Inspection passed, permit posted |
| Certified food protection manager | Certificate on file |
| Insurance | Policy active |
| Packaging and labels | Enough for the first month |
| Delivery apps | Store live with photos and prep times |
| Own ordering page | Test order placed and refunded |
| Google Business Profile | Verified, service area set, own ordering link preferred |
| Delivery plan | Couriers or drivers confirmed for peak hours |
How Menuthere helps
- Your own ordering page per brand, 0% commission. Each Menuthere outlet has its own menu, link and orders; the Free plan includes 50 orders a month, and Lite ($17 a month) adds unlimited orders, your own domain and Stripe card payments on your own account.
- Several brands in one view (Pro, $39 a month): a head office shows every outlet's sales and orders, and opens any outlet's dashboard in one press.
- Delivery (Pro): your own drivers with an iOS and Android driver app and live tracking for customers, assigned with one tap; or connect your own Uber Direct account (outside India) for couriers.
- Menu and allergens: 14 allergens, kcal and halal marks on every plan.
See Menuthere for cloud kitchens, and start with the definitions in what is a ghost kitchen.
Launch your brand's own ordering page alongside the apps, with 0% commission.
Frequently asked questions
How do I start a ghost kitchen on DoorDash or Uber Eats?
Get the kitchen and permits in place first: a licensed commercial kitchen, business registration, a local health permit and a certified food protection manager. Then sign up as a restaurant on the app with your brand name, menu, photos and prep times. Uber Eats' guide adds research, a business plan and testing the menu before launch.
Can I run a ghost kitchen from my home?
Generally not for restaurant meals. A ghost kitchen needs a permitted commercial kitchen and a local health permit. State cottage food laws allow some foods made at home, with limits that vary by state; Texas, for example, excludes meat, poultry and seafood. Rent time in a shared commercial kitchen instead.
What permits do I need for a ghost kitchen?
Business registration with your state, an EIN, sales tax registration, any city or county business license, and a food service permit from your local health department after an inspection. The FDA Food Code says the person in charge shall be a certified food protection manager. Requirements vary by state and county.
Can I add a virtual brand to my existing restaurant's permit?
Ask your local health department before you launch. Rules for virtual brands are still developing; some departments treat a new brand as a change to your existing operation that needs approval. Shared-use kitchen rules, such as North Carolina's, also let several permitted businesses use one facility.
How many menu items should a ghost kitchen have?
Most start with 10 to 20 items built from shared ingredients, so the kitchen is fast and consistent. Test every dish in its packaging for 25 minutes before it goes on the menu, and drop anything that arrives soggy or cold.
How many orders does a ghost kitchen need to break even?
Divide your monthly fixed costs by what each order leaves after food, packaging and fees. In our example, $4,500 of fixed costs needs about 388 app orders a month at $11.60 each, or about 258 pickup orders on the brand's own page at $17.49 each, before labor.
Sources (9)
- IRS, "Get an employer identification number": https://www.irs.gov/businesses/small-businesses-self-employed/get-an-employer-identification-number (read 20 Oct 2026): "You never have to pay a fee for an EIN."
- U.S. Small Business Administration, "Apply for licenses and permits": https://www.sba.gov/business-guide/launch-your-business/apply-licenses-permits (read 20 Oct 2026): "Most small businesses need a combination of licenses and permits from both federal and state agencies"; "Local governments determine registration, licensing, and permitting requirements"; restaurants among locally regulated activities.
- FDA Food Code 2022, §2-102.12(A) (person in charge shall be a certified food protection manager; added in 2017) and §3-501.16 (hot holding 57°C/135°F, cold holding 5°C/41°F): https://www.fda.gov/food/retail-food-protection/fda-food-code and https://www.fda.gov/food/fda-food-code/summary-changes-fda-food-code-2017 (read 20 Oct 2026; text confirmed from FDA documents' search excerpts; states adopt editions with their own changes).
- Texas DSHS, Texas Cottage Food Production: https://www.dshs.texas.gov/retail-food-establishments/permits-retail-food-establishments/texas-cottage-food-production and SB 541 enrolled text (both accessed 20 Oct 2026 by the cottage agent; see
wave2/pages/en-cottage-food-laws-texas.md): excluded foods incl. meat, poultry, seafood; $150,000 cap; online sales delivered in person. - Georgia Department of Public Health, "Guidance When Ordering Food Online" (created 20 Apr 2023): https://dph.georgia.gov/node/55651 (read 20 Oct 2026): true ghost kitchen permitted and inspected by the local health department.
- North Carolina DHHS, shared-use kitchen guidance press release, 19 Dec 2017: https://www.dph.ncdhhs.gov/news/press-releases/2017/12/19/shared-use-kitchen-guidance (read 20 Oct 2026).
- Uber Eats Merchants, "What is a virtual restaurant? (+ How to start one)": https://merchants.ubereats.com/us/en/resources/articles/what-is-a-virtual-restaurant/ (read 20 Oct 2026): six steps (join a platform, customer research, concept, business plan, create and test menu, launch and learn).
- Google Business Profile Help, "Guidelines for representing your business on Google": https://support.google.com/business/answer/3038177 (read 20 Oct 2026): delivery-only brands hide address and add service areas.
- Delivery-app tiers, DoorDash Drive $6.99–$10.99, Uber Direct from $7.99, own-driver density: Wave 1 settled facts and
wave1/pages/en-in-house-delivery-for-restaurants.md(checked 20 Oct 2026). Stripe US 2.9% + 30¢: Stripe support pages (stripe.com geo-redirects from this machine).