Start a vegetarian takeout and delivery kitchen
Cook vegetarian meals in a rented commercial kitchen and sell them for pickup, delivery and pre-orders, with no dining room.
- C$8k-30k
- Part-time
- Own premises
- Licence or permit needed
Estimates for a small start in Canada, not guarantees.
What it is
A vegetarian restaurant without a dining room. You rent time or a station in a licensed commissary or shared kitchen and sell a tight menu through your own website, delivery apps and weekly pre-order days.
Your first three steps
- Visit shared or commissary kitchens in your area and compare hourly rates, storage and licence requirements
- Develop five to eight dishes that travel well, and test them with friends, neighbours and a small group of paying customers
- Ask your local public health unit what permit you need to sell from a shared kitchen, then set up a simple online ordering page
Who pays
Busy households, office workers, and people who want ready-made vegetarian meals without cooking.
How it makes money
Per-meal sales and weekly meal bundles, plus office lunch orders and small catering jobs. Delivery apps take a commission, so direct orders keep more of each sale.
Skills that help
- Batch cooking
- Food safety and costing
- Online marketing and photos
- Organising orders and deliveries
Watch out for
- Food business permit and the kitchen's own licence; check with your public health unit, as rules differ by province (Quebec has MAPAQ rules)
- Home kitchens are often not allowed for selling meals, so check before cooking at home
- Commercial general liability and product liability insurance
- Delivery app commissions can eat into thin margins
- Packaging, labelling and allergen information requirements
- Registering for GST/HST once you pass the small supplier threshold, and checking any municipal business licence
Deep research report · Canada
Everything you need to start: vegetarian takeout and delivery kitchen
Researched with live web search for Canada: real startup prices, the licences and rules, what others charge, a break-even example, how to find your first customers and a 30-day launch plan. With sources.
- Startup costs with real prices
- Licences, registration and rules
- Pricing: what others charge
- Break-even example
- Finding your first customers
- 30-day launch plan
- Risks and how to reduce them
Questions people ask
How much does it cost to start a vegetarian takeout kitchen in Canada?
Estimates suggest startup costs typically around $8,000 to $30,000, depending on the kitchen rental, equipment, packaging and how much you spend on your website and marketing. There is no dining room to fit out.
How much can a vegetarian takeout and delivery business make?
Monthly revenue is typically estimated at around $6,000 to $30,000, depending on your menu, order volume and delivery channels. Delivery app commissions can eat into thin margins, so check them against your pricing.
What permits and rules should I check before selling vegetarian meals?
Check the food business permit and the shared kitchen's own licence with your public health unit (MAPAQ in Quebec). Home kitchens are often not allowed for selling meals. Also check packaging, labelling and allergen requirements, insurance, GST/HST and any municipal business licence.
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Photo: uvlik05 on Pixabay