Delivery-Only Takeout From a Shared Kitchen

People ordering dinner or lunch at home or at work through delivery apps, plus repeat customers who order directly from your site.

Sales of meals and combos, with no dining room or front-of-house costs. Orders directly through your own site keep more of each sale than app orders, which carry platform fees.

• Cooking consistently in batches
• Menu pricing and food cost control
• Online ordering and basic marketing
• Food photography for app listings

• Health department permit; rules differ by county, and not every kitchen is approved for delivery-only sales
• Cooking hot meals at home is generally not allowed under cottage food laws; check your state's rules
• General liability insurance, and kitchens often require you to carry your own policy
• Delivery app fees and customer complaints about late or cold food can hurt margins and ratings
• Sales tax registration and local business license; check with your city or county
• Kitchen contracts and minimum hours, so check the terms before committing

Estimates suggest startup costs typically around $5,000 to $25,000, depending on the kitchen rental terms, equipment, insurance and how much stock and packaging you buy up front.

Monthly revenue is typically estimated at around $4,000 to $20,000, depending on your menu, pricing, order volume and delivery app fees. Revenue is not profit, so track food costs and fees closely.

Things to check: a health department permit (rules differ by county, and not every kitchen is approved for delivery-only sales), sales tax registration, a local business license, and general liability insurance. Cooking hot meals at home is generally not allowed under cottage food laws, so check your state's rules.