While traditional restaurants focus on table turnover and labor costs, ghost kitchens face an entirely different financial landscape. Platform fees, excessive packaging expenses, and hidden operational costs can silently drain your profits. Many dark kitchen owners underestimate these unique expenses and struggle to achieve sustainable margins.
All monthly costs of your ghost kitchen
Ghost kitchens operate with a completely different cost structure than traditional restaurants. You'll skip waitstaff expenses but face hefty platform fees and packaging costs. Here are the expenses you must account for:
Fixed costs per month
- Kitchen space rent: €800-2500 depending on location and size
- Gas, water, electricity: €200-600 (ghost kitchens consume relatively more energy)
- Insurance: €100-300 (liability, inventory)
- Phone/internet: €50-100
- Waste disposal: €50-150 (significantly more packaging waste than regular restaurants)
- Accountant/bookkeeping: €100-300
Variable costs per meal
- Ingredients (food cost): 28-35% of selling price
- Packaging: €0.50-1.50 per order (containers, bags, cutlery)
- Platform fees: 15-30% of order value (Thuisbezorgd, Uber Eats)
- Payment costs: 2-4% of order value
💡 Example: Ghost kitchen with 1000 meals/month
Fixed costs per month:
- Rent: €1,400
- Energy: €400
- Insurance: €200
- Other fixed costs: €300
Total fixed costs: €2,300
Per meal: €2,300 ÷ 1000 = €2.30
Calculate platform fees correctly
Platform fees represent one of the most significant cost differences between ghost kitchens and traditional restaurants. These fees can consume up to 30% of your order value and vary dramatically between platforms.
⚠️ Critical point:
Platform fees apply to the entire order value including delivery costs. If a customer orders €20 + €2.50 delivery, you're paying fees on €22.50.
Here's the real impact of platform fees:
- Thuisbezorgd: Typically 13-15% + €0.30 per order
- Uber Eats: Usually 25-30% all-inclusive
- Deliveroo: Generally 25-35% all-inclusive
💡 Example: Order of €18 via Uber Eats
Platform fee of 28%:
- Order value: €18.00
- Platform fee: €18.00 × 0.28 = €5.04
- Payment costs: €18.00 × 0.03 = €0.54
- Net received: €18.00 - €5.04 - €0.54 = €12.42
You receive 69% of the order value
Packaging costs per order
After managing kitchen operations for nearly a decade, I've seen packaging costs destroy profit margins faster than any other expense. Ghost kitchens use multiple items per order:
- Main course container: €0.15-0.40
- Side dish container: €0.10-0.25
- Sauce cups: €0.05-0.10 each
- Plastic cutlery set: €0.08-0.15
- Paper bag/carrier: €0.10-0.30
- Stickers/labels: €0.02-0.05
💡 Example: Packaging costs per order
Average order with 2 dishes:
- 2 main course containers: €0.60
- 1 side dish container: €0.20
- 2 sauce cups: €0.20
- Cutlery set: €0.12
- Paper bag: €0.25
- Stickers: €0.03
Total packaging: €1.40 per order
Calculate cost price per meal
Now you can calculate your true cost price per meal using all expense categories. Apply this formula:
Cost price per meal = (Fixed costs ÷ Number of meals) + Food cost + Packaging + (Platform fee % × Selling price)
💡 Example: Complete cost price calculation
Ghost kitchen with 800 meals/month, average order value €16:
- Fixed costs per meal: €2,300 ÷ 800 = €2.88
- Food cost (30%): €16 × 0.30 = €4.80
- Packaging: €1.20
- Platform fee (25%): €16 × 0.25 = €4.00
- Payment costs (3%): €16 × 0.03 = €0.48
Total cost price: €13.36 per meal
Margin: €16.00 - €13.36 = €2.64 (16.5%)
Determine break-even point
Your break-even point shows the minimum number of meals needed to cover fixed costs. Calculate it this way:
Break-even = Fixed costs ÷ (Selling price - Variable costs per meal)
⚠️ Critical insight:
Platform fees push your break-even point much higher than traditional restaurants. Always calculate using net received amounts, not gross order values.
How do you calculate total monthly costs? (step by step)
List all fixed costs
Write down rent, energy, insurance, phone, waste and other monthly costs. Add these together for your total fixed costs per month.
Calculate variable costs per meal
Determine your food cost percentage (usually 28-35%), packaging costs per order (€0.50-1.50) and platform fees (15-30% of order value).
Divide fixed costs by number of meals
Estimate how many meals you sell per month and divide your fixed costs by this number. This gives you the fixed costs per meal.
Add all costs together
Fixed costs per meal + food cost + packaging + platform fees = total cost price per meal. Subtract this from your selling price for your margin.
✨ Pro tip
Track your exact packaging costs by photographing every item used for 50 consecutive orders, then calculate the precise average. Most ghost kitchens underestimate packaging by 20-30%, which can mean the difference between profit and loss over 12 months.
Calculate this yourself?
In the KitchenNmbrs app you can do this in just a few clicks. 7 days free, no credit card.
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Frequently asked questions
Which platform fees should I calculate for my cost price?
Calculate using the weighted average of all your platforms based on order volume. Thuisbezorgd typically charges 13-15%, while Uber Eats and Deliveroo range from 25-30%. Check your monthly statements for exact percentages, as rates can vary by location and negotiated terms.
How much should I budget for packaging costs per order?
Budget €0.80-1.50 per order on average, depending on your menu complexity and packaging quality. Track actual usage for one month to establish your baseline. Orders with multiple items or sauces will cost significantly more.
Is my food cost percentage different than a regular restaurant?
Yes, ghost kitchens often run 30-35% food costs compared to 28-32% for traditional restaurants. You're absorbing platform fees and packaging costs that reduce your effective selling price. The total margin per dish is usually 3-5% lower.
How often should I recalculate my cost price?
Recalculate every quarter or whenever platform fees change. Also recalculate during significant volume changes, since fixed costs per meal will shift dramatically. Many operators miss this and operate with outdated cost structures.
What if my monthly volume fluctuates by 40% or more?
Use a rolling 6-month average for your calculations to smooth out seasonal variations. For extreme seasonal businesses, create separate cost models for peak and off-peak periods. This prevents overpricing during busy months and underpricing during slow periods.
Should I include labor costs in my cost price calculation?
Absolutely include any kitchen staff wages, even if you're doing most cooking yourself. Factor in prep time, cooking time, and packaging time at minimum wage rates. Many ghost kitchen owners undervalue their own labor and burn out quickly.
How do I handle orders from multiple platforms with different fee structures?
Calculate a weighted average commission rate based on your actual order distribution. If 60% comes from Uber Eats (28% fee) and 40% from Thuisbezorgd (15% fee), your blended rate is 22.2%. Update this quarterly as your platform mix changes.
📚 Sources consulted
- EU Verordening 852/2004 — Levensmiddelenhygiëne (2004) — Official source
- EU Verordening 853/2004 — Hygiënevoorschriften voor levensmiddelen van dierlijke oorsprong (2004) — Official source
- EU Verordening 1169/2011 — Voedselinformatie aan consumenten (2011) — Official source
- NVWA — Hygiënecode voor de horeca (2024) — Official source
- NVWA — Allergenen in voedsel (2024) — Official source
- Codex Alimentarius — International Food Standards (2024) — Official source
- FSA — Safer food, better business (HACCP) (2024) — Official source
- BVL — Lebensmittelhygiene (HACCP) (2024) — Official source
- Warenwetbesluit Bereiding en behandeling van levensmiddelen (2024) — Official source
- WHO — Foodborne diseases estimates (2024) — Official source
Food Standards Agency (FSA) — https://www.food.gov.uk
The HACCP standards shown in this application are for informational purposes only. KitchenNmbrs does not guarantee that displayed values are current or complete. Always consult the FSA or your local authority for the latest regulations.
Written by
Jeffrey Smit
Founder & CEO of KitchenNmbrs
Jeffrey Smit built KitchenNmbrs from 8 years of hands-on experience as kitchen manager at 1NUL8 Group in Rotterdam. His mission: give every restaurant owner control over food cost.
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