Restaurant Startup Cost Calculator
Get a quick, honest estimate of what it costs to open your restaurant. Enter your space, rent and budget level, and the restaurant startup cost calculator adds up build-out, equipment, licenses, inventory, pre-opening costs and working capital using published industry ranges.
Your restaurant
Every answer updates your estimate instantly.
A planning estimate from published ranges. Get local quotes before you commit.
How to use the calculator
- Pick a budget level. Lean uses the low end of each published range, Middle uses the midpoint and Full uses the high end.
- Enter your square footage and build-out rate. A former restaurant with a working hood, grease trap and plumbing sits near the low end of the build-out range. A raw shell sits near the top.
- Add your rent. Choose how many months you expect to pay before opening (deposit, first month and any rent during build-out).
- Add a liquor license if you’ll serve alcohol. Costs vary hugely by state, so check with your state alcohol agency.
- Pick a contingency cushion. Build-outs almost always find a surprise or two.
Then swap each line for a real local quote as you get them. For the full line-by-line breakdown, read how much it costs to open a small restaurant. New to the industry? Start with how to open a restaurant with no experience.
Where these numbers come from
- Build-out ($100 to $800 per sq ft), kitchen equipment ($50,000 to $150,000), furniture and decor ($10,000 to $50,000+), business license ($50 to $500), food service license ($100 to $1,000), liquor license ($50 to over $300,000), rent ($2,000 to $12,000+ a month) and restaurant-type ranges: Square, How Much Does It Cost To Open a Restaurant.
- Exterior and signage ($1,000 to $40,000), opening food inventory ($5,000 to $25,000), pre-opening costs ($20,000 to $120,000), professional services (up to $50,000) and working capital ($20,000 to $250,000, or about six months of operating costs): Toast, How Much Does It Cost to Open a Small Restaurant.
- One-time vs. monthly costs: SBA, Calculate your startup costs.
Costs vary a lot by city and state. Treat this as a planning estimate, not a quote.
Restaurant startup cost FAQ
Square puts most restaurants between $175,000 and $750,000, with quick-service at $150,000 to $300,000, fast casual at $200,000 to $500,000 and full-service at $300,000 to $750,000+. Your space, your build-out and how much working capital you keep move the number the most.
Usually build-out. Square puts it at $100 to $800 per square foot, so a former restaurant space with a working kitchen can cost far less than a raw shell. In states with limited liquor licenses, the license can also be a major cost.
Toast suggests planning for about six months of operating costs, which it puts at $20,000 to $250,000. Multiply your own monthly costs by the months you want covered.
It’s a planning estimate built from national published ranges. Rent, build-out and license costs vary a lot by city and state, so use it to plan, then replace each line with real local quotes.
Turn this estimate into a real launch budget.
Not ready to buy? Grab the free starter kit below, or read the full small restaurant cost breakdown.
Get the free Restaurant Starter Kit
An opening roadmap, a startup budget worksheet and a plate cost cheat sheet. Free, instant download.
