Dark Kitchen Break-Even Calculator

Break-even is the number of orders at which the contribution margin from delivery exactly covers your fixed costs, so profit is zero. Below it you lose money, above it you make money. For a dark kitchen, which lives entirely on delivery, knowing this number is essential because there is no walk-in trade to fall back on.

First the tool finds the contribution margin per order: MC = order value x (1 - commission %) - food cost - packaging. Then break-even orders = fixed costs / MC. Dividing by the days you operate gives the daily order target.

Fixed costs are everything that does not change with the number of orders: rent or kitchen-rental fees, salaried staff, utilities baseline, software, insurance and depreciation. Variable per-order costs (food, packaging, commission) are handled separately inside the contribution margin, so do not double-count them.

Because it scales with every order. A 30% commission means that on a €25 order you only keep €17.50 before you have even paid for food and packaging. The higher the commission, the smaller the contribution margin, and the more orders you need to cover the same fixed costs.

If you need far more orders per day than your kitchen can produce or your area can generate, the model is telling you the economics do not work as set. Levers to pull: raise the average order value, cut packaging or fixed costs, negotiate a lower commission, or add a second virtual brand from the same kitchen.