Restaurant Startup Costs Worksheet
Type your build-out cost per square foot, equipment, licences, opening inventory, pre-opening payroll and monthly costs to get the total to raise and your cash runway.
How to use the Restaurant Startup Costs Worksheet
- Optionally click a preset: “Example 2,000 sq ft”, “1,200 sq ft, smaller” or “800 sq ft cafe”. Each loads round starting values that you can replace.
- Type your square feet and your build-out cost per square foot. The tool multiplies them to give “Build-out”.
- Type each one-time amount: lease deposit and fees; kitchen and bar equipment and furniture; licences, permits and legal fees; opening inventory; payroll before opening; pre-opening marketing; and other one-time costs.
- Type each monthly amount: rent, payroll, utilities, insurance, loan payment, and other monthly costs.
- Choose the months of running costs to keep as a reserve, from 0 to 120.
- Optionally type your cash available.
- Read the outputs: “Reserve”, “Total to raise”, and, if you entered cash, “Months of runway”.
- Check the warnings. They appear when cash is below the one-time costs, when cash is below the total to raise, and when all monthly lines are zero.
- Review the two tables, which list every line with its amount and share. Use the CSV button to download them.
A negative or non-numeric amount, or a reserve above 120 months, shows an error message. Correct the entry, and check the tables before you download the CSV. Every amount on the form is an example until you replace it.
How much does it cost to open a restaurant?
No published cost range for opening a restaurant was found in a public-body source. The only sources found were vendor and school blogs, so this page does not show a range. Your total depends on your size, build-out, equipment, staffing, and running costs. The worksheet asks you to build the figure line by line instead.
How is the total to raise worked out?
Total to raise equals one-time costs plus the reserve. Build-out is square feet multiplied by build-out cost per square foot, and it is added to the other one-time lines. With the example values, 2,000 sq ft at $100 gives $200,000.00 of build-out, and the one-time costs come to $300,000.00. The monthly costs are $45,800.00, so a 3-month reserve is $137,400.00 and the total to raise is $437,400.00.
Why does the reserve count months of running costs?
Reserve equals monthly running costs multiplied by the months you choose. The one-time, monthly, and reserve structure follows the SBA startup-cost guide, which says to count at least one year of monthly expenses. The example uses 3 months, which is shorter than that guidance, so you can change the months to match your plan. The tool allows 0 to 120 months.
What does months of runway tell you?
Months of runway equals (cash minus one-time costs) divided by monthly costs, with a floor of 0. No sales are counted, so the figure shows how long your cash lasts on costs alone. With $400,000 of cash, the example leaves $100,000.00 after the one-time costs, which is 2.2 months of runway. The cash is $37,400.00 short of the total to raise, and a warning says so.
What should you keep in mind about the example numbers?
Every figure on the form when you arrive is a round placeholder, including the 2,000 sq ft and $100 per sq ft that give the $200,000.00 build-out. They show how the sums work and nothing more. A second look helps: change only the build-out cost per square foot to the figure in your contractor’s quote, then change the rent to the figure in your lease offer, and watch how “Total to raise” moves. Licence, permit and legal fees depend on your city, county and state, so ask your health department and licensing office and type what they tell you.
What does a smaller second example show?
Choose the “1,200 sq ft, smaller” preset: 1,200 sq ft at $80 gives $96,000.00 of build-out, and with $40,000 of equipment the one-time costs come to $176,000.00. Those are example figures, not typical costs. Each line in the worksheet is one you type, so change the square feet, the cost per square foot and the months of reserve to match your own quotes.
Sources (checked 15 October 2026): sba.gov
Worked examples
| Input | Result |
|---|---|
| 2000 sq ft at $100, monthly costs $45,800.00 | Total to raise $437,400.00 |
| 1200 sq ft at $80, monthly costs $32,800.00 | Total to raise $274,400.00 |
| 800 sq ft at $50, monthly costs $45,800.00 | Total to raise $414,800.00 |
Calculated by the tool above; open it with the same values to see each step.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to open a restaurant on average?
This page does not give an average, because no public-body figures were found. Enter your own quotes and estimates to get a total for your project.
Can I use this for a cafe or a smaller space?
Yes. The “800 sq ft cafe” and “1,200 sq ft smaller” presets load different square footage and build-out values, and you can type any size you need.
Does the tool store my numbers?
Everything runs in your browser, and nothing is uploaded. There is no sign-up, so you can use the worksheet without creating an account.
Are the example values real restaurant costs?
No. The form starts with round example values, which are placeholders and not data. Replace every line with your own figures before you rely on the totals.
Why does my months of runway show 0?
Runway is floored at 0. This happens when your cash is below your one-time costs, and a warning appears in that case.
What do I do if my cash is below the total to raise?
Check the warning, which shows that cash is short of the total to raise. You can lower the reserve months, reduce a line, or enter more cash to see how the result changes.
Related tools
- Food Truck Startup Costs: How Much Does a Food Truck Cost? Startup Cost Worksheet, for a mobile kitchen instead of a fixed space.
- Restaurant Budget Template: Use it to plan ongoing monthly spending after you open.
- Restaurant Labor Cost Calculator: Use it to estimate the payroll lines you enter here.
- Catering Calculator: Use it if you plan to add catering alongside your dining room.
- Pour Cost Calculator: Use it to check drink costs for your bar.
- Restaurant Tip Calculator: Use it to work out tips for a bill.
- Tip Pool Calculator: Use it to split tips among staff.
- Restaurant Costs: the hub page for all the cost worksheets and calculators on this site.