Free startup tools

Restaurant Startup Cost Calculator

Built from real operator experience. Pre-loaded with OC market benchmarks — adjust any line item to match your deal.

Concept typeSelect your restaurant format
Location & sizeOrange County, California
Square footage1,800 sq ft
Typical full-service: 1,500–3,000 sq ft · Ghost kitchen: 500–1,000 sq ft
City
Space condition
OccupancyLease or purchase
Base rent per sq ft (monthly)$3.50 / sq ft
Industry standard: $2.50–$5.00 NNN in OC · Premium (Newport, Laguna): $4.00–$7.00+
NNN expenses per sq ft (monthly)$1.00 / sq ft
Industry standard: $0.50–$2.00/sqft · Covers property taxes, insurance & CAM
Total occupancy cost$4.50/sqft · $9,315/mo
Months of free rent (landlord concession)2 months
Industry standard: 1–3 months free on a 5+ year OC lease · Negotiate hard
Lease term60 months (5 years)
Industry standard: 5–10 years + options · Longer leases attract better TI allowances
Build-out & constructionClick to expand line items
$244,970▾
Construction / TI cost per sq ft$120 / sq ft
Industry standard: Ghost/2nd gen $40–$80 · Fast casual $80–$150 · Full service $120–$250+
Equipment & FF&EKitchen, furniture & decor
Kitchen equipment budget$80,000
Industry standard: Ghost $30–60k · Fast casual $50–100k · Full service $80–180k · Bar $60–120k
Furniture, fixtures & decor (FF&E)$40,000
Industry standard: $15–$40/sqft · Tables, chairs, lighting, signage, art, uniforms, smallwares
Technology & POSPoint of sale, systems & tech
POS system (hardware + software)$8,500
Industry standard: Food truck $1–3k · Ghost kitchen $3–5k · Full service $8–25k+
Other technology (music, security, WiFi, etc.)$2,500
Industry standard: $2,000–$5,000 · Background music, security cameras, WiFi, reservation system
Staffing & pre-openingClick to expand line items
$74,020▾
Number of employees at opening18 employees
Industry standard: Ghost 2–6 · Cafe 5–10 · Fast casual 10–20 · Full service 20–50
Blended hourly wage (avg across all staff)$22/hr
Industry standard: CA minimum $16/hr · OC blended avg $20–28/hr · Management $25–40/hr
Pre-opening training weeks3 weeks
Industry standard: 2–4 weeks · Budget full payroll before a dollar of revenue comes in
Working capital & reservesCash to survive the ramp-up
Months of operating reserves3 months
Industry standard: 3–6 months · Most restaurants take 3–6 months to hit breakeven · Under-capitalization is the #1 failure reason
Licenses, legal & insuranceClick to expand line items
$56,000▾
Click the header above to expand and adjust individual line items. Pre-loaded with OC market estimates for a Full Service Restaurant.
ContingencyBuffer for cost overruns
Contingency percentage10% — $34,700
Industry standard: 10–15% · First-timers should use 15–20% · Applied to construction, equipment, FF&E & tech
Financing & loan paymentsSBA, equipment loans & lines of credit
Total loan amount$200,000
Set to $0 if self-funding.
Loan type
Loan term
Interest rate7.50%
Industry standard: SBA 7(a) prime + 2.75–3.75% · Equipment loans 6–10% · Conventional 7–12%
Monthly payment
$2,374
Total interest
$84,884
Total repaid
$284,884
SBA 7(a) · $200,000 borrowed · 7.50% · 10-year term
Full cost breakdownEvery line item

Lease & deposits

Security deposit (3 months rent)$27,945
First & last month rent$18,630
Free rent concession (savings)($18,630)

Build-out & construction

TI construction$216,000
Architect & design fees$15,120
Permit expeditor$3,500
Permits & plan check$10,350

Equipment & kitchen

Kitchen equipment$80,000

FF&E & decor

Furniture, fixtures, lighting, signage$40,000

Technology & POS

POS system$8,500
Other technology$2,500

Pre-opening & staffing

Training payroll (3 wks × 18 staff)$47,520
Pre-opening marketing & PR$18,000
Miscellaneous pre-opening$8,500

Licenses, legal & insurance

ABC liquor license$22,000
General liability insurance$14,000
Workers' compensation$8,000
Legal fees$6,500
Accounting setup$3,500
Health department permit$800
Business license & city fees$1,200

Working capital & reserves

Monthly operating expenses$78,647/mo
Reserves (3 months)$235,942

Contingency (10%)

Applied to construction, equipment, FF&E & tech$34,700
TOTAL ESTIMATED STARTUP COST$804,577

* Estimates based on OC market conditions 2024–2025. Get 3+ bids from licensed contractors.

Estimated startup cost
Full Service Restaurant · Irvine
Total estimated investment
$805k
Range: $684k – $1.01M
  • Lease & deposits$28k 3%
  • Build-out & construction$245k 30%
  • Equipment & kitchen$80k 10%
  • FF&E & decor$40k 5%
  • Technology & POS$11k 1%
  • Pre-opening & staffing$74k 9%
  • Licenses, legal & insurance$56k 7%
  • Working capital & reserves$236k 29%
  • Contingency (10%)$35k 4%
Total lease commitment (60 mo)$558,900
Loan financing
Monthly loan payment$2,374/mo
Loan covers$200,000 of $804,577
Remaining cash needed$604,577
Key assumptions
1,800 sq ft$4.50/sqft60-mo lease18 staff$22/hr wage3-wk training3-mo reserves10% contingency$200,000 loanIrvine
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Estimates based on typical OC market conditions. Actual costs vary. WhereBizStarts is not a financial advisor.