Top 10 Cloud Kitchen Franchise Opportunities in India (2026)
The food industry in India is undergoing a colossal revolution – and the biggest success in it is the emergence of the cloud kitchen franchise. Since smartphones have become our new best friend and food delivery apps, such as Swiggy or Zomato, control our screens, the demand for quick, high-quality meals delivered straight to your door is as intense as ever. Compared to traditional restaurants, cloud kitchens lack dine-in facilities, which saves money and allows them to use space to the maximum.
To the entrepreneur wishing to venture into the food business in the year 2026, the opportunity to invest in a cloud kitchen franchise is a golden chance to reduce the risk, increase the scalability, and be supported by a well-established brand, all within a small commercial kitchen setup.
What Is a Cloud Kitchen Franchise?
A cloud kitchen franchise is a food business model that delivers exclusively through your own delivery, operating under an existing brand, recipes, and support system without purchasing a physical restaurant location. Unlike traditional restaurants, these establishments, also known as ghost or dark kitchens, are solely devoted to cooking food from online orders.
With a cloud franchise investment, you receive an established business model, marketing services, uniform menus, and technology integration. It is the ideal combination of entrepreneurship and brand security, and it will be suitable for all those who want to enter into the flourishing Indian food delivery marketplace with less risk and a quicker payback period.
How a Franchise Model Works
- Brand licensing: This is a fee that you pay in order to run under an established brand name, menu and name.
- Training & Onboarding: The franchisor offers all the training in the kitchen, recipes and operation guidelines.
- Supply Chain Support: Packaging and ingredients are usually centrally sourced with a consistent quality.
- Technology Integration: Orders are done via the app of the brand or aggregators such as Swiggy or Zomato.
- Marketing Support: The parent brand does digital promotion and marketing and makes customers visit your kitchen.
- Royalty Payments: The franchisees in exchange pay a percentage of the monthly revenue as royalty to the franchisor.
Difference Between Independent Cloud Kitchen vs Franchise
| Feature | Independent Cloud Kitchen | Cloud Kitchen Franchise |
| Brand Recognition | Build from scratch | Instant brand trust |
| Initial Investment | Lower but unpredictable | Fixed and transparent |
| Marketing | Self-managed | Supported by franchisor |
| Menu Development | Full freedom | Standardized menu |
| Training | Self-learn | Structured onboarding |
| Risk Level | Higher | Lower |
| Scalability | Slower | Faster with brand support |
| Technology | Build your own | Ready-made tech stack |
Why Start a Cloud Kitchen Franchise in India?
- Massive Market Growth: The online food delivery market in India is estimated to expand by 22.25% CAGR to ₹265.12 billion to 2033, starting at ₹43.47 billion (2024).
- Minimal Investment, Maximum Returns: No dine in will reduce the real estate and operations costs along with increased ROI.
- Increasing Digital Adoption: Urban Indians, or more precisely millennials and Gen Z, place food orders 3-6 times weekly.
- Tier 2/3 City Expansion: The expansion of the internet is creating new demand in non-metro cities.
- Multi-Brand Possibility: Operate several cuisines out of the same kitchen, and it is easy to diversify the revenue.
- Rapid Break-even: A majority of cloud kitchen franchises break even in 12-18 months compared to traditional restaurants, which break even in 24-36 months.
Top 10 Cloud Kitchen Franchise Opportunities in India (2026)
1. Rebel Foods (Faasos, Behrouz Biryani, Oven Story Pizza & More)
Rebel Foods is the biggest and strongest cloud kitchen franchise ecosystem in India with more than 450 cloud kitchens spread across 70 and more cities. Faasos, Behrouz Biryani, Oven Story Pizza, Mandarin Oak, and The Good Bowl are iconic brands that can be found under one roof. The most remarkable feature of Rebel Foods is that it is a technological-first company that implies AI-enhanced forecasting of demand, centralized supply networks, and the ability to connect with all major delivery platforms. To the franchise partners, this will translate into unparalleled brand support, diversification of revenues, and a tested business model that is supported with global presence within UAE, UK and Indonesia.
Investment Range: ₹25–35 lakhs approx.
Franchise Support: Full tech, training & supply chain
Brand Strength / Delivery Tie-ups: Swiggy, Zomato; cult following
Best For: Metro & Tier 1 city entrepreneurs
2. Biryani By Kilo (BBK)
One of the most popular premium cloud kitchen franchise brands in India, Biryani By Kilo was established in 2015 and currently has the support of Devyani International. Their business concept is to make traditional handi cooking, so every single biryani is produced on an order-based business, in an earthen pot delivering an unmatched experience. BBK has created a highly loyal customer base in 25+ cities that increase by 60% every year. Franchisees have strong supply chains, technology support, and a brand that is effective with the biryani-crazed Indian consumers with the strong backing of the Devyani International.
Investment Range: ₹30–40 lakhs approx.
Franchise Support: Training, tech, central kitchen access
Brand Strength / Delivery Tie-ups: Premium brand, Swiggy & Zomato top-rated
Best For: Urban areas with high delivery demand
3. BOX8
BOX8 is a tech-based cloud kitchen franchise, which has established its niche in the Indian comfort food, biryanis, wraps, and single-serve meal boxes. Bruno Owned Xtra (BOX8) was founded in 2015 and works with a very efficient logistics system that guarantees quick delivery and the same taste each time. Its centralized supply chain is one of the greatest benefits of the brand as it provided franchise partners with a strong base on which to develop the business. The metro cities are particular to BOX8 since it has a large number of office-goers and students who prefer to enjoy a good, cheap, and fast meal delivered directly to their door.
Investment Range: ₹25–30 lakhs approx.
Franchise Support: Centralized supply chain, brand support
Brand Strength / Delivery Tie-ups: Strong metro recall; Swiggy & Zomato
Best For: Metro cities and high-density neighborhoods
4. Behrouz Biryani
Behrouz Biryani is a high-brow brand that is part of the Rebel Foods brand, and it delivers the royal taste of Mughlai cuisine to the current food enthusiasts. Behrouz is a highly successful franchise cloud kitchen brand with 100+ locations, which launched in 2016 and has seen an unprecedented UK market entry. The narrative-based marketing, royal packaging, and gourmet-quality recipes turn every order into a royal feast. Rebel Foods increased its revenue, including Behrouz Biryani by 19%, to 1,420 crore in FY24, which makes this franchise a good financial investment option among premium market players.
Investment Range: ₹25–35 lakhs approx.
Franchise Support: Marketing, tech, ops via Rebel Foods
Brand Strength / Delivery Tie-ups: Premium cult brand; global presence
Best For: High-end metro & suburban markets
5. Biryani Blues
Biryani Blues is a cloud kitchen franchise, brand of original Hyderabadi style biryani that is winning the hearts of the people with its rich smoky flavors and homogeneity. The brand has cleverly expanded both in the dine in and cloud kitchen format, which provides the brand with robust multi-channel revenue. The franchise owners also enjoy the advantage of a sticky client base that repeats every time they are in need of their biryani fix as well as a strong branding in the region more so in North India. When the city you are targeting is highly biryani, then Biryani Blues will be the best choice due to its time-tested recipe and its faithful customer base coupled with reliable franchise structure.
Investment Range: ₹20–30 lakhs approx.
Franchise Support: Operational and brand marketing support
Brand Strength / Delivery Tie-ups: Strong Delhi-NCR brand; Zomato & Swiggy listed
Best For: North India and metro cities
6. FreshMenu
FreshMenu is a chef-led franchise brand of cloud kitchen known to have daily rotating menus and freshness and innovation among others. With 40+ kitchens in Bengaluru, Mumbai, and Delhi-NCR, FreshMenu is a company-supervised partner kitchen, providing franchisees the advantage of the company brand without limiting operational freedom. Its menu creativity keeps their customers wondering and returning- gourmet salad to under the bowl international. FreshMenu suits those entrepreneurs, who are going to take advantage of the segment of health-conscious and premium meals that is exploding in Indian cities, 2026.
Investment Range: ₹20–25 lakhs approx.
Franchise Support: Company-supervised partner kitchen model
Brand Strength / Delivery Tie-ups: Swiggy, Zomato; strong urban brand
Best For: Health-conscious urban markets; professionals
7. Kouzina (The Biryani Zone & Multi-Brand)
Kouzina is a new multi-brand cloud-based kitchen franchising system and enables entrepreneurs to operate multiple food brands, such as The Biryani Zone, in a single small-sized kitchen. A well known Kouzina brand with an extensive menu of dishes that have a wide and expanding clientele is the Biryani Zone, that sells everything starting with Hyderabadi Dum Biryani and then through Kolkata style Biryani. The most significant USP of Kouzina is its operational efficiency: franchisees enjoy mutual supply chains, centralized marketing, and technology support in various brand revenue streams. Kouzina is an excellent place to start when new entrepreneurs want to enter the cloud kitchen space on a large scale and avoid risking their funds.
Investment Range: ₹10–20 lakhs approx.
Franchise Support: Multi-brand tech, training & supply chain
Brand Strength / Delivery Tie-ups: Swiggy & Zomato; growing Tier 2 reach
Best For: Tier 2 cities and new entrepreneurs
8. Gobbler’s
Gobbler is a fast-developing brand of cloud kitchen franchises starting in 2019 and currently having 53+ outlets, specializing in high-quality rolls and wraps and fusion foods. The selling point of Gobbler is the AI-based demand forecasting that reduces ingredient waste by 27% and, therefore, streamlines the operations and makes them more profitable to franchise partners. With a network of various stores, the brand manages about 1,500 orders per day, which demonstrates strong scale opportunities. Gobbler proposes a top combination of innovation, profitability and brand momentum in 2026 to entrepreneurs who are interested in investing in a modern, technology oriented food brand in an expanding segment.
Investment Range: ₹15–25 lakhs approx.
Franchise Support: AI-based ops support, brand marketing
Brand Strength / Delivery Tie-ups: Zomato & Swiggy; strong urban presence
Best For: Urban millennials; quick-service food lovers
9. Mr. Shawarma
Mr. Shawarma is among the most promising cloud kitchen franchise prospects in the Middle East and fusion and food category, which was established in 2017 and currently operates 50+ cloud kitchen restaurants in India. Focused menu is its key weapon, as it offers a small, edited menu of shawarmas and wraps, which allows running its kitchen operations with 33% less cost, without sacrificing quality to multi-cuisine arrangements. The brand has developed a high level of loyal customers, especially among the younger generation who are obsessed with very strong foreign flavors. Mr. Shawarma is also a great brand in terms of margins and positioning to franchise investors seeking a niche but booming brand.
Investment Range: ₹10–20 lakhs approx.
Franchise Support: Streamlined ops training, supply support
Brand Strength / Delivery Tie-ups: Niche leader; Swiggy & Zomato listed
Best For: Young urban consumers; fusion food markets
10. The Rolling Plate
The Rolling Plate is a cloud kitchen franchise brand based on the ideas of modern and street food and was founded in 2019 and is currently working on opening 20+ locations in major cities. It is placed in a brilliant location between the quick service restaurants and the high class. It is located in the high middle-class neighborhoods where people are interested in quality but at reasonable prices. The process-based kitchen concept of the brand has saved on staffing by cutting the workforce by 30% of the total staffing, yet the operational output had remained full – making it one of the most efficient franchise concepts in the market. With good systems and increasing brand equity in the contemporary Indian food delivery market, franchisees have an average order value that is 27% higher than that of competitors.
Investment Range: ₹15–20 lakhs approx.
Franchise Support: Process-driven ops model, brand marketing
Brand Strength / Delivery Tie-ups: Swiggy & Zomato; premium positioning
Best For: Upper-middle-class urban neighborhoods
Cloud Kitchen Franchise Cost in India
| Investment Tier | Approx Cost | What You Get |
| Entry Level | ₹5–15 lakhs | Basic kitchen setup, single brand license, starter training |
| Mid-Range | ₹15–30 lakhs | Full kitchen setup, multi-brand access, tech integration, marketing |
| Premium | ₹30–50 lakhs | Premium brand, advanced tech stack, full supply chain, complete support |
| Enterprise | ₹50 lakhs+ | Multi-city operations, flagship kitchen, direct brand partnership |
Cloud Kitchen Franchise Profit Margins
Typical Profit Margins in India
The net profit margins of cloud kitchen business in India are usually 15 to 30% which is very high compared to that of dine-in restaurants (15 to 10%, on average). The monthly revenues may be ₹8 lakh up to ₹20 lakh at any place, brand mix, and the level of orders.
Cloud kitchen franchises are also among the quickest ROI food companies in India since most of them break even in 10-18 months. Premium brands such as Behrouz Biryani and Biryani By Kilo would have more of a premium pricing power thus more margin.
Factors That Affect Profits
- Location & Radius Delivery: Kitchens with big order density have a lot more orders per day.
- Brand Choice: Brand recognition of good apps to make more organic orders and repeat clients.
- Menu Optimization: The emphasis on high-margin products and food waste reduction has a direct positive impact on profitability.
- Operational efficiency: Lean staffing and lean processes ensure that the overhead cost is minimal.
- Platform Ratings: High Swiggy/Zomato rating increases visibility and organic order volume with no additional advertisement costs.
- Peak Hour Management: Optimization of output during the peak hour of lunch and dinner is directly influenced by the monthly revenue.
- Food Cost Control: Franchisor-based centralized supply chains assist in maintaining the cost of raw materials at low levels.
How to Choose the Right Cloud Kitchen Franchise
- Check Your Budget: Find the proper level of investment, and you should not overstretch in your first business.
- Research Brand Requirement: Select a brand that is scoring high ratings and large volumes on Swiggy and Zomato in your city.
- Consider Franchisor Support: This should be given priority with brands that provide full training, technological integration and supply chain support.
- Research the Domestic Market: Research the local tastes of food — biryani brands are more effective in certain cities, wraps or healthy bowls in others.
- Check Franchise Agreement Terms: Before signing, review royalty percentages, zones of exclusivity and terms of renewal.
- See Current Franchisees: Meet with existing franchise partners and see the level of profitability and day-to-day operational issues.
Conclusion
The cloud kitchen franchise system is no longer an empty trend, but the future of the food industry in India. In 2026 the online food delivery market will have expanded more than 6 times in the upcoming decade and hence it is the right time to venture into this thriving market. Regardless of whether you are a first time business owner or a more established business owner looking at a way to diversify, a franchise is available that fits your requirements and budget.
At the end of the multi-brand powerhouse of Rebel Foods and niche competitors such as those of Mr. Shawarma and Gobbler, the cloud kitchen scene in India was full of opportunities. Make your research, make a good decision and your franchise may be the most rewarding business investment of your life.
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FAQs
What is the cost of opening a cloud kitchen franchise in India?
Entry level brands cost ₹5 lakhs, high end franchise models such as Rebel Foods or Biryani By Kilo cost ₹50-50plus lakhs.
Is cloud kitchen business lucrative in India?
Yes, the average net profit margin of most cloud kitchen business in India is 15-30 and break-even in 10-18 months.
In 2026, what is the most suitable cloud kitchen business in India?
Rebel Foods (Faasos, Behrouz Biryani) and Biryani By Kilo are also among the best as there is a high brand equity and franchise support.
Should a cloud kitchen franchise have a physical restaurant location?
No. All you need is a licensed commercial kitchen space, no dining space, no wait staff, no high-end location.
Is it possible to operate more than one brand under a single cloud kitchen?
Yes! Such websites as Rebel Foods and Kouzina enable you to manage many brands out of one kitchen, and you can earn very high revenues.
