Straight answers.
22 questions, grouped. If yours is not here, ask it on the call. We would rather answer an awkward question early than have it surface after you have paid us.
Ownership & eligibility
Can I own a US or UK ghost kitchen from India?
Yes. Neither country requires a company owner to be resident, and both routinely register companies with wholly foreign ownership. But be clear about the split: cooking, packing, cleaning and food safety are physical and local. You will employ a head chef and kitchen staff, and a named person responsible for food safety has to be on the premises.
Does owning the business give me a visa?
No. Ownership confers no immigration status of any kind in either country. It does not entitle you to a visa, residence or the right to work there. In this venture it matters more than in the others, because you cannot cook in your own kitchen or cover a shift when someone calls in sick.
Do I need a local partner?
No, and we would not arrange a nominee. What you need is a competent head chef and, in most jurisdictions, a certified food safety person on the premises. Those are employees, not partners, and you appoint and remove them.
Will my name be public?
In the UK, yes. Beneficial ownership appears on the public register. In the US the position varies by state, with federal beneficial ownership reporting applying. Assume you will be identifiable.
The business model
Isn't the platform commission too high to make money?
It is the central problem of the sector and it is why many ghost kitchens fail. It is survivable with menus engineered for margin rather than variety, several brands spreading the fixed cost, tight food cost control, promotions measured rather than left running, and a deliberate push toward direct ordering. It is not survivable if you copy a restaurant menu onto an app and hope.
Why run four brands instead of one?
Rent, extraction, equipment and the kitchen rota are largely fixed the day you open. One brand carries all of it. Four spread it across four listings in four search categories, which also reduces dependence on any single platform placement. The condition is that the menus share ingredients and equipment.
Won't customers realise it's the same kitchen?
Some will, and platforms increasingly show the operating address. This is why the brands have to be genuinely different propositions rather than the same food with different logos. We design a brand set that stands up to being looked at.
How many orders a day does this need to work?
It depends entirely on average order value, food cost and your fixed cost base, which is why we will not publish a number. We model your specific menu and site before you commit, and we model the quiet weeks rather than the good ones.
Can I do this without buying equipment?
Not in the way we build it. A host-kitchen arrangement where a restaurant cooks your brand exists, but you do not control quality, capacity or consistency, and you are dependent on someone else's kitchen and rating. If you want an asset and control, you equip a kitchen.
Permits & food safety
What permits do I actually need?
In the US, a health department permit at county or city level, usually preceded by a plan review, plus food handler certification for staff and zoning confirmation. In the UK, food business registration with the local authority before trading, followed by an environmental health inspection that produces a public hygiene rating.
Can you guarantee we pass inspection?
No, and nobody honestly can. An officer walks through the kitchen and forms a judgement. What we control is preparation: the layout, the documentation, the records and the staff training. A kitchen that is genuinely ready usually passes, and one that is not usually does not.
Why does extraction keep coming up?
Because it rejects more sites than anything else. The duct has to reach roof level, the landlord has to consent, and in the UK it often needs planning permission. In a shell fit-out it is frequently the largest single cost, and it is not equipment. In a commissary bay it already exists, which is why we point most first-time owners there.
What is HACCP and do I need it?
It is a documented food safety management system based on identifying hazards and controlling them, with daily records proving you do. In the UK it is assessed at inspection and weighted heavily. In the US an equivalent food safety plan is expected. We build the documentation and record templates as a delivery stage.
Running it
What if the head chef leaves?
Then the kitchen stops, which is why we treat it as the main operational risk rather than a footnote. Mitigations are a deputy hired early, recipes and processes documented so the business is not inside one person's head, and a relationship with a local agency established before you need it.
Who handles a bad review at midnight?
Our desk. Reviews, complaints, refund disputes and platform escalations are screen work and they are ours. What we cannot do is cook the replacement meal, so the kitchen's own standards still decide how often it happens.
How do platform payouts work?
The platform takes the customer's payment, deducts commission and any promotion cost, and remits the balance to your company account on its own cycle. That means you buy ingredients before you are paid for the food. The working capital gap is a real line in the plan.
Can I change the menu after launch?
Yes, and you should. A listing is not a fitted restaurant. Poor sellers get retired, prices get tested, and whole brands can be replaced if the category is not working. That flexibility is one of the genuine advantages of the model.
Working with Akontec
What exactly do you charge?
Three components: a setup fee as a percentage of establishment cost with a stated minimum, a flat monthly management fee for the platform desk, and a share of net operating profit above an agreed threshold. Equipment and fit-out are excluded from the setup fee base.
Do you take equity?
No. The profit share is a contractual right under a management agreement. We take no interest in your company or your equipment and have no claim on a sale.
What if I want to end the relationship?
You keep the company, the lease or licence, the equipment, the brands, the recipes, the platform accounts, the customer data and every document. A transition plan is part of the agreement from the start.
Do you take commission from suppliers?
No. Third-party costs are paid at cost against invoices. If a supplier offers a referral fee we tell you and credit it against your fee.
What happens on the first call?
Forty-five minutes covering your capital range, the city and cuisine you have in mind, which site route and brand set we would recommend, and the permit position for that choice. If we think it will not work for you, we say so on that call.
Still have a question?
Ask it directly. We answer awkward questions the same way we answer easy ones.