https://countstand.com/blog India-specific guides on opening and running restaurants: licences, GST, food cost and the operations behind profitable outlets. en-in https://countstand.com/guides/how-to-open-a-restaurant-in-india https://countstand.com/guides/how-to-open-a-restaurant-in-india Sun, 12 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT Every licence from FSSAI to fire NOC, realistic startup costs by format, the break-even math and a 30-day pre-opening checklist. https://countstand.com/guides/fssai-license-restaurant https://countstand.com/guides/fssai-license-restaurant Sun, 12 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT Basic vs state vs central FSSAI: fees, documents, FoSCoS application steps, renewal rules and the penalties for serving without one. https://countstand.com/guides/food-cost-percentage https://countstand.com/guides/food-cost-percentage Sun, 12 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT The food-cost formula, the ideal 28–32% band by format, and the nine fixes that pull a runaway percentage back, with a free calculator. https://countstand.com/guides/gst-on-restaurants https://countstand.com/guides/gst-on-restaurants Sun, 12 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT Which GST rate applies to your restaurant, CGST/SGST on bills, composition scheme, GSTR-1 filing and e-invoicing thresholds, in plain English. https://countstand.com/guides/reduce-zomato-swiggy-commission https://countstand.com/guides/reduce-zomato-swiggy-commission Sun, 12 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT Nine ways that actually cut aggregator commission, renegotiation, direct WhatsApp ordering, ONDC and the math on what each move saves. https://countstand.com/guides/zomato-vs-swiggy-for-restaurants https://countstand.com/guides/zomato-vs-swiggy-for-restaurants Sun, 12 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT Fees, reach, payout cycles and support compared for owners, plus when listing on both makes sense and when it quietly costs you margin. https://countstand.com/guides/ondc-for-restaurants https://countstand.com/guides/ondc-for-restaurants Sun, 12 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT ONDC commission of 3–5% vs the 18–30% aggregators charge: how to register, what the network delivers today and the honest trade-offs. https://countstand.com/guides/whatsapp-ordering-for-restaurants https://countstand.com/guides/whatsapp-ordering-for-restaurants Sun, 12 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT Set up direct WhatsApp ordering: the tools, costs and the 0% commission math, and when it beats building your own app or website. https://countstand.com/guides/restaurant-theft-prevention https://countstand.com/guides/restaurant-theft-prevention Sun, 12 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT The 11 ways staff skim from Indian restaurants, voided bills, ghost KOTs, stock walking out, and the controls that catch every one. https://countstand.com/guides/how-to-increase-restaurant-sales https://countstand.com/guides/how-to-increase-restaurant-sales Sun, 12 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT Seventeen sales moves ranked by ROI for Indian restaurants, menu engineering, table turns, WhatsApp win-backs, delivery and pricing plays. https://countstand.com/guides/menu-engineering https://countstand.com/guides/menu-engineering Sun, 12 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT Stars, puzzles, plowhorses and dogs: classify your menu with real margin data and reprice with confidence, the India-specific playbook. https://countstand.com/guides/restaurant-licenses-india https://countstand.com/guides/restaurant-licenses-india Sun, 12 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT All 12 licences to run a restaurant legally, costs, timelines, issuing bodies and renewal traps, from FSSAI and GST to fire NOC and music. https://countstand.com/guides/restaurant-business-plan https://countstand.com/guides/restaurant-business-plan Sun, 12 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT A free restaurant business-plan template plus the numbers investors and banks actually check: unit economics, break-even and cash runway. https://countstand.com/guides/how-to-start-a-cloud-kitchen https://countstand.com/guides/how-to-start-a-cloud-kitchen Sun, 12 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT The ₹5–15 lakh step-by-step: licences, kitchen setup, aggregator onboarding, multi-brand strategy and the margins to expect in year one. https://countstand.com/guides/restaurant-staff-salary-india https://countstand.com/guides/restaurant-staff-salary-india Sun, 12 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT City-wise salary benchmarks for cooks, waiters, cashiers and managers, plus service charge rules, attrition realities and retention plays. https://countstand.com/guides/restaurant-profit-margin-india https://countstand.com/guides/restaurant-profit-margin-india Sun, 12 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT Real margin numbers by format, dine-in, QSR, cloud kitchen, café, and the three levers that move a 5% margin to 12% without more covers.