Karnataka carves out cloud-kitchen zoning in new urban food policy
Bengaluru, Mysuru and Mangaluru get explicit cloud-kitchen land-use categories under Karnataka’s 2026 urban food policy, ending years of ambiguity for operators.
The Government of Karnataka has notified its 2026 Urban Food Policy, introducing for the first time an explicit cloud-kitchen land-use category in the master plans of Bengaluru, Mysuru and Mangaluru. The policy ends years of zoning ambiguity that had pushed many operators into commercial spaces priced for offices.
Key changes for operators:
- Defined CK-zone: ground-floor commercial units in mixed-use neighbourhoods can now be licensed explicitly for cloud-kitchen use, with simplified change-of-use procedures.
- Effluent norms: grease traps and grey-water management standards are now codified — previously a grey area that bylaw inspectors interpreted inconsistently.
- Aggregator transparency: platforms must disclose commission rates to BBMP on request, a softer version of what Maharashtra attempted in 2025.
Industry response has been cautiously positive. The Karnataka Hoteliers Federation called the zoning move “long overdue” but flagged that grease-trap retrofits will take 6–9 months for older premises.
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