Start-up cost
$150,000-$700,000
Dinner theater start-up $150,000-$700,000 (Prometai, 2026-02-05, single-source estimate). Source: Prometai, How to Start a Dinner Theater, 2026-02-05. Lab cost band: $100K to $250K+.
This is one source. Treat it as a starting figure, not a quote, and get local prices before you spend.
The field in numbers
These are Census and Bureau of Labor Statistics figures for the wider field, not for this business alone.
Industry (Census)
Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters (NAICS 711110)
Solo owners in the wider field
103,239 (Performing Arts Companies)
Average gross sales per solo owner
$27,245 a year, before costs (gross sales, not profit)
Still open after 1, 2, 5, 10 years
80.6%, 71.3%, 52.9%, 35.4% (all businesses in the sector, Bureau of Labor Statistics)
Related businesses in the Lab
Does it fit you?
The Startup Lab asks a few plain questions about your money, time and what you like doing, then narrows 910 businesses to the few that fit. The $10 report on this business adds itemized costs, your county’s numbers and Groundwork Alumni access.
