About the Food Cost Calculator
This food cost calculator helps restaurants, cafés, food trucks and caterers keep menu prices in line with ingredient costs. In per-plate mode, enter the ingredient cost of a dish and its menu price to get the food cost percentage, the gross profit per plate and the price you would need to charge to hit your target food cost.
In period mode, enter beginning food inventory, purchases, ending inventory and food sales for a week or month to get your actual food cost percentage from the kitchen’s books. Comparing the two tells you whether waste, portioning or theft is pushing real costs above what the recipes say.
Many full-service restaurants aim for a food cost of roughly 28%–35% of menu price, but the right target depends on your concept, labor costs and pricing. The calculator only covers food; beverage cost is usually tracked separately.
With the default inputs, the food cost percentage is 29.69%. Change any value above to recalculate instantly.
How to use the food cost calculator
- 1Choose whether you are pricing one menu item or checking a whole period.
- 2For one dish, enter the ingredient cost per portion and the menu price.
- 3For a period, enter beginning inventory, purchases, ending inventory and food sales.
- 4Set your target food cost percentage.
- 5Compare the actual food cost % with the target and adjust price or portions.
Formula and method
For a single dish, food cost is the total cost of every ingredient in one portion, and the food cost percentage is that cost divided by the menu price. For a period, food cost is the value of food actually used: what you started with plus what you bought, minus what is left at the end of the period, divided by food sales for the same period.
To price a dish for a target food cost, divide the plate cost by the target percentage — a $4.75 plate at a 30% target needs a $15.83 price. The multiplier (price ÷ cost) is the same idea expressed the other way: a 30% food cost is roughly a 3.33x markup on ingredients.
- Food cost
- Ingredient cost per plate, or cost of food used in the period
- Food sales
- Menu price per plate, or total food revenue in the period
- Target %
- Desired food cost as a percentage of price
Worked examples
Pasta dish at $16
A $4.75 plate cost on a $16 menu price is 4.75 ÷ 16 = 29.69% food cost, leaving $11.25 of gross profit. To land exactly on 30% the price would be $4.75 ÷ 0.30 = $15.83.
Burger priced for a 28% target
A $3.20 burger sold at $12 runs a 26.67% food cost, better than the 28% target. At exactly 28% the price could drop to about $11.43.
Monthly food cost from inventory
Food used was $8,000 + $22,000 − $7,000 = $23,000. On $75,000 of food sales that is 30.67%, slightly above a 30% target; hitting 30% would need about $76,667 of sales for the same food spend.
Frequently asked questions
What is a good food cost percentage for a restaurant?+
Many restaurants target roughly 28% to 35%. Fine dining and steakhouses can run higher because of expensive proteins, while pizza, pasta and coffee concepts often run lower. Your target should leave room for labor and overhead.
How do I calculate the cost of a plate?+
List every ingredient in one portion, convert each to the unit you buy it in, multiply by the unit cost and add them up. Include garnishes, sauces, sides and an allowance for trim and waste using yield percentages.
How do I price a menu item from food cost?+
Divide the plate cost by your target food cost percentage. For example, a $5 plate with a 30% target should sell for about $16.67. Then round to a sensible menu price and check it against competitors.
Why is my actual food cost higher than my recipe cost?+
Common causes are over-portioning, spoilage, waste, theft, staff meals, comps and supplier price increases not reflected in recipe costs. Comparing period food cost to theoretical plate cost highlights the gap.