In short
- Food cost % = plate cost / menu price. A $4.20 plate sold at $14 is 30%.
- Buy price, portion and yield (what is left after trim and cooking) set your real cost per plate.
- Type your own target food cost % to get the menu price that reaches it. We do not assume a target for you.
- Free, runs in your browser, nothing is saved or sent.
This restaurant food cost calculator works out what one plate really costs you and what percent of the menu price that is. Use your supplier invoices, not guesses. Result in under two minutes for a dish.
| Ingredient | Cost per plate | Share |
|---|
How the math works
- Cost per unit you buy
Price paid divided by quantity bought. A $42 case of 10 lb is $4.20 per lb.
- Adjust for yield
Divide by yield as a decimal. At 80% yield, $4.20 per lb becomes $5.25 per usable lb.
- Multiply by the portion
Half a pound on the plate is $2.63 of chicken. Add every ingredient plus extras.
- Divide by the menu price
Plate cost divided by price is your food cost %. The rest is gross profit before labor and overhead.
Watch yield: skipping it is the most common reason a plate costs more than the spreadsheet says. If you do not know a yield, weigh a case before and after prepping it once.
What the result does not include
| Left out | Where to cover it |
|---|---|
| Labor, rent, utilities | Fixed and prep costs: use the break-even calculator |
| Card fees, app commissions | Same break-even tool, with your own rates |
| Waste, comps, staff meals | Add a small share to extra plate costs if you track it |
Using it to set prices
- Run your top five sellers first; they move the total most.
- Enter a target, then compare the suggested price with what guests will pay nearby.
- Re-run when a supplier changes a price. A small bump on a big-volume item adds up.
- If a price cannot rise, change the portion or the ingredient and re-run.
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Frequently asked questions
How do I calculate food cost percentage?
Divide the cost of the food on one plate by the menu price, then multiply by 100. A plate that costs $4.20 in ingredients and sells for $14 has a food cost of 30 percent. The calculator does this for you and also shows gross profit per plate.
What is yield percentage?
Yield is the share of what you buy that ends up usable on the plate. If you buy 10 lb of bone-in chicken and 8 lb is cooked, trimmed meat, the yield is 80 percent. Trim, peeling, shrink in cooking and waste all lower yield, and the true cost per usable ounce goes up.
What food cost percentage should I aim for?
There is no single right number. It depends on your concept, your labor model and your other costs. Set your own target from your break-even math, then use this tool to see which dishes sit above or below it. Our break-even calculator helps you work out what you can afford.
Does food cost include packaging and labor?
Not in this tool. Plate cost here is ingredients plus any extras you add in the extra-costs box, such as sauces, garnish or a to-go container. Labor, rent and fees are separate. The break-even calculator brings them together.
Are the example ingredients real prices?
No. The starting rows are placeholder numbers so you can see how the math works. Replace them with prices from your own invoices. Nothing you type is sent anywhere; the math runs in your browser.