Food Cost Calculator
Calculate total recipe cost and cost per serving from ingredient prices
How to use Food Cost Calculator
- 1Enter the purchase price and packing specifications for the food.
- 2Enter the amount that the recipe actually uses.
- 3Read the food to share the cost of each.
Calculating the cost of food
Usage cost = purchase price x (use / packaging specifications)The cost of food items links the purchase price of the store to the actual consumption of the recipe, revealing the real cost per dish.
Tracking each cost helps set menu prices and discovers foods that quietly erode profit margins.
** Food Cost Rate (%) = Food Cost ÷ Food Price **, the most central indicator for catering. Common industry targets: fast food 28% - 32%, regular meals 30% - 35%, high end meals 32% - 40% (due to service and environmental premiums). The corresponding ** multiplied by 2.5 to 3.5 ** (i.e., 25 to 35 dollars for a 10-dollar sale). ** Note that the “māori rate” and the “Additional rate” are two concepts**: the cost of $10 is $30, the Māori rate is (30-10)/30 = 67 per cent, the plus rate is (30-10)/10 = 200 per cent, and it is important to specify which is the price-fixing.
** The cost of a single dish is fully costed, and not just the main **. Complete composition: Main + Auxiliary + Fever (frequently ignored, 5%-10%) + Depletion (netting rate: about 70% - 85% for vegetables, 85% - 95% for meat, i.e. only about 800 g for potato peeling) + energy + packaging. ** The standard practice is to create Standard Formula Cards for each dish,** showing the net usage and standard cost of each feedstock, to be performed on a board-- This is the basis for the cost of chain control and for ensuring consistency of taste.
| Cost item | Percentage of turnover | Annotations | Control Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost of food | 28% – 35% | Change cost, maximum | Procurement, wear and tear, standardized formulation |
| Labour costs | 20% – 28% | Fixed + Change | Order efficiency, human effectiveness |
| Rent | 8% – 15% | Fixed cost | Location, impact |
| Hydropower gas | 3% – 6% | Semi-change | Energy efficiency of equipment |
| Platform commission | 15% – 23% | Outlet | Self-employment, bargaining. |
| Packaging materials | 2% – 5% | The take-out is the take-out. | Bulk procurement |
| Other (marketing/depreciation/commodity) | 5% – 10% | — | — |
| Net interest rate | 3% – 10% | Industry average is low | — |
Typical composition of catering costs
Frequently asked questions
Should losses and repairs be accounted for?
Account should be made for, and converted as a percentage of the gain rate, so that the skin and bones do not hide the real cost.
What's the cost of food?
Many restaurants target 28-35 per cent of the menu price, depending on business.
How to price the food?
The cost of the targeted food items is eliminated from the total cost of the food items and the lowest price is obtained.
How does a commission for take-out get a price?
Out-sale pricing must include commissions, or the more they sell, the more they lose. Platform commissions usually range from 15 per cent to 23 per cent (including the cost of technical services and distribution, which may be shared by the merchant, customer or both). **Simplified formula: Out-of-service = canteen ÷ (1 - commission rate - activity subsidy rate)** For example, 30 yuan, 20 per cent commission and 10 per cent reduction in subsidy, it takes at least 30 ÷ 0.7 = 42.9 dollars to keep the same Maori. ** It is common for menus to be sold outside of the market to increase the bid and set up a full reduction, rather than to go directly to the canteen. **
How do you judge whether a dish should be kept?
Menu engineering (Menu Engineering + High sales) = ** Stars (main push, in visible position)**; 2 Māori + Low sales = ** Problems (need to improve description, location or match, or increase exposure)**; 3 Low Māori + High sales = ** Peasants (can make small price increases or optimize formula reductions)**; 4 Low Māori + Low sales ** Dogs (consider lower shelf)**. ** Note that low-mori-priced foods cannot be cut ** — it may be a diversion, and cutting can affect the flow. The analysis is based on the whole, not the individual.
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