Food cost calculator

Most restaurants target 28–35%. Fast-casual and pizza concepts often run lower (20–30%), while steakhouses and seafood run higher. The right number depends on your concept — what matters is knowing it per dish and pricing deliberately.

Food cost % = (cost of ingredients in one serving ÷ menu price) × 100. If a burger costs you $4.20 to plate and sells for $14, your food cost is 30%.

Add up the cost of every ingredient on one plate. For each ingredient, divide what you paid by the units in the pack, then multiply by the amount you use. Example: 6 oz of chicken from a $48 case of 240 oz is $0.20 × 6 = $1.20. Add rice ($0.35), sauce ($0.40), and garnish and packaging ($0.25) for a plate cost of $2.20.

Food cost per serving = total recipe cost ÷ number of servings it yields. A pot of chili that costs $36 in ingredients and yields 24 bowls costs $1.50 per serving. Divide that by your menu price to get the food cost percentage, or divide it by your target percentage to get a price per serving.

Divide what you pay by how many servings it yields: a $48 case of chicken that portions into 40 servings costs $1.20 per serving. Don’t forget oil, garnishes, and packaging for to-go orders — small costs add up across hundreds of plates.

Quarterly at minimum, and immediately when a key supplier raises prices. Menus that go unpriced for a year commonly drift 3–5 points of food cost without anyone noticing.