Prime cost calculator
Prime cost — food plus labor as a share of sales — is the single number seasoned operators track weekly. Find yours in ten seconds.
The weekly number, weekly-fast
Enter monthly sales
Total revenue for the period you want to measure — a week works just as well as a month.
Add COGS and labor
Food and beverage purchases, plus all labor including payroll taxes and benefits.
Compare to the benchmark
At or under ~60% of sales is the common full-service target; counter service often runs lower. The tool colors your result accordingly.
Questions restaurant owners ask
What is prime cost in a restaurant?
Prime cost is your cost of goods sold (food and beverage) plus total labor cost, usually expressed as a percentage of sales. It captures the two biggest controllable costs in one number.
What should my prime cost percentage be?
A common target for full-service restaurants is at or under about 60% of sales; quick-service concepts often aim lower. Above 65% consistently, profitability gets very hard regardless of volume.
How often should I calculate prime cost?
Weekly is the operator standard. Monthly hides problems for too long — a bad ordering week or an over-scheduled roster shows up in a weekly prime cost immediately.
How do I lower prime cost without cutting quality?
Re-cost top sellers and fix the worst-margin dishes, schedule labor to forecasted sales instead of habit, and reduce commission-bearing sales — a marketplace commission isn’t labeled prime cost, but it hits margins the same way.
More free tools
Restaurant Profit Margin Calculator
Enter monthly revenue and costs to see your gross margin, net margin, and prime cost at a glance.
Food Cost Calculator
Cost out any dish, see your food cost percentage, and get a suggested menu price for your target margin.
Restaurant Break-Even Calculator
Find out how many orders and how much revenue you need each month just to cover your costs.
Watch prime cost weekly. Grow sales daily.
Menuline handles the sales side — website, commission-free ordering, and automated marketing — for a flat $29/month, $1/month for your first 3 months.