🍽️ Restaurant Tools
Food Cost Calculator
Add each ingredient and how many servings the recipe makes to get your exact cost per plate.
Recipe ingredients
Add your ingredients and hit Calculate to see your food cost per serving.
Frequently Asked Questions
What counts as food cost per serving?
Every ingredient on the plate at the purchased price, including garnishes, oil, and seasoning. Most operators add 2–4% for waste, spillage, and trim loss on top of the raw ingredient total.
What is a good food cost percentage?
Industry benchmarks are 28–35% for full service, 25–30% for quick service, and 30–40% for fine dining. Below 25% may signal prices are too high for your market; above 40% erodes profit fast.
How do I lower food cost without cutting portions?
Negotiate with suppliers on your top 10 ingredients (they drive ~80% of cost), reduce trim waste with better prep training, and re-engineer recipes to use whole products across multiple dishes.
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