Food Cost Calculator - Free Restaurant Profit Margin Calculator
Food Cost Calculator
Calculate accurate food costs, determine profit margins, and set optimal menu prices for your restaurant or catering business.
Calculate Dish Cost
Ingredients
How to use this calculator
💰 How to Use This Calculator
- Choose calculation type: dish cost, menu pricing, or profit analysis
- For dish cost: enter all ingredients with quantities and costs
- For menu pricing: enter your target food cost percentage
- For profit analysis: enter menu price and expected sales volume
- Review recommendations and adjust as needed
📐 Food Cost Fundamentals
Food Cost Percentage
Food Cost % = (Food Cost ÷ Menu Price) × 100
- • Fine dining: 25-35%
- • Casual dining: 28-35%
- • Fast food: 25-30%
- • Catering: 25-30%
Menu Pricing Formula
Menu Price = Food Cost ÷ Target Food Cost %
Example: $5 food cost ÷ 0.30 (30%) = $16.67 menu price
🌟 Professional Best Practices
Cost Control Tips
- • Update costs quarterly or when prices change significantly
- • Include all components (garnishes, sauces, sides)
- • Factor in waste and trim loss
- • Consider seasonal price fluctuations
- • Track actual vs. theoretical food costs
Pricing Strategies
- • Use psychological pricing (.95, .99)
- • Consider competition and market position
- • Balance high and low food cost items
- • Review prices regularly
💡 Additional Considerations
- • Labor costs typically run 25-35% of revenue
- • Include prep time in cost calculations for complex dishes
- • High-value items can have higher food cost percentages
- • Popular items can subsidize specialty dishes
- • Monitor portion control to maintain costs
⚠️ Common Mistakes to Avoid
- • Forgetting to include small ingredients (oil, spices)
- • Not accounting for yield loss in preparation
- • Using outdated supplier prices
- • Ignoring portion size variations
- • Setting prices based solely on food cost percentage
About this calculator
Calculate food costs, profit margins, and menu pricing. Essential for restaurants, catering, and food service businesses.
Was this helpful?
Browse more in
Related Calculators
Recipe Scaling Calculator - Free Online Recipe Converter
Scale recipe ingredients up or down while maintaining perfect proportions. Convert servings, adjust batch sizes, and resize any recipe.
Cooking Time Converter - Free Temperature & Time Adjustment Calculator
Convert cooking times between different temperatures and methods. Adjust times for convection ovens, altitude changes, and different cooking techniques.
Kitchen Brigade Calculator - Free Restaurant Staffing Calculator
Calculate kitchen staff requirements for events, restaurants, and catering. Determine optimal chef, cook, and prep staff numbers.
Food Portion Calculator - Free Serving Size Calculator
Calculate proper food portions, serving sizes, and yields. Perfect for restaurants, catering, and meal planning.
Baking Conversion Calculator - Free Weight to Volume Converter
Convert between weight and volume measurements for baking ingredients. Essential for accurate recipe conversions.