Food Cost Calculator: Cost per Portion and Menu Price
Enter your recipe’s ingredients with their purchase price: the calculator gives the recipe cost, the cost of one portion, your food cost percentage and the menu price that holds the target you aim for. Everything is computed in your browser; nothing is sent.
For each ingredient: what you paid, the quantity bought for that price and the quantity the recipe uses, in the same unit.
- Recipe cost
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- Cost per portion
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- Food cost
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- Gross margin per portion
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- Menu price to hit the target
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In InnoBooks, you build recipes from your catalogue and the food cost recomputes when a supplier raises prices. See the Recipes module →
This tool is provided for information purposes only. Food cost counts food only: packaging, labour and overhead come on top.
Frequently asked questions
How do you calculate a dish’s food cost?
Divide the cost of the ingredients in one portion by that portion’s selling price, before tax, then multiply by 100. A dish whose ingredients cost $3.60 and that sells for $14.00 has a food cost of 25.7%.
What is a good food cost percentage?
There is no single number. A range of 28 to 35% is often quoted for restaurants, but a café or a pizzeria usually aims lower, and a place that serves a lot of meat or seafood accepts higher. Above all, compare your food cost with last month’s: the trend is what matters.
How do you price a dish from a target food cost?
Divide the cost of one portion by the target food cost. For a $3.60 portion and a 30% target, the selling price is 3.60 ÷ 0.30 = $12.00, before tax. Then round to the menu price that suits you.
Should packaging and labour count in the food cost?
No. Food cost counts food only. Packaging is tracked separately, otherwise the same dish would have two food costs depending on whether it is eaten in or delivered. Labour is added to food cost to form the prime cost, a different indicator.
How do you account for prep losses?
Enter the raw quantity you take from stock, not what ends up on the plate. If 1 kg of carrots gives 800 g once peeled and the recipe calls for 800 g, count 1 kg. In InnoBooks, a yield per ingredient does this for you.
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