What food cost and recipe costing are
A recipe costing card is the dish's recipe with the cost of each ingredient: how much of each goes in, what that costs and how many portions it makes. It keeps the dish consistent in the kitchen and shows the real cost of every portion.
Food cost percentage is the ingredient cost of a dish divided by its menu price. A dish that costs 3 to make and sells for 10 has a 30% food cost: of every 100 you take, 30 goes on ingredients.
How to calculate a dish's cost and food cost
The calculator does these sums for each ingredient and for the whole dish:
- Ingredient cost = (price paid ÷ quantity bought) × quantity used
- Cost per portion = sum of ingredients (+ waste and extras) ÷ number of portions
- Food cost (%) = cost per portion ÷ menu price × 100
- Suggested price = cost per portion ÷ (target food cost ÷ 100)
Example: you bought 1 kg of mozzarella for 9.50 and use 350 g on a pizza. The cheese costs 9.50 ÷ 1,000 g × 350 g = 3.33 on that pizza. If the whole pizza costs 6 and is cut into 8 slices, each slice costs 0.75.
What's a good food cost percentage?
A range you'll often see is 25% to 35%, but the right number depends on the restaurant. Dishes built around expensive protein (steak, seafood) usually run higher; pasta, pizza and drinks run lower. What matters is the food cost of the whole menu, weighted by what sells most.
Food cost leaves out rent, wages, gas, electricity, card fees and delivery-app commission. So a dish with a healthy food cost can still lose money if it only sells through an app that takes a big cut. Use food cost to compare dishes and set prices, not as your final profit.
How to use the calculator
Name the dish and say how much it makes
A pizza makes 8 slices, a pot of chili makes 20 portions. If the dish is served whole, leave it at 1.
Enter each ingredient the way you buy it
"Bought" is the pack (1 kg, 5 L, 12 pcs) and "Paid" is its price. "Used in recipe" is what goes into the dish, in the same kind of unit: kg with g, L with ml.
Enter the menu price
With the price per portion, the calculator shows the food cost, the gross profit and the price you'd need to charge to hit your target.
Print it or copy it to a spreadsheet
Print the recipe card for the kitchen, or copy it into Excel or Google Sheets. The dish is saved in this browser for next time.
Frequently asked questions
Does the calculator keep my data?
Not on our server. The dish is saved only in your browser so you can pick up later. If you clear your browser data or switch devices, it won't be there.
What goes in "Waste and extras"?
A percentage for what's hard to weigh: seasoning, frying oil, prep trimmings and packaging. Many people use 5% to 10%. If you already weigh everything, leave it empty.
How do I cost an ingredient that loses weight when cooked?
Enter the raw weight and price under "Bought", and under "Used in recipe" the raw weight you need to get the cooked portion. If 1 kg of beef roasts down to 650 g and a portion is 200 g cooked, use about 310 g raw.
Is food cost the same as cost of goods sold (COGS)?
Close. Accountants work out COGS for a period from opening stock, purchases and closing stock. This calculator gives the theoretical food cost of each dish, from its recipe, which is what you need to price the menu.