Food Cost Calculator for a Restaurant Menu
TL;DRTo price one dish, divide what the plate costs you by the food-cost percentage you are aiming for. A plate that costs 4.20 at a 30% target is 14.00. The calculator on this page does that division in your browser. It does not save the numbers, it does not send them to us, and it does not write a price onto a menu.
The method around the arithmetic is how to price a restaurant menu. Once you have sales, menu engineering tells you which prices to revisit. What you pay for menu software is a different bill, covered in QR code menu price.
How to use the calculator
Enter each ingredient's cost on the plate, not the cost of the bag you bought. A sauce that uses a spoon of a jar is the spoon, not the jar. Include the garnish, the oil, the bread that comes with it, and the box if the dish leaves the building. If you already know the plate cost, type that and leave the ingredient lines blank.
Set the target food-cost percentage. Many full-service restaurants aim somewhere around 28 to 35. A cafe drink can sit lower. A steak can sit higher and still be the right dish if the rest of the check carries the average. The calculator does not know your rent. The percentage is yours.
The suggested menu price is plate cost divided by that percentage. The line under it is what is left after food, before labour, rent and tax. It is not profit. Round the price the way the rest of your menu is rounded, then type it into the menu yourself.
What to count on the plate
Use today's invoice. Last quarter's beef price will publish last quarter's menu. Count yield. If a cut loses a quarter of its weight before it is on the plate, the grams you serve cost more than the price per gram on the invoice.
Do not force every dish to the same percentage. Hold the average of what you sell. A cheap salad can run under the target. A seafood dish that would be unsellable at 30% can run over it if it is why the table sat down. The calculator prices one plate. It cannot see the wine that came with it.
When a supplier moves a price, run the dish again. A QR menu can take the new price without a new code. A printed menu needs a new PDF if the paper is still in the room. Both come from the same menu once you are on the paid plan. The method is the pricing guide. The tool is only the division.
What this does not do
It does not include labour, rent, card fees or tax. A price that covers food and ignores the cook is not a price you can defend. It does not know local rules about tax included in the figure on the menu. Follow those rules. A 2009 Cornell hospitality paper found guests at one restaurant spent more when prices were written as plain numbers. One restaurant, one study. Treat it as a hint.
It does not set the price in DigitalMenuKit. You type the price on the dish when you are ready. Building that menu and previewing it are free. Publishing is $29 a month or $199 a year per venue.
It is not a quote for software. Menubly, MENU TIGER and Popmenu publish, or have been reported at, different prices because they sell different jobs, including ordering. Those comparisons are on the price guide.
Frequently asked questions
Are my ingredient costs stored?
No. The calculation runs in the browser. Closing the page clears it.
What is a good food-cost percentage?
There is no universal number. Many full-service restaurants aim for roughly 28 to 35 percent. Your rent, labour and concept decide what you need.
Why is the suggested price higher than the places nearby?
Then the plate is expensive for your market, or the target percentage is tighter than your competitors use. Check the portion and the supplier before you ignore the market. The pricing guide walks through that check.
Preview is free. Publishing is $29 a month.
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