Food Cost Percentage Calculator

Food Cost Percentage Calculator — guide & how to use

Planning tool only. Real targets depend on your concept, labor, waste, and overhead. Use your own recipe costs and confirm prices against your market. All math runs privately in your browser.

What it does

Food cost percentage is the single most important number in menu pricing. This calculator works both directions: enter a plate's ingredient cost and its menu price to get the food cost % and the gross profit per plate — or switch to "Find the price" and enter a target food cost % to get the menu price you should charge. A color gauge shows where you land against the 28–35% restaurant target band.

How to use it

1. Pick a mode: Find food cost % (from cost + price) or Find the price (from cost + target %).
2. Enter the plate's ingredient cost (sum of every ingredient in one serving, including garnish).
3. Enter the menu price or a target food cost % (tap a preset).
4. Read the result, the gross profit per plate, and where you sit on the target gauge.

How the math works

1. Food cost % = plate cost ÷ menu price × 100.
2. Gross profit = menu price − plate cost.
3. Target price = plate cost ÷ (target food cost % ÷ 100).
4. The same formulas scale to the whole restaurant: total food cost ÷ total food sales for a period.

Worked example

A plate costs $4.25 in ingredients and sells for $15.00:

• Food cost % = 4.25 ÷ 15 = 28.3% (right in the target band).
• Gross profit = 15 − 4.25 = $10.75 per plate.
• Want a 30% food cost instead? Target price = 4.25 ÷ 0.30 = $14.17 (round to $13.95 or $14.50).

What's a good food cost percentage?

Bars, quick-service, and high-volume concepts run different targets — set the price to your own model.

Accuracy notes & assumptions

• Plate cost should include everything in one serving — protein, sides, sauce, garnish, and oil/butter.
• This is gross food cost, not net profit. Labor, rent, and overhead come out of the gross profit, not the food cost %.
• Watch the dollars too. A low % on a cheap plate can yield fewer gross-profit dollars than a higher % on a premium plate.
• Re-cost regularly. Ingredient prices move; a plate that hit 30% last quarter may be at 36% now.

Common mistakes this avoids

• Leaving garnish, oil, or sides out of the plate cost (understates food cost).
• Confusing food cost % with markup or with net profit.
• Pricing on gut feel instead of a target % anchored to the plate cost.
• Never re-costing when supplier prices rise.

How to embed this tool on your website

Frequently asked questions

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