Food Cost & Menu Price Calculator
Cost a dish from its ingredients, trim and waste included, then see its food cost percentage and the menu price that hits your target. Or skip the recipe and price from a plate cost you already know.
Last updated November 12, 2026 · Free · Nothing stored
Load an example recipe
Example prices, not quotes. Replace them with the prices on your own invoices.
Plate cost
$4.15
7 ingredients, after yield.
Food cost at $16.00
25.9%
4.1 points under your 30% target. Gross profit $11.85 a plate.
- Price at 30% food cost
- $13.83
- Plate cost ÷ target %
- Menu-friendly price
- $13.95
- Rounded up, 29.7% food cost
- Gross profit at your price
- $11.85
- Menu price − plate cost
- Gross profit at the new price
- $9.80
- Before labor and overhead
Where the cost goes
- Ground beef 80/20$2.06
- Brioche bun$0.62
- Cheddar slice$0.33
- Romaine$0.12
- Tomato$0.21
- Burger sauce$0.10
- Frozen fries$0.70
Show the math with your numbers
- Each line: pack price ÷ pack size × amount used ÷ yield
- Lines added up = $4.15 recipe cost
- ÷ 1 portion = $4.15 plate cost
- $4.15 ÷ $16.00 × 100 = 25.9% food cost
- $4.15 ÷ 30% = $13.83, rounded up to $13.95
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How do you calculate food cost and menu price?
Food cost percentage is plate cost divided by menu price, times 100. Menu price is plate cost divided by your target food cost percentage. Cost each ingredient at the amount used, adjusted for trim and waste, add the lines up and divide by portions. A cheeseburger with fries that costs $4.15 to plate runs a 25.9% food cost at $16.00. At a 30% target it would be $13.83, or $13.95 on the menu.
The formulas are standard restaurant cost math. The period version, beginning inventory plus purchases minus ending inventory, divided by food sales, is how Johnson & Wales University and the Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts teach it. Unit conversions use the US customary values in NIST Handbook 44 (1 lb = 453.59237 g, 1 fl oz = 29.5735 ml). Example pack prices are placeholders, not quotes, and the 30% target is a starting point, not a benchmark.
How to calculate food cost percentage
Food cost percentage is the share of a dish’s menu price that goes on ingredients. Cost every ingredient at the amount the recipe uses, add the lines up, divide by the number of portions, then divide that plate cost by the menu price and multiply by 100.
Run it the other way to set a price. Pick the food cost % you want the dish to carry and divide the plate cost by it. A lower target gives a higher price. The target is your call: it depends on what labor, rent and the rest of your costs need from each plate, and on what guests will pay.
The formulas
Food cost % = plate cost ÷ menu price × 100
Menu price = plate cost ÷ target food cost %
Worked example: cheeseburger with fries
- 7 ingredient lines add up to a plate cost of $4.15
- At a $16.00 menu price: $4.15 ÷ $16.00 × 100 = 25.9% food cost
- At a 30% target: $4.15 ÷ 0.3 = $13.83, which rounds up to $13.95
Food cost vs menu price vs gross profit
Three numbers describe the same plate. They are easy to mix up, and each answers a different question. Using the cheeseburger with fries at $16.00:
- Food cost (plate cost)
- $4.15
- What the ingredients in one portion cost you, after trim and waste. In dollars.
- Food cost percentage
- 25.9%
- Plate cost as a share of the menu price. It lets you compare a burger with a cocktail.
- Gross profit per plate
- $11.85
- Menu price minus plate cost. This is the cash each plate leaves to pay labor, rent and everything else, before profit.
A dish with a higher food cost % can still earn more per plate. A steak at a high percentage can leave more dollars than a side salad at a low one, so look at gross profit per plate as well as the percentage before cutting a dish.
Food cost examples: burger, pasta, cocktail, pizza and latte
These recipes use example pack prices so the calculator has something to show. They are not price quotes or benchmarks. Load one, then type in the prices from your own invoices.
| Dish | Plate cost | Menu price | Food cost | Price at 30% | Load |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BurgerCheeseburger and fries | $4.15 | $16.00 | 25.9% | $13.83 | |
| PastaSpaghetti pomodoro, serves 4 | $3.21 | $16.00 | 20.1% | $10.71 | |
| CocktailMargarita on the rocks | $3.38 | $13.00 | 26.0% | $11.26 | |
| Pizza12-inch margherita | $3.55 | $15.00 | 23.6% | $11.82 | |
| Latte12 oz vanilla latte | $1.16 | $3.75 | 31.0% | $3.88 |
How yield changes your real cost
The invoice price is for what you buy, not for what you serve. Outer leaves, stems, bones, fat cap and cooking loss all go in the bin, and you paid for them. Yield is the share that is left to serve. Divide the price by the yield to get the real cost of each usable unit.
To find a yield, weigh an ingredient as delivered, prep it the way your kitchen does, and weigh it again. Usable weight ÷ purchased weight × 100 is the yield %. Re-check it when a supplier, cut or prep method changes. In the burger example, romaine is set to 75%.
| Yield | Usable from 1 lb | Real cost / lb | 4 oz portion |
|---|---|---|---|
| 100% | 16.0 oz | $4.00 | $1.00 |
| 90% | 14.4 oz | $4.44 | $1.11 |
| 80% | 12.8 oz | $5.00 | $1.25 |
| 75% | 12.0 oz | $5.33 | $1.33 |
| 60% | 9.6 oz | $6.67 | $1.67 |
| 50% | 8.0 oz | $8.00 | $2.00 |
Food cost formula for a whole restaurant
For the whole kitchen over a week or a month, you work from inventory and invoices instead of recipes. Add the value of food on hand at the start of the period to what you bought during it, subtract what is left at the end, and divide by food sales for the same period. Culinary schools teach it this way: Johnson & Wales University divides cost of goods sold by total food sales, and the Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts uses the same inventory steps. Count inventory the same way, on the same day of the period, every time, or the number will swing for no real reason.
The recipe number from the calculator is what food cost should be if every plate goes out exactly to spec. The inventory number is what it was. When the period figure runs above your plated figures, look at waste, portion sizes, spoilage, comps and recipes that changed without a re-cost.
The period formula
Food cost % = (beginning inventory + purchases − ending inventory) ÷ food sales × 100
Example month
- $8,000 on hand + $12,000 purchases − $7,000 left = $13,000 of food used
- $13,000 ÷ $40,000 food sales × 100 = 32.5%
What to do once you know your plate cost
Re-cost the dishes that sell most whenever a supplier price moves, and change the menu price before the margin is gone. Then make sure the covers that pay for it actually arrive.
01
Price the services that are not food
Private dining set-up, cooking classes and catering staff time are labor-heavy. Cost them with product, time and overhead instead of a food cost %.
Open the service pricing calculator →02
Count what unanswered calls cost
A good margin on each plate only pays if the table gets booked. Reservation and takeout calls missed during the rush are covers you never cost at all.
Estimate missed-call revenue →03
Fill the tables the margin depends on
When a booking cancels late, texting the waitlist the same minute keeps the seat earning. This is how restaurants do it without pulling the host off the door.
Read: filling a cancelled reservation →04
Answer the phone during service
An AI front desk takes reservation calls and messages, checks your book and works the waitlist while the floor is busy.
See the AI front desk for restaurants →
What the calculator leaves out
- Example prices are placeholders. Replace each with the price on your latest invoice, including delivery charges if your supplier adds them per case.
- It costs ingredients only. Packaging, labor, rent and card fees are not in the plate cost, so a dish can hit its food cost target and still lose money.
- Units convert within weight (g, kg, oz, lb) or volume (ml, l, fl oz, cup, tbsp, tsp, gal) using US measures. It will not turn cups of flour into pounds, because that depends on the ingredient. Weigh it once and enter the weight.
- The target food cost % is yours to set. The 30% default is a starting point for the slider, not a standard.
How to cost a recipe and set a menu price
01
Enter each ingredient
Type what you pay for a pack and its size, how much the recipe uses, and the yield after trim. Units convert between weights or between volumes.
02
Set portions and the current price
Enter how many portions the recipe makes and what the dish sells for. The calculator shows the plate cost and the food cost % at that price.
03
Pick a target food cost %
Move the slider to the share of the price you want ingredients to take. Read the price at that target, rounded up to .00, .50, .95 or .99, then copy the recipe card or download the CSV.
Common questions
How do you calculate food cost percentage?
Divide the cost of the ingredients in one portion by its menu price and multiply by 100. A dish that costs $4.15 to plate and sells for $16.00 has a food cost of 25.9%. Cost each ingredient at the amount the recipe uses, after trim and waste, so the plate cost is real.
How do you calculate a menu price from food cost?
Divide the plate cost by your target food cost percentage. A $4.50 plate at a 30% target is $4.50 ÷ 0.3 = $15.00. Most menus then round up to a familiar ending, such as $15.95. Rounding up keeps the food cost at or under the target.
What food cost percentage should a restaurant aim for?
There is no single right number. It depends on what labor, rent and your other costs need from each plate, and on what guests in your area will pay. The calculator starts at 30% only so it shows a price on load. Set a target from your own P&L, and check gross profit per plate as well as the percentage.
What is the food cost formula for a whole restaurant?
Add beginning inventory and purchases, subtract ending inventory, then divide by food sales for the same period and multiply by 100. With $8,000 on hand, $12,000 bought and $7,000 left, $13,000 of food was used. Against $40,000 in food sales, that is a 32.5% food cost.
What is yield and how does it change food cost?
Yield is the share of what you buy that you can serve after trimming, peeling, boning or cooking. If produce costs $4.00 a pound and only 75% is usable, each usable pound really costs $5.33. Enter the yield on each ingredient line and the calculator divides by it.
Should sauces, oil and garnish go into the plate cost?
Yes. Each one is small, but together they add up. In the burger example, a tablespoon of burger sauce adds $0.10 to the plate. Leave them out and every dish looks cheaper to make than it is.
What is the difference between food cost and gross profit?
Food cost is what the ingredients cost; gross profit per plate is the menu price minus that cost. The $16.00 burger example costs $4.15 and leaves $11.85 to pay labor, rent and everything else. A dish with a higher percentage can still leave more dollars per plate.
Can the calculator convert cups to pounds?
No. It converts within weight (g, kg, oz, lb) and within volume (ml, l, fl oz, cup, tbsp, tsp, gal), but a cup of flour and a cup of sugar weigh different amounts. If you buy by weight and measure by volume, weigh one measure once and enter the weight.
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