Restaurant Menu Cost Calculator
Calculate the cost of each dish, suggested selling price (3x markup), food cost % and profit per dish.
Ingredient
How It Works
Add each menu item with its ingredients, quantities, and unit costs. The tool calculates food cost per dish, recommended selling price based on your target food cost percentage, and profit margin. See a complete menu analysis with cost breakdown per category. Identify your most and least profitable dishes at a glance.
When to Use It
- Restaurant owners pricing new dishes to maintain target food cost percentages (typically 28-32%).
- Analyzing existing menu profitability to identify dishes that should be repriced or discontinued.
- Adjusting menu prices in response to ingredient cost inflation while protecting profit margins.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a good food cost percentage?
Most successful restaurants target 28-32% food cost. Fine dining may accept 35-40% for premium ingredients. Fast food typically operates at 25-28%. The tool lets you set your target percentage and automatically suggests selling prices that achieve it.
Does it include labor costs?
This tool focuses on food (ingredient) costs specifically. Total dish cost including labor, overhead, and utilities is typically 60-70% of selling price. Use the food cost as one component and add labor cost separately for your complete pricing model.
Can I account for waste in ingredient costs?
Yes. Enter the actual usable quantity after trimming and waste. For example, if you buy 1kg of meat but trim 200g, enter 800g as the usable quantity with the full 1kg cost. This gives you the true cost per portion including waste factor.
All calculations happen in your browser. No data is sent to any server.
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