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7 calculators~1 min read

Food cost

Calculators for recipe cost, portion cost, and food cost percentage — so you know what ingredients really take from every sale.

At a glance

Calculators

7

Reading time

~1 min

Featured: Food Cost Percentage Calculator
Recommended
Beginner~2 min

Food Cost Percentage Calculator

Work out what share of your food sales is spent on ingredients. Enter total food cost and food sales to get your food cost percentage instantly, with the formula shown.

Updated Jul 19, 2026Open calculator

All calculators

Every published tool in this category. New calculators appear here automatically when they go live.

Beginner~2 min

Food Cost Percentage Calculator

Work out what share of your food sales is spent on ingredients. Enter total food cost and food sales to get your food cost percentage instantly, with the formula shown.

Updated Jul 19, 2026Open calculator
Beginner~5 min

Recipe Cost Calculator

Cost a restaurant recipe ingredient by ingredient. Enter purchase cost, quantity, yield, and portion count to see total recipe cost, cost per serving, breakdown, and optional food cost %.

Updated Jul 20, 2026Open calculator
Beginner~2 min

Portion Cost Calculator

Calculate cost per serving from total recipe cost and number of portions. Optional waste % adjusts for prep loss. See base cost, adjusted cost, and a quick interpretation.

Updated Jul 20, 2026Open calculator
Beginner~3 min

Plate Cost Calculator

Calculate total plated meal cost: main portion plus sides, sauce, garnish, packaging, and other components. Optional waste % for adjusted plate cost and a full breakdown.

Updated Jul 20, 2026Open calculator
Beginner~3 min

Menu Price Calculator

Set menu price from plate cost using food cost % or markup %. See recommended selling price, gross profit, optional tax/service/discount, and revenue summary.

Updated Jul 20, 2026Open calculator
Beginner~2 min

Gross Profit Calculator

Calculate restaurant gross profit from revenue and food cost — or selling price and plate cost. See profit $, gross profit %, food cost %, revenue breakdown, and profit status.

Updated Jul 20, 2026Open calculator
Intermediate~3 min

Prime Cost Calculator

Calculate restaurant prime cost: food cost plus labor (wages, taxes, benefits). See prime cost %, food vs labor split, benchmark status, and optional target comparison.

Updated Jul 20, 2026Open calculator

Introduction

Food cost calculators turn the numbers you already track — purchases, inventory, plate costs, and menu prices — into a clear percentage or dollar cost you can act on during service or after the period closes.

Why these calculators matter

Ingredient spend is one of the largest controllable costs in a restaurant. A few points of food cost drift can erase profit even when sales look strong. Measuring food cost the same way every week makes waste, portion creep, and supplier increases visible early.

Best practices

  • Match cost and sales periods

    Always compare food used and food sales for the same dates. Mismatched windows produce a misleading percentage.

  • Use inventory-adjusted cost

    Period food cost = beginning inventory + purchases − ending inventory. Purchases alone ignore stock still on the shelf.

  • Separate food from beverage

    Track beverage cost on its own. Alcohol and soft drinks have different structures and will distort food cost %.

  • Re-cost recipes when prices move

    Stale plate costs make both dish-level and period food cost unreliable. Update recipes when suppliers change prices.

Frequently asked questions

Recent Learning Center guides related to restaurant operations.

Browse all guides in the Learning Center.

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