Know What Every Plate Really Costs
Enter your purchase-pack prices, recipe quantities, usable yields and batch size. The Chef David Food-Cost Calculator will calculate your ingredient costs, total batch cost, portion cost, actual food-cost percentage and suggested menu price.
What the Food-Cost Calculator Does
- Converts purchase-pack prices into recipe costs
- Accounts for trimming and usable yield
- Calculates individual ingredient costs
- Calculates total batch cost
- Calculates cost per serving and portion
- Calculates actual food-cost percentage
- Suggests a menu price based on your target food cost
- Shows gross profit per sale
- Saves cost sheets on your device
- Imports and exports cost-sheet backups
- Prints a professional cost sheet
How to Calculate Food Cost Per Serving
Food cost per serving is calculated by dividing the total recipe or batch cost by the number of portions produced. Accurate ingredient costs and usable yields are important because trimming, waste, bones, skin, and other losses can significantly change the true cost of each serving.
How Restaurant Food Cost Percentage Is Calculated
Food cost percentage compares the cost of a serving with its selling price. Divide the portion cost by the menu price and multiply by 100. For example, a dish costing $4.50 and selling for $15.00 has a 30% food cost.
Privacy Statement
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Your cost sheets remain stored in your browser on your device. Chef David does not collect, view or sell your recipes, prices or costing information.
Related Restaurant Costing Tools
Use the result in your operation
A recipe cost is the start of a control process. Use the worksheets and management controls in the Free Restaurant Operations Resource Library alongside your own purchasing and production records. For a fuller approach to portions, waste, receiving, and inventory, explore The Restaurant Food Cost Rescue Plan. If the figures still do not explain the operating result, David’s food cost and restaurant profitability consulting can help you examine the underlying process.