For restaurants, caterers, bakeries, and food trucks. Type in your ingredients and quantities, get your true plate cost and a suggested menu price hitting your target food cost percentage. Stop guessing at margins.
Add each ingredient with quantity and cost. Use the cost you actually pay your supplier — not retail.
| Ingredient | Qty used | Unit | Cost per unit ($) |
|---|
Open this every time you're considering a new menu item — or every quarter to re-check existing dishes when supplier prices change. Knowing your true food cost is the difference between guessing at margins and running a profitable kitchen.
If a dish costs you $6 in ingredients and sells for $20, your food cost % is 30% (6 ÷ 20). Lower is better — but go too low and the dish feels overpriced.
Full-service restaurants: 28-32%. Fast casual: 25-30%. Fine dining: 30-35%. Bars: 18-24% (high beverage margin). Catering: 30-40% depending on event scale.
Use the actual amount you serve — not the package size. A 32oz bag of cheese isn't the cost of one portion; the 2oz on a plate is.
Oil, garnish, butter, salt, plating sauces. Each looks tiny but adds 5-10% to your true plate cost when totaled.