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ToolDocket · F&B Operations
Food Cost % Calculator
Single dish · Batch / Hotel covers · Multi-currency · Expert analysis
$
Raw food cost for one portion
$
Price charged to guest (before tax)
$
Sauce cups, takeout box, garnish cost
Ready — enter values above
Food Cost %
—
of menu price
Gross Profit / Dish
—
revenue minus food cost
Effective Ingredient Cost
—
incl. waste & overhead
0%
Excellent ≤28
Good ≤35
Warn ≤42
Critical >42
Enter your ingredient cost and menu price, then press Calculate to see your expert analysis.
$
All ingredients for the entire session
$
Cover charge, buffet rate, or per-head price
Sets outlet-specific benchmark range
Ready — enter session values above
Batch Food Cost %
—
of total session revenue
Cost per Cover
—
effective ingredient cost / guest
Total Session Revenue
—
covers × price per cover
Gross Profit (Session)
—
revenue minus ingredient cost
0%
Excellent
Good
Warn
>42% Critical
Enter your batch ingredient cost, number of covers, and price per cover, then press Calculate.
How to use this calculator — 3 steps
1
Choose your mode — Single Dish for per-plate analysis, or Batch / Hotel for buffets, events and covers-based outlets.
2
Enter your numbers — ingredient cost, selling price (and covers if in batch mode). Use Advanced for waste and packaging.
3
Read your analysis — food cost %, gross profit, progress bar and an expert recommendation specific to your margin.
Industry benchmark: Restaurant 28-35% | Hotel buffet 32-40% | Banquet up to 42% | Bar 18-28%
Frequently asked questions
For most full-service restaurants, 28-35% is the industry standard. Quick service restaurants aim for 25-30%. Hotel fine dining and banquet operations can reach 34-42% due to presentation, portioning, and mise en place requirements. Bar and beverage outlets should stay below 28%.
Reduce portion waste through FIFO stock rotation and precise recipe costing. Renegotiate supplier contracts quarterly. Implement daily inventory tracking to identify shrinkage. Use menu engineering to push high-margin dishes. Even a 2-3% waste reduction on a busy outlet has major impact on monthly profitability.
Food cost covers raw ingredient expenses only. Prime cost adds direct labor (kitchen staff wages) to the food cost. Prime cost should stay below 60-65% of total revenue for a profitable operation. This calculator focuses on food cost — use our Labor Cost Calculator for full prime cost analysis.
Batch mode is designed for hotel kitchens, catering and buffet outlets that calculate cost per session rather than per dish. Enter your total ingredient spend for the session, the number of guests (covers), and your revenue per head. The calculator gives you batch food cost %, cost per cover, and session gross profit — the three numbers F&B managers track daily.