Food cost calculator
Price your dishes with confidence. Enter what a plate costs to make and your target food cost percentage — we’ll show the menu price to charge, your food cost %, and the gross profit per dish.
What it costs you to make one portion.
Most restaurants aim for 28–35%.
Enter to see your current food cost % and profit.
Results
Suggested menu price
$15.00
To hit your target food cost %.
Your food cost %
30.0%
Gross profit
$10.50
per dish
How to calculate food cost percentage
Food cost percentage is the share of a dish’s menu price that goes to ingredients. Most restaurants aim for 28–35%. To hit a target, divide the plate cost by the target percentage. A dish that costs $4.50 to make, priced at a 30% food cost, should sell for about $15.
The formula
Menu price = Plate cost ÷ (Target food cost % ÷ 100) · Food cost % = Plate cost ÷ Menu price × 100
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Food cost FAQ
- What is a good food cost percentage?
- Most restaurants target 28–35%, with full-service venues often around 30% and high-volume or bar-led concepts able to run lower. The right number depends on your labor, rent, and concept — use it as a target, not a rule.
- How do I calculate the cost of a dish?
- Add up the cost of every ingredient in the recipe at the quantity you actually use (including garnishes and oil), then divide by the number of portions the recipe yields. That per-portion number is your plate cost.
- Should food cost include labor?
- No — food cost is ingredients only. Labor is tracked separately as labor cost percentage. Together with overhead they make up your prime cost, which most operators keep under about 60–65% of sales.
- Why is my food cost percentage so high?
- Common causes are underpricing, portion creep, waste, or rising supplier prices. Re-cost your top sellers, tighten portions, and adjust prices — even small menu-price changes move the percentage quickly.