Food Cost Percentage Calculator

The single number every menu price should pass

Food cost percentage is the share of a dish's menu price that goes toward its ingredients. Most restaurants aim to keep this somewhere between 28% and 35%, though it varies by cuisine, format and how much labour goes into a dish versus raw ingredient cost.

Run each dish on your menu through this calculator when you're setting prices or when ingredient costs change. A dish with a food cost % far outside your target range either needs a price change, a recipe change, or is intentionally priced as a loss-leader — but you should know which one it is.