What is a good food cost percentage?

It depends on your concept, prices and how much prep you do in-house. Track your own numbers over time and compare dishes with each other, rather than relying on a single benchmark.

Should I include waste and trim?

Yes. Use the cost of the usable portion, after trim and cooking loss, so the plate cost reflects what you actually pay for each serving.

How often should I update plate costs?

Whenever a supplier price changes noticeably, and at least each time you review the menu.

Free tool

Food cost calculator

Add the ingredients in a dish to get its plate cost, its food cost percentage at your current price, and the price that hits your target.

Ingredients in one portion

IngredientCost per unit ($)Units used

Menu price

Target food cost

Your results

Plate cost: $4.40
Food cost at your price: 24.44%
Gross profit per plate: $13.60
Price for a 30% food cost: $14.67

How it works

Plate cost is the sum of each ingredient’s cost × the quantity used in one portion.
Food cost % is plate cost ÷ menu price.
Suggested price is plate cost ÷ your target food cost %.

Track stock and reorder points in Platter

Track stock by category and unit, set reorder points and see low-stock alerts in the same app you take orders on.

Learn more

Food cost calculator questions

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<p><a href="https://plattermanagement.com/tools/food-cost-calculator">Food cost calculator</a> by <a href="https://plattermanagement.com">Platter POS</a></p>

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