Food Cost Calculator
Calculate recipe and period food cost, understand what is driving the number, and explore practical ways to reach your target.
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COLLECTION
Financial Management
Understand the numbers behind stronger hospitality decisions—from startup costs and pricing to margins, cash flow, and cost control.
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What Is Food Cost Percentage? How to Calculate It and Use It
Learn how food cost percentage works, how recipe food cost differs from period food cost, what can cause the number to change, and how to evaluate it against the economics of your operation.
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Prime Cost Explained: How Food and Labor Costs Work Together
Learn how prime cost combines food and labor costs, why the two should be evaluated together, what can cause prime cost to change, and how operators can use the metric to investigate their restaurant economics.
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Labor Cost Percentage Explained: How to Calculate It and What Drives It
Learn how labor cost percentage works, what should be included in the calculation, why the number can change even when staffing does not, and how operators can investigate the drivers behind it.
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How to Price a Menu Item: Cost, Contribution, and Guest Value
Learn how recipe cost, target food cost, contribution dollars, operating economics, and guest value work together when setting or evaluating a restaurant menu price.
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Break-Even Point Explained: How Much Does Your Restaurant Need to Sell?
Learn how restaurant break-even works, how fixed costs and contribution margin affect the calculation, and how to estimate the sales needed to cover the costs included in your operating model.
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Contribution Margin Explained: What Each Sale Leaves to Cover the Rest of the Business
Learn how contribution margin works, how it differs from food cost and profit, why contribution dollars matter when evaluating menu items, and how the metric connects pricing decisions to break-even.
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Restaurant P&L Explained: How to Read a Restaurant Profit and Loss Statement
Learn how a restaurant profit and loss statement is organized, what the major sections mean, how food and labor costs flow through the report, and how to use the P&L to investigate operating performance.
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