Master the per-person cost of your most complex menus. From appetizers to dessert, have absolute control over the real margin of each event and adjust your offers instantly.
Free forever No credit card Your recipe book in an afternoon
Spec sheet · dynamic
Sirloin canapé with foie gras and PX
Cost / unit: 1,17 €
1,17 €In catering, recipe costing is the tool that breaks down the real cost of each preparation, from canapés to the full menu, including transportation and staff. Without it, companies lose up to 15% of an event’s budget, as food and beverages represent between 30% and 40% of the final price, and any unnoticed deviation translates into losses.
By having a digital, up-to-date recipe costing, each menu shows its exact margin per guest and allows adjusting ingredients, quantities, or suppliers on the fly. This way, you can compare versions of the same menu, set prices for different types of events, and ensure each service is profitable even with last-minute changes.
Create precise recipe costing for wedding menus, cocktails, and events. Control food cost per guest and scale recipes for 200 guests in seconds, without manual errors.
Group canapés, starters, and mains into a single budget. Change one ingredient and the entire event recipe costing updates automatically.
Design a recipe for 10 people and take it to 500 with a click. Quantities, costs, and production spec sheets adjust to the new volume without errors.
Generate spec sheets with allergens and ingredients for each preparation, ready to print and hand to the end client or event organizer.
Specify whether it is a cocktail reception, banquet, or coffee break, and the exact number of guests. This determines the total quantities and the associated staff and logistics costs.
List all dishes and drinks, and for each one, list the ingredients with their net quantities per serving. Include from appetizers to desserts and alcoholic beverages.
Apply realistic waste: 5-10% for vegetables due to peeling, 5% for fish due to bones, 2% for sauces due to sticking to the container. For plating, add 3% for breakage or dropping during service.
Add mileage, tolls, and loading/unloading hours, as well as the hourly cost of waitstaff, cooks, and setup crew. These expenses can account for up to 20% of the budget.
Add all direct and indirect costs, divide by the number of guests, and apply the desired margin (usually 25-35%). Add VAT (10% in foodservice) and compare with market prices to be competitive.
The smoked salmon canapé is a cocktail party staple. We analyze the cost of one unit with blinis, cream cheese, and dill.
| Ingredient | Quantity | Waste | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blinis (purchased base) | 1 ud | 0 % | 0,15 € |
| Smoked salmon | 21 g | 5 % | 0,53 € |
| Cream cheese | 10,2 g | 2 % | 0,08 € |
| Chopped fresh dill | 1,1 g | 10 % | 0,01 € |
| Thin lemon slice | 1 ud (5 g) | 10 % | 0,02 € |
| Decorative pick | 1 ud | 0 % | 0,01 € |
| Presentation tray (pro-rated) | 1/10 ud | 0 % | 0,05 € |
| Direct labor (assembly) | 0,5 min | 0 % | 0,10 € |
Total cost
0,95 €
Food cost
25 %
Suggested price
4,20 € (VAT incl.)
Margin
2,25 € per unit
By doubling the amount of salmon in a premium menu, the cost recalculates instantly and the margin decreases, forcing you to readjust the package price.
25-30 %
Recommended food cost in event catering
industry reports
45 €
Average price per person for catering in Spain
Spain market data
15 %
Average food waste without digital recipe costing
sustainability studies
8.000 €
Estimated annual savings by digitizing recipe costing
hospitality consultants
Caterings & events
Waitstaff, cooks, and setup crew charge by the hour. If not included in costing, the real margin can be up to 15% lower than calculated.
During transport, food suffers breakage, spillage, or temperature changes. Add a 2-3% logistical waste to avoid surprises.
Fish, seafood, and fruits vary greatly by season. Using fixed rates all year round can make a menu unprofitable in certain months.
Tables, linens, cutlery, and glassware are often rented. Their cost must be prorated per guest and added to the costing, or the final price will be undervalued.
Each requires specific costing
Cocktail receptions, coffee breaks, and working lunches. Canapés and cold bites predominate, with a tight food cost (25-30%) and high turnover.
Fixed multi-course menus with seated service. The food cost can drop to 20% in high-end settings, but staff and decoration costs are high.
Communions, baptisms, and birthdays. Typically family-style menus with a 30-35% food cost, where volume is prioritized over exclusivity.
Delivery of prepared meals to individuals or companies. Includes packaging, delivery, and temperature maintenance costs, which must be costed per order.
Coffee machines, snacks, or hot food in companies. Costing focuses on the cost per product and restocking, with small but recurring margins.
Chefs, pastry chefs, bartenders, baristas and chocolatiers who swapped spreadsheets and notebooks for Miselup.
Carlos Mendoza
Owner · La Mesa Restaurant
“Every recipe change used to be a mess. With Miselup, if I bump the sirloin by 20 g, I see the real cost instantly. It's amazing—I no longer lose margin without noticing. Now costing is quick and safe, no calculator needed.”
Diego Valdés
Head Bartender · Nébula Bar
“My team sees the production sheet without any cost breakdown. That way they measure every cocktail precisely—no more over- or under-pouring. The recipe stays clear, and the numbers stay for my eyes only.”
Mateo Herrera
Owner · Café Origen
“Swap whole milk for oat milk and Miselup updates allergens on the menu automatically. Every new season with sandwiches and pastries used to be a nightmare. Now my digital menu is always up to date and my celiac customers are grateful.”
Carlos Mendoza
Owner · La Mesa Restaurant
“Every recipe change used to be a mess. With Miselup, if I bump the sirloin by 20 g, I see the real cost instantly. It's amazing—I no longer lose margin without noticing. Now costing is quick and safe, no calculator needed.”
Diego Valdés
Head Bartender · Nébula Bar
“My team sees the production sheet without any cost breakdown. That way they measure every cocktail precisely—no more over- or under-pouring. The recipe stays clear, and the numbers stay for my eyes only.”
Mateo Herrera
Owner · Café Origen
“Swap whole milk for oat milk and Miselup updates allergens on the menu automatically. Every new season with sandwiches and pastries used to be a nightmare. Now my digital menu is always up to date and my celiac customers are grateful.”
Carlos Mendoza
Owner · La Mesa Restaurant
“Every recipe change used to be a mess. With Miselup, if I bump the sirloin by 20 g, I see the real cost instantly. It's amazing—I no longer lose margin without noticing. Now costing is quick and safe, no calculator needed.”
Diego Valdés
Head Bartender · Nébula Bar
“My team sees the production sheet without any cost breakdown. That way they measure every cocktail precisely—no more over- or under-pouring. The recipe stays clear, and the numbers stay for my eyes only.”
Mateo Herrera
Owner · Café Origen
“Swap whole milk for oat milk and Miselup updates allergens on the menu automatically. Every new season with sandwiches and pastries used to be a nightmare. Now my digital menu is always up to date and my celiac customers are grateful.”
Lucía Ramírez
Pastry Chef · Dulce Masa Bakery
“I always jot down recipes in my test notebook. I snap a photo with Miselup, and the AI turns that page into a technical sheet with exact ingredients and weights. It's magic—saves me hours of copying data and eliminates errors completely.”
Ana Solís
Catering Director · Sol y Sombra Events
“For each wedding menu, I instantly see if the proposal is green or red. The margin traffic light tells me if I'm over cost before sending the quote. I negotiate with data, not blind. And I sleep easy once every event is locked in.”
Isabel Vega
Artisan Chocolatier · Bombones Amargo
“For a big order of 300 boxes, I enter the base recipe for 10 chocolates and Miselup scales everything: grams, time, cost. No neurotic math. From small workshop to large order, the scaling is spot on and I don't waste a single gram of cocoa.”
Lucía Ramírez
Pastry Chef · Dulce Masa Bakery
“I always jot down recipes in my test notebook. I snap a photo with Miselup, and the AI turns that page into a technical sheet with exact ingredients and weights. It's magic—saves me hours of copying data and eliminates errors completely.”
Ana Solís
Catering Director · Sol y Sombra Events
“For each wedding menu, I instantly see if the proposal is green or red. The margin traffic light tells me if I'm over cost before sending the quote. I negotiate with data, not blind. And I sleep easy once every event is locked in.”
Isabel Vega
Artisan Chocolatier · Bombones Amargo
“For a big order of 300 boxes, I enter the base recipe for 10 chocolates and Miselup scales everything: grams, time, cost. No neurotic math. From small workshop to large order, the scaling is spot on and I don't waste a single gram of cocoa.”
Lucía Ramírez
Pastry Chef · Dulce Masa Bakery
“I always jot down recipes in my test notebook. I snap a photo with Miselup, and the AI turns that page into a technical sheet with exact ingredients and weights. It's magic—saves me hours of copying data and eliminates errors completely.”
Ana Solís
Catering Director · Sol y Sombra Events
“For each wedding menu, I instantly see if the proposal is green or red. The margin traffic light tells me if I'm over cost before sending the quote. I negotiate with data, not blind. And I sleep easy once every event is locked in.”
Isabel Vega
Artisan Chocolatier · Bombones Amargo
“For a big order of 300 boxes, I enter the base recipe for 10 chocolates and Miselup scales everything: grams, time, cost. No neurotic math. From small workshop to large order, the scaling is spot on and I don't waste a single gram of cocoa.”
Caterings & events
John Guerrero
Gastronomy consultant · Founder of ChefBusiness and Miselup
15+ years advising restaurants, bakeries and hospitality businesses across Spain and Latam. Creator of ChefBusiness, AI Chef Pro and Miselup: the digital mise en place his clients use to control food cost to the cent.
Set up your recipe book in an afternoon and try Free forever. No credit card, no commitment.