Food cost calculator: calculate your dish cost percentage
Free tool for hospitality professionals and restaurants. Enter the raw material cost and the menu price (the calculator deducts VAT for you), and instantly get the food cost % with a visual traffic light that shows if you're within the recommended 25-35% range.
Food cost
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Price before VAT
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Gross margin per dish
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Typical target range: 25-35% depending on the business.
This calculator solves the food cost of a dish; with Miselup you keep the recipe costing of the entire menu alive, automatically updating costs and prices. Start free
The real product, not a mockup
A tour of Miselup: from the catalogue and food-cost to HACCP control and traceability. Tap any screenshot to enlarge and read it.
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Your kitchen at a glance
A dashboard with your activity, costs and alerts in one screen.
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Ingredient catalogue
1,200+ ingredients with cost, units and allergens.
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Ingredient sheet
Price per unit, allergens, conversions and supplier.
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Sub-recipes
Nested sub-recipes that recost themselves when a price changes.
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Final dishes
Your menu dishes and drinks, ready to be costed.
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Food-cost to the cent
Cost, waste and margin of the dish in real time.
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Export to professional PDF
Technical sheet and food-cost ready to print or send.
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Techniques
Your library of techniques, with photos and steps.
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Equipment & tableware
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Temperature control
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Expiry & FEFO rotation
Lots ordered by expiry: first to expire, first out.
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Lot traceability
From a lot, see its origin and which dishes used it, in one click.
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Allergen labels
Lot label with expiry and allergens, ready to print.
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HACCP report
The full history, ready for the health inspection.
Food cost, or food cost percentage, is the indicator that measures the relationship between what it costs you to make a dish and the price you sell it for. In hospitality, keeping it between 25% and 35% is key to ensuring profitability: according to industry data, a single percentage point deviation can mean thousands of euros in losses per year. Calculating it correctly allows you to set prices that cover costs and generate profit.
The food cost calculator result is a percentage. If it's below 25%, your margin is very high but you might be losing sales due to high prices; if it exceeds 35%, the dish barely leaves any profit and you need to review suppliers, recipe, or price. With this tool you make quick decisions: adjust the selling price, change ingredients, or remove unprofitable dishes from the menu.
How to use the calculator
1. Enter the dish data
Enter the total cost of ingredients and the menu price including VAT of the dish you want to analyze: the calculator deducts VAT for you.
2. Get the food cost instantly
The calculator divides the cost by the selling price and multiplies by 100 to give you the exact percentage, comparing it with the recommended range.
3. Act according to the traffic light
Green: food cost between 25-35%, profitable. Yellow: bordering the limits, keep an eye. Red: out of range, review costs or increase the price.
Industry benchmarks
Ideal food cost: 25-35%
This is the margin that allows covering other expenses (staff, rent) and achieving a net profit of 10-20%.
Food cost in fine dining: 30-40%
In high-end restaurants, the use of premium ingredients raises the percentage, offset by a higher average ticket.
Pour cost (beverages): 18-24%
For bars and cocktail bars, the cost of beverages should be lower than food, as the profit margin is usually higher.
Total raw material cost: 28-35% of sales
Including food and beverage, the sum of all product costs should not exceed 35% of total revenue.
Frequently asked questions
Food cost calculator: calculate your dish cost percentage
How is the food cost of a dish calculated?
What is the ideal food cost percentage for a restaurant?
How can I reduce food cost without lowering quality?
What is the difference between food cost and recipe costing sheet?
Is there a food cost calculator in Excel?
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