Food Cost Calculator
Food cost calculator for restaurants and cafés. Enter ingredient cost and selling price to see food cost %, GP % and profit per dish.
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Food cost % measures ingredient cost as a portion of the selling price. Lower is better for profitability. Most UK restaurants aim for 28–35%.
Formula: Food cost % = (Ingredient cost ÷ Selling price) × 100.
What this calculator does
Adds up the ingredient cost of a dish, compares it with the selling price, and returns food cost percentage, gross profit percentage and cash profit per plate.
Who it is for
- Head chefs and kitchen managers costing new dishes before they go on the menu.
- Owner-operators checking why GP has slipped after supplier increases.
- Anyone writing a specification sheet for a dish that has to hit a target GP.
How to use it
- List every ingredient in the dish, including garnish, oil, sauce and any bread or side served with it.
- Enter each ingredient at its cost for the quantity actually used, not the pack price.
- Enter the selling price net of VAT. If your menu price includes VAT at 20%, divide it by 1.2 first.
- Read food cost percentage, GP percentage and cash profit per portion.
The formula
- Total dish cost = sum of all ingredient costs used in one portion
- Food cost% = (Total dish cost / Net selling price) x 100
- GP% = 100 - Food cost%
- Cash GP = Net selling price - Total dish cost
Worked example
A pasta main uses £2.85 of ingredients and is on the menu at £11.50, a price that includes 20% VAT.
- Net selling price = £11.50 / 1.2 = £9.58
- Food cost% = £2.85 / £9.58 = 29.7%
- GP% = 100 - 29.7 = 70.3%
- Cash GP = £9.58 - £2.85 = £6.73
29.7% food cost, 70.3% GP and £6.73 gross profit per plate. Costed against the £11.50 gross price it would have looked like a flattering 24.8% food cost - a six-point error.
How to read your result
- Food cost percentage and GP percentage always add up to 100, so improving one is the same as improving the other.
- A dish can have an excellent percentage and a poor cash contribution if the price point is low.
- Theoretical food cost from this tool is the best case. Actual food cost will be higher once waste, over-portioning and comps are included.
What to do next
- Write a specification sheet for every costed dish so the portion in the calculator matches the portion on the pass.
- Re-cost the top ten sellers every time a major supplier price changes.
- Compare this theoretical figure with your stocktake result using the actual vs theoretical GP calculator to find leakage.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Costing against the VAT-inclusive menu price.
- Omitting garnish, dressing, butter, oil and bread.
- Using pack price rather than the cost of the quantity used, or ignoring trim and cooking loss - the recipe yield calculator handles that properly.
Assumptions and limitations
- This is a theoretical, per-portion cost. It excludes waste, spoilage, staff food and comps.
- Labour, packaging and overheads are not included in food cost percentage.
- Eat-in food is standard-rated for VAT in the UK; most cold takeaway food is zero-rated, which changes the net price you should cost against.
Dumb Bambi provides general business information, not accounting, tax or legal advice. Read our calculation methodology or tell us about a mistake.
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Frequently asked questions
What's a healthy food cost percentage?+
28–35% is typical for casual dining. Fine dining often runs lower; quick-service can be higher.
Should I include packaging in food cost?+
For takeaway, yes - include all consumables directly attached to the dish.