Labour Cost per Cover Calculator
Labour cost per cover calculator for restaurants, pubs and bars. See labour %, cost per cover, sales per labour hour and how far you are from target.
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Labour is one of the two biggest costs in hospitality. This tool blends wages, NI, pension and holiday accrual into a full employment cost, then expresses it as a percentage of sales, per cover and per trading hour.
Most UK operators target 25–32% labour on sales. Below 25% often means understaffing; above 35% squeezes net profit hard.
Frequently asked questions
Should I include kitchen and FOH together?+
For a top-line view, yes. For scheduling, split them so you can act on the right department.
Why include holiday accrual?+
Statutory holiday pay is a real cost of employment. Ignoring it under-states labour by 8–12%.
What's a healthy sales per labour hour?+
£30–£45 for casual dining, £50+ for higher-average-spend venues.