{
  "slug": "food-cost-percentage",
  "title": "Food Cost Percentage Calculator",
  "heading": "Food Cost Percentage Calculator",
  "category": "financial",
  "url": "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/food-cost-percentage",
  "summary": "Find your plate cost as a share of menu price and where it lands vs. target.",
  "description": "Food cost percentage is the single most-watched number in restaurant P&Ls. It is the raw ingredient cost of a dish divided by the price you charge for it. Full-service restaurants generally target 28-35%, quick-service targets 25-30%, and pizza or bar-food concepts can run under 25% because of cheap bases like dough and fryer items. Steakhouses and sushi routinely run 35-40% because the protein cost is unavoidable, and they make it up on beverage margin. This calculator takes your plate cost and either your current menu price or your target percentage, then tells you the other side of the equation. It also shows gross profit per plate in dollars, which matters more than the percentage alone: a 30% food cost on a $12 sandwich nets $8.40, while a 30% food cost on a $40 steak nets $28. Use this before you print a new menu, after a supplier price increase, or whenever a dish feels 'off' compared to its neighbors on the menu.",
  "formula": "Food cost % = plate cost ÷ menu price × 100. Target price = plate cost ÷ target food cost %.",
  "dateModified": "2026-09-30",
  "run_url": "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/api/public/calc?tool=food-cost-percentage",
  "inputs": [
    {
      "id": "plateCost",
      "label": "Plate cost (raw ingredients)",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 4.5,
      "unit": "$",
      "min": 0,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "menuPrice",
      "label": "Current menu price",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 15,
      "unit": "$",
      "min": 0,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "targetPct",
      "label": "Target food cost %",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 30,
      "unit": "%",
      "min": 5,
      "max": 60
    }
  ],
  "outputs": [
    {
      "id": "foodCostPct",
      "label": "Current food cost %",
      "format": "percent",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": true
    },
    {
      "id": "grossProfit",
      "label": "Gross profit per plate",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    },
    {
      "id": "targetPrice",
      "label": "Price needed to hit target %",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    },
    {
      "id": "priceGapPct",
      "label": "Price adjustment needed",
      "format": "percent",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    }
  ],
  "worked_example": {
    "inputs": [
      "Plate cost (raw ingredients): 4.5 $",
      "Current menu price: 15 $",
      "Target food cost %: 30 %"
    ],
    "outputs": [
      "Current food cost %: 30.0%",
      "Gross profit per plate: $10.50",
      "Price needed to hit target %: $15.00",
      "Price adjustment needed: 0.0%"
    ]
  },
  "how_to": {
    "title": "How to use this",
    "steps": [
      "Enter plate cost (raw ingredients) ($).",
      "Enter current menu price ($).",
      "Enter target food cost % (%).",
      "Read your current food cost % on the right — it updates as you type.",
      "Hit Share to keep the scenario or send it to someone."
    ]
  },
  "scenarios": [
    {
      "name": "Conservative",
      "description": "Lower-end numbers — what if things land soft?",
      "values": {
        "plateCost": 2.6999999999999997,
        "menuPrice": 9,
        "targetPct": 18
      }
    },
    {
      "name": "Typical",
      "description": "Defaults — the most common real-world setup.",
      "values": {
        "plateCost": 4.5,
        "menuPrice": 15,
        "targetPct": 30
      }
    },
    {
      "name": "Ambitious",
      "description": "Higher-end numbers — what if things really pop?",
      "values": {
        "plateCost": 7.2,
        "menuPrice": 24,
        "targetPct": 48
      }
    }
  ],
  "limitations": [
    "Results are estimates before tax, fees, and inflation unless an input explicitly covers them.",
    "Rates are treated as fixed for the whole period — variable-rate products will drift from this projection.",
    "This is educational maths, not financial advice. Check anything contractual with the lender or your accountant."
  ],
  "faq": [
    {
      "q": "What food cost % is healthy?",
      "a": "Full-service restaurants aim for 28-35%, fast casual 25-32%, and bars run food much lower (20-28%) because liquor carries the margin. There is no universal correct number — it depends on your labor cost, rent, and how much of the menu is protein-driven. Track the trend over time more than any single month."
    },
    {
      "q": "Should every dish hit the same target?",
      "a": "No. Signature or high-draw items like a burger or wings can run a few points hotter than target because they drive traffic, while high-margin sides, apps, and desserts should run cooler to balance the average. Blend to your overall target, not item by item."
    },
    {
      "q": "How often should I recalculate this?",
      "a": "Recost every menu item at least quarterly, and immediately after any ingredient price jump over 10%. Produce and protein prices move fast enough that a recipe costed in January can be off by several points by summer."
    },
    {
      "q": "Does this include labor?",
      "a": "No — this is pure ingredient (food) cost against sale price. Labor is tracked separately as labor cost % and the two combine into prime cost, which is the number that actually predicts profitability."
    }
  ],
  "related": [
    "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/prime-cost-calculator",
    "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/menu-engineering-margin",
    "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/recipe-yield-scaling"
  ],
  "license": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "citation": "RevenueLab — Food Cost Percentage Calculator (https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/food-cost-percentage)"
}