Rex says
Money math without the spreadsheet headache. Plug in your numbers and I'll show you exactly where the dollars land.
Try a scenario
Click to load — tweak from there.Inputs
Result
New food cost %
47.8%
Cost increase per plate
$0.90
Monthly profit impact if no change
$360
Price needed to hold food cost % flat
$20.10
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How to use this
- 1Enter old ingredient price ($/unit).
- 2Enter new ingredient price ($/unit).
- 3Enter portion used per plate (units).
- 4Enter rest of plate cost (unaffected) ($).
- 5Enter menu price ($).
- 6Enter units sold per month.
- 7Read your new food cost % on the right — it updates as you type.
- 8Hit Share to keep the scenario or send it to someone.
About this calculator
When a key ingredient jumps in price, most operators know it hurts but don't calculate exactly how much until the monthly food cost report lands. This calculator quantifies it immediately: enter the old and new price for an ingredient, how much of it goes into one plate, your current menu price, and how many units you sell per month, and it shows the new food cost percentage, the dollar impact per plate, and the total monthly profit hit if you do nothing. It also calculates the price increase needed to fully offset the hit while holding food cost percentage constant, which is useful ammunition for deciding whether to eat the cost, reformulate the dish, or pass some or all of it to the menu price. A 15% jump in a core protein price that represents 60% of a dish's plate cost is a bigger deal than the same percentage jump in a garnish that's 5% of the plate — this calculator does that math for the specific dish in question.
Worked example
Using the values the calculator loads with:
Inputs
- Old ingredient price: 4.5 $/unit
- New ingredient price: 5.4 $/unit
- Portion used per plate: 1 units
- Rest of plate cost (unaffected): 3.2 $
- Menu price: 18 $
- Units sold per month: 400
Results
- New food cost %: 47.8%
- Cost increase per plate: $0.90
- Monthly profit impact if no change: $360
- Price needed to hold food cost % flat: $20.10
What each field means
Inputs
- Old ingredient price ($/unit)
- The old ingredient price used in the calculation, measured in $/unit. Starts at 4.5 $/unit so you have a working example on load.
- New ingredient price ($/unit)
- The new ingredient price used in the calculation, measured in $/unit. Starts at 5.4 $/unit so you have a working example on load.
- Portion used per plate (units)
- The portion used per plate used in the calculation, measured in units. Starts at 1 units so you have a working example on load.
- Rest of plate cost (unaffected) ($)
- The rest of plate cost (unaffected) used in the calculation, measured in $. Starts at 3.2 $ so you have a working example on load.
- Menu price ($)
- The menu price used in the calculation, measured in $. Starts at 18 $ so you have a working example on load.
- Units sold per month
- The units sold per month used in the calculation. Starts at 400 so you have a working example on load.
Results
- New food cost %
- Returned as a percentage and shown as the headline result. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Cost increase per plate
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Monthly profit impact if no change
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Price needed to hold food cost % flat
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
FAQ
Should I always raise price to fully offset a cost increase?
Not always — for a high-visibility item like a burger, a full pass-through might hurt volume more than absorbing part of the increase. Many operators split the difference: raise price to offset half the hit and absorb the rest, or offset fully but only after confirming the price increase is durable, not a short-term spike.
What if the ingredient is a small part of the dish?
Small-share ingredients rarely justify a menu price change on their own — a 20% jump in a garnish that's 5% of plate cost only moves total food cost by about 1 percentage point. Save price changes for ingredients that are a large share of plate cost, like the primary protein.
How do I decide between reformulating and raising price?
Reformulate (smaller portion, cheaper substitute, or recipe redesign) when the price increase looks structural and long-term, like a persistent supply shortage. Raise price when demand for the dish is strong enough that customers won't push back, which you can often only find out by testing.
Should I lock in pricing with suppliers to avoid this?
Where possible, yes — many distributors offer 30-90 day price locks or contract pricing on high-volume items. It doesn't eliminate volatility but gives you lead time to adjust the menu instead of absorbing an overnight cost spike.
Accuracy and 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.
Related tools
Food Cost Percentage Calculator
Find your plate cost as a share of menu price and where it lands vs. target.
Food Waste Percentage Calculator
Track waste, spoilage, and comps as a share of total food cost.
Menu Engineering Margin Calculator
Classify a dish as Star, Plowhorse, Puzzle, or Dog by margin and popularity.
Cite this calculator
Writing about this topic? Grab a citation — every link helps keep these tools free.
RevenueLab. (2026). Ingredient Price Increase Impact Calculator. Retrieved from https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/ingredient-price-increase-impact
<p>Source: <a href="https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/ingredient-price-increase-impact" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ingredient Price Increase Impact Calculator — RevenueLab</a> (2026).</p>
Source: [Ingredient Price Increase Impact Calculator — RevenueLab](https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/ingredient-price-increase-impact) (2026).