$
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28.9%
healthy
15%band 28–35%50%
Home / Restaurant / Food Cost %
Two numbers in, one honest answer out — in 15 seconds.
Food cost percentage is the share of the menu price that goes to ingredients. Across full-service restaurants the healthy band is 28–35% — the number this checker grades against. The band shifts a few points by concept: quick-service kitchens run leaner because portioning is mechanical and throughput is high, while fine dining accepts more ingredient cost against premium prices. Rezku's 2026 benchmarks:
| Concept | Typical food cost (2026) |
|---|---|
| Coffee shop | 22 – 28% |
| Quick service (QSR) | 25 – 30% |
| Fast casual | 28 – 32% |
| Casual / full-service dining | 28 – 35% |
| Fine dining | 30 – 35%+ |
Almost never one big thing. It is portion drift (the 6 oz pour becoming 7 oz), supplier price creep that no one repriced against, and waste that never got measured. A number that climbs week over week is a portion or supplier problem wearing a disguise — the fix is measurement, not guesswork: cost the top sellers on the Recipe Cost Calculator and see which dish moved.
Price first, portion second. When the verdict above reads "tight" or "danger", the fix line shows the menu price that brings this dish back inside the band at a 30% target — raise that number before touching the recipe, because guests notice a shrinking plate faster than a dollar on the menu. If the price cannot move (the market will not bear it), then re-plate: a cheaper cut, a different starch, one less component. Change the price, watch the band, decide.
It is one of two rhythms. This page catches recipe problems one dish at a time; a weekly COGS-to-sales percentage catches theft, waste and supplier creep across the whole kitchen. Run both: check the top ten dishes when the weekly number moves, and re-rank the whole menu with the Menu Engineering Matrix once a quarter — Stars to protect, Plowhorses to reprice, Dogs to retire.
Cost the whole recipe: Recipe Cost Calculator. Setting a new price from scratch: Menu Pricing Calculator. Checking the whole menu at once: Menu Profit Sheet, or add sales-mix data with the Menu Engineering Matrix. Printing the result: Menu Maker.
Divide what the plate costs you by what you charge, times 100. A dish costing $4.90 that sells for $16.95 has a food cost of about 29%.
You do not need one — this calculator runs in the browser on any phone or tablet: nothing to download, no account, no subscription. It loads fast enough to check a price mid-service, and you can add it to your home screen like an app.
Not always. Chasing 20% by shrinking portions can hurt reviews and repeat visits. A stable 30% with strong sales beats a wobbly 24% with unhappy guests.
Both views matter. Single-dish checks catch recipe problems; a weekly COGS-to-sales percentage catches theft, waste and supplier creep. This calculator handles the dish view.