1 The recipe
2 Ingredients
Ingredient Qty Unit Cost / unit $ Line $
Cost what goes on the plate. Most operators pad a few percent for trim and waste — a slightly high cost makes a safer price than an optimistic one.
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Cost the plate before you price it — ingredients in, cost per serving and the menu price out.
Cost what goes on the plate. Most operators pad a few percent for trim and waste — a slightly high cost makes a safer price than an optimistic one.
Each ingredient line costs quantity × unit cost, the recipe total is the sum of the lines, and dividing by the yield gives cost per serving. A burger built from a $2.40 patty, a $0.65 bun, $1.35 of cheese and toppings and $0.90 of potatoes and fryer oil costs $5.30 per serving — before anyone has priced the menu.
Menu price = cost per serving ÷ target food cost percentage. That $5.30 plate needs $17.65 at a 30% target, $18.93 at 28%, $15.14 at 35%. Choose the target first — the price is arithmetic.
Recipe cost tells you what a dish costs to make. Food cost percentage tells you whether the menu price protects it — check any single dish with the Food Cost Percentage Calculator. Prime cost adds labor to the plate and decides whether the whole restaurant works; the Prime Cost Calculator runs that view.
| Step | Formula | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Line cost | qty × unit cost | 1 × $2.40 patty |
| Recipe cost | sum of lines | $5.30 |
| Cost per serving | recipe cost ÷ servings | $5.30 ÷ 1 |
| Menu price | cost per serving ÷ target % | $5.30 ÷ 0.30 = $17.65 |
Multiply each ingredient line by the quantity used and its unit cost, sum the lines, then divide by the number of servings the recipe yields. That is your cost per serving — the plate cost behind the menu price.
You do not need one — this calculator runs in the browser on any phone or tablet: nothing to download, no account, no subscription. Your recipe saves on this device and the cost card prints or saves to PDF from the browser.
Recipe cost is the dollars on the plate; food cost percentage is that cost divided by the menu price. Costing tells you what a dish costs to make — the percentage tells you whether the price protects it.
Yes — most operators add a few percent for trim loss, spillage and comps, or cost prepped weights instead of purchased weights. A slightly padded cost makes a safer price than an optimistic one.