Restaurant recipe cost calculator
List the ingredients in a recipe with their cost, quantity, and usable yield to get the batch cost, the plate cost per portion, and the menu price that reaches your target food cost percentage.
Your numbers
| Ingredient | Cost per unit ($) | Quantity used | Usable yield (%) | Line cost | Your numbers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $30.00 | |||||
| $6.00 | |||||
| $2.50 | |||||
| $1.20 | |||||
| $2.50 | |||||
| $2.40 | |||||
| $4.40 |
Use the same unit for the cost and the quantity on each row, such as dollars per kilogram and kilograms.
Everything you enter stays in your browser.
Your results
- Plate cost per portion
- $4.90
- Batch cost
- $49.00
- Menu price at your target
- $16.33
- Gross profit per plate at that price
- $11.43
How it is calculated
Each line costs the quantity used times the cost per unit, divided by the usable yield. A yield of 80% means one fifth of what you bought is trim, so the edible part costs a quarter more than the purchase price.
The batch cost is the sum of the lines. The plate cost is the batch cost divided by the number of portions. The menu price is the plate cost divided by your target food cost percentage.
Get this number every day, without the spreadsheet
Sturgeon works this out from your live POS, invoices, schedules, and waste log, so you see it daily instead of when someone finds the time.
- Recipes & inventoryRecipes that deduct stock as they sellLive stock and real measures on every recipe. Scale to any yield, convert to any unit, and let inventory deduct itself as items sell. No clipboard.
- Food cost & wasteWaste logging that corrects food costLog spoilage, comps, and overprep as they happen. Sturgeon subtracts them from what you bought, so food cost reflects what actually earned revenue, not what you paid.
Questions
What yield should I enter?
100% for anything you use whole, and the usable share for anything you trim, peel, or cook down. If you are not sure, weigh the product before and after on a typical batch.
Does the plate cost include labor?
No. It is the cost of the ingredients only, which is what food cost percentage measures. Labor is tracked separately, in prime cost.
Should I round the menu price?
Usually, to a price that suits your menu. Check the food cost percentage after rounding: the result shows the price that hits your target exactly, and a rounded price will land a little either side.
More calculators
- Food cost calculatorRestaurant food cost percentage calculatorCost of food used, food cost percentage, and how far you are from your target.
- Prime cost calculatorRestaurant prime cost calculatorCost of goods sold plus labor as a percentage of sales, split into its two parts.
- Waste cost calculatorRestaurant food waste cost calculatorWhat your waste costs a week and a year, as a share of food sales.
See your own numbers in Sturgeon in under a week, with your POS connected, your forecasts calibrated, and Stu answering. White-glove onboarding is included.
No credit card. No six-month contract. Your data stays yours.