Food Cost Percentage Calculator

Q: How do I calculate food cost percentage for a month?

Food used = beginning inventory + purchases - ending inventory. Divide it by food sales for the same period and multiply by 100.

This food cost percentage calculator divides a dish's ingredient cost by its menu price. Flip it to find the price for a target %, or the most a plate can cost. For a whole week or month, use your inventory and sales. Free, no signup.

Calculate food cost % Or see it for every dish in the app — free download on iOS

Work out Food cost % Menu price Max plate cost

Plate cost ingredients for one portion Menu price before tax Food cost % target

Example: carne asada tacos from a taco truck menu costed in the FoodTechGuru app. Don't know the plate cost? Get it from the recipe cost calculator.

Type of business Currency

Every dish, not one at a time

See food cost % for every dish on a menu

Snap a photo of each recipe, paste a link, or dictate it. FoodTechGuru costs every dish with ingredient prices for your country and builds a menu Google Sheet: food cost %, sell price and profit per dish, with the ones over target flagged in red.

New accounts get 15 free credits; one recipe uses one credit
Prep and cooking loss counted on every cost card
iPhone today, Android coming

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Food cost percentage column of a FoodTechGuru menu Google Sheet: sell price, serving weight, food cost and food cost % per dish, with a 27.55% average and dishes over target in red — Food cost % per dish in the app's menu sheet. Carne asada: $2.63 at $8.00 = 32.9%.

FoodTechGuru on iPhone: create a menu, add the costed recipes, then open the menu engineering Google Sheet with food cost % per dish — Food cost % per dish in the app's menu sheet. Carne asada: $2.63 at $8.00 = 32.9%.

Food cost percentage formula

Food cost % = plate cost ÷ menu price × 100. For a period: (beginning inventory + purchases − ending inventory) ÷ food sales × 100.

Price for a target: plate cost ÷ target. $2.63 ÷ 0.30 = $8.77.
Most a plate can cost: price × target. $8.00 × 0.30 = $2.40.

Use prices before tax, and plate costs that include trim and waste. Otherwise the % looks better than it is.

What a healthy food cost looks like

These ranges are rules of thumb that operators often quote. Your own target depends on your prices, rent and labour.

Type of business	Typical food cost
Food truck	25–35%
Quick service / fast food	25–30%
Casual dining	28–32%
Fine dining	28–35%
Pizza	20–28%
Café / coffee shop	20–30%
Bakery	25–35%
Ghost kitchen / delivery	25–32%

A high % on one dish is fine if it sells and the rest of the menu makes up for it. Check your whole menu with the food cost calculator, or work out a batch with the cost per serving calculator.

Food cost percentage FAQ

How do you calculate food cost percentage?

Divide the dish's ingredient cost by its menu price and multiply by 100. A $2.63 plate sold for $8.00 has a 32.9% food cost.

How do I calculate food cost percentage for a month?

Food used = beginning inventory + purchases − ending inventory. Divide it by food sales for the same period and multiply by 100.

What is a good food cost percentage?

Ranges often quoted are about 25–35% for most restaurants and food trucks, lower for pizza and coffee shops. Your own target depends on your prices, rent and labour.

Should menu prices include tax?

No. Use the price before sales tax or VAT, because the tax isn't your money.

Can an app show food cost percentage for every dish?

Yes. FoodTechGuru for iPhone costs each recipe from a photo, link or voice note and builds a menu Google Sheet with every dish's food cost %, colour-coded. New accounts get 15 free credits; one recipe uses one credit. Android is coming.

Stop guessing your food cost

Photograph your recipes; get every dish's food cost % in one sheet.

Download free on iOS