Topic · 5 guides
Food cost fundamentals
The core math: percentages, plate costs, and the mistakes that quietly cost four points of margin.
What's a Good Food Cost Percentage? (By Restaurant Type)
Typical food cost ranges for pizzerias, cafés, bars, fine dining and food trucks — and why the right target depends on your rent and check average, not an industry average.
· 3 min read
How to Calculate Food Cost Percentage (With a Worked Example)
The food cost percentage formula, a full worked example on a real burger, the period-level version from inventory, and the four mistakes that make the number wrong.
· 4 min read
Ideal vs. Actual Food Cost: Where the Variance Actually Hides
How to compute theoretical food cost from your POS mix, compare it against actual COGS, and work through the six causes of variance in the order that usually pays.
· 3 min read
Recipe Costing, Step by Step
How to cost a recipe properly: yield-adjusted ingredient costs, sub-recipes, the Q factor, and a full worked example from invoice to plate cost to menu price.
· 4 min read
Why Is My Food Cost So High? A Diagnostic
Seven causes of a high restaurant food cost, in the order they're usually the answer — with the check that confirms or eliminates each one in under an hour.
· 4 min read