Portion control
Portion control is serving what the recipe specifies. A half-ounce of over-portioned protein on a dish selling 200 a week is roughly $2,300 a year on a $9/lb item — larger than most purchasing wins, and invisible on every report except variance.
Worked example · The half-ounce problem
- Spec
- 6.0 oz protein at $9.40/lb
- Actual average across 20 weighed plates
- 6.5 oz
- Extra cost per plate
- $0.29
- Plates per week
- 200
- Annual cost of the drift
- $3,016
The four tools
- Scales on the line, not just in prep. A scale that isn't within arm's reach during service will not get used during service.
- Portion the prep, not the plate. Pre-weighed and bagged proteins remove the decision from the busiest moment of the night.
- Standard scoops and ladles, with the size written on the recipe card in the same units as the tool.
- Spot-check and share the number. Weigh twenty plates at random, then tell the team what it showed. The measurement itself changes the behaviour more than any rule does.
Run the numbers
Ideal vs. actual variance calculator
The guide that works it through
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.
Related terms
Variance
The dollar gap between theoretical and actual food cost — the money that left without a sale.
Plate cost
The total ingredient cost of one served portion, garnish and sides included.
Cost per serving
The cost of one served unit of a batch item — a bowl of soup, a slice of pie, an ounce of sauce.
Waste percentage
The share of purchased food that is thrown away rather than sold — spoilage, overproduction, errors and returns.
Free pour vs. jigger
Pouring by eye versus by measure — a difference that shows up directly in pour cost.