Ingredient cost
(pack price ÷ pack size) × (amount used ÷ yield). Tomatoes at $6.90 a kg, 600 g used, 90% yield: $6.90 ÷ 1,000 g × (600 g ÷ 0.9) = $4.60.
Free tool · Food cost calculator
What does that dish actually cost you?
Costing recipes used to do my head in when I was running kitchens, so I built this. Put in what you pay for each ingredient and how much goes into the recipe. You’ll get the cost per serve and what to charge to hit your food cost target. Add the prep time too if you want to see labour.
It’s free. Your recipe stays on this device and nothing gets uploaded.
Runs in your browser · Saves on this device
Recipe costing
Cost your recipe.
I’ve loaded a burger as an example, with made-up prices and wages. Swap in your own, or clear it and start fresh.
Ingredients
Units: g and kg convert to each other, and so do ml and L. Weight and volume don’t mix, because I don’t guess densities. Yield is the usable part after trim and waste (a 90% yield means 10% ends up in the bin). Leave it at 100 if there’s no waste.
Labour (optional)
How long does the whole batch take to prep and cook? Add a line for each person on it, like a chef and a kitchen hand. Leave it blank and you’ll just get food cost.
Time is for the whole batch, not per serve. Use hours, minutes or both (90 minutes works too). Hourly rate is what that person really costs you an hour, so include super and other on-costs, not just their base pay.
Serves and targets
30% is a common starting point. Use whatever works for your venue.
Your numbers
Total recipe cost
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Cost per serve
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Suggested menu price (inc GST)
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Ex GST: —
Actual food cost at your menu price
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Add a menu price to see this.
Labour cost per serve
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Labour for the batch: —
Food + labour per serve
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Cost per serve plus labour cost per serve.
Prime cost % at your menu price
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Add a menu price to see this.
GST: the inc-GST price adds 10% to the ex-GST price. If you’re not registered for GST, the ex-GST price is the one that matters.
Actual food cost % is worked out on your menu price with GST taken out (menu price ÷ 1.1), because the GST part isn’t yours to keep.
Labour isn’t in the total recipe cost, cost per serve or suggested menu price. Those stay food only, which is the usual way to price a menu. Prime cost % is food + labour per serve ÷ your menu price ex GST, and only counts the labour you put in above. Wages don’t have GST.
Numbers are rounded for display only (cents and one decimal place). The maths underneath isn’t rounded.
No black box
How the maths works.
Why yield matters
If 10% of your tomatoes go in the bin as cores and trim, you have to buy more than ends up on the plate. At 90% yield, 600 g on the plate means about 667 g bought.
Suggested price
cost per serve ÷ target %. A $4.04 serve at 30% needs $13.48 ex GST. Add 10% GST and it’s $14.83 on the menu.
Actual food cost
cost per serve ÷ (menu price ÷ 1.1). An $18 burger is $16.36 ex GST, so a $4.04 serve is a 24.7% food cost.
Units
Grams and kilos convert automatically, and so do millilitres and litres. Weight to volume doesn’t. A litre of honey and a litre of oil weigh different amounts, so I won’t guess.
Labour
hours × hourly rate, added up for everyone on the batch. A chef for 40 minutes at $45 an hour is $30.00. Add a kitchen hand for 30 minutes at $33 an hour ($16.50) and it’s $46.50, or $4.65 a serve over 10 serves.
Prime cost
(food + labour per serve) ÷ (menu price ÷ 1.1). $4.04 food + $4.65 labour is $8.69 a serve. On an $18 burger ($16.36 ex GST) that’s a 53.1% prime cost. The suggested price still uses food cost only.
Where’s my data?
In this browser, on this device. It’s saved locally so a refresh won’t lose your work. Nothing is uploaded, and there’s no tracking.
Want this kind of thing automated for your business?
I set up tools like this around the way your business already works.