Free calculator
Restaurant food cost calculator.
Enter a dish's selling price and ingredient cost, or calculate the cost ingredient by ingredient below. Include preparation yield and portions to check food cost, contribution and a target-price reference.
This is a planning estimate. Real control requires current purchase prices, recipe quantities, yields, waste and sales records.
Reviewed: 5 September 2026
Formula: ingredient cost ÷ selling price × 100.
Calculate cost from ingredients
Editable example. Enter quantities for the whole recipe and the portions it makes. Keep purchase and recipe quantities in the same unit and use a consistent tax basis.
Ingredient cost = purchase price × usable recipe quantity ÷ (purchase quantity × yield / 100). Divide the total by portions for cost per portion. If your price already covers usable product, use 100% yield to avoid counting preparation loss twice.
Recipe changes are applied to the calculator when you press the button.
How to calculate food cost for one menu item
Add the usable cost of every ingredient in the recipe, divide that total by the menu selling price and multiply by 100. Formula: ingredient cost ÷ selling price × 100. Use prices and quantities from the same unit basis.
Build the cost of one portion
Open Calculate cost from ingredients above. Enter purchase quantity, total purchase price, usable quantity in the recipe and yield for each ingredient, then apply the cost per portion. For grams, enter kilograms: 200 g = 0.2 kg. Convert supplier purchases to the quantity used in the recipe. Illustrative example: a 5 kg pack costing €25 is €5 per kg, so a 200 g portion costs €1 before preparation losses. If the purchased 5 kg yields only 4 kg of usable ingredient, the cost becomes €6.25 per usable kg and that portion costs €1.25. Add the other ingredients, garnishes and sauces without counting losses already included in the yield twice.
Worked restaurant food-cost example
If a dish sells for €20 and its recorded ingredients cost €6, the food-cost percentage is 30%. Its gross contribution before labour, rent, utilities, tax, financing and other overhead is €14.
- ✓ Selling price: €20
- ✓ Ingredient cost: €6
- ✓ Food cost: 30%
- ✓ Gross contribution: €14
Food cost is not the same as profit
The calculator measures ingredient cost against selling price. It does not calculate final restaurant profit because payroll, rent, utilities, payment fees, discounts, tax treatment and other operating costs are outside the dish-level formula.
Calculate food cost for a restaurant period
For a week or month, a common starting formula is opening food inventory plus food purchases minus closing food inventory, divided by corresponding food sales, multiplied by 100. Keep dates, locations, categories and tax treatment consistent.
Why theoretical and actual food cost differ
Recipe cost describes what the ingredients should cost at recorded quantities and prices. Actual period cost can also reflect waste, portion variation, unrecorded usage, stock-count errors, supplier changes and sales mix. Investigate the difference instead of treating one percentage as the whole explanation.
Use the target price as a reference
With €6 of ingredients and a 30% target, the calculated price is €6 ÷ 0.30 = €20. This is a calculation example, not a recommended menu price. Keep the tax basis consistent and check the other variable costs before setting the menu price.
Related product
Track food cost beyond one dish
See how RestoVector connects recipe quantities, supplier prices, sales and stock records to investigate food-cost changes.
Frequently asked questions
Clear, verifiable answers
What is the restaurant food-cost formula?
For one dish, divide its recorded ingredient cost by its selling price and multiply by 100. For example, €6 of ingredients divided by a €20 selling price equals 30%.
What is a good food-cost percentage for a restaurant?
There is no universal ideal percentage. The right range depends on restaurant format, menu mix, pricing, portions, labour, waste, quality and other operating costs. Compare like-for-like periods and contribution, not only the percentage.
Does this calculator show restaurant profit?
No. It shows dish-level food cost and gross contribution before labour, occupancy, utilities, payment fees, tax treatment and other expenses.
How often should food cost be recalculated?
Recalculate when ingredient prices, recipe quantities, yields or selling prices change, and review period-level food cost consistently so supplier, waste and inventory movements are not missed.
Next step
Review the workflow with your restaurant's data and roles.
A demonstration should show the real product, its limits and how it fits your operation.