What does that plate really cost you?
Add up the food, the gas and the container, then see what you should be charging, and whether the price on your board is actually making money.
What the plate costs you
Put in everything that goes out the door: food, gas, and the container. People forget the box.
To hit a 33% food cost. Round it up to a sensible number on the board.
Food cost above 45% is tight. Either the price is low for what is on the plate, or the portion is bigger than you think. Weigh one out and check.
A common rule of thumb is a food cost around 28–35%, which leaves room for rent, gas, staff and the days business is slow. Nothing here is saved or sent anywhere. It all runs in your browser.
Common questions
What food cost percentage should a cook shop aim for?+
A common target is 28-35%. That means the food on the plate costs about a third of what you charge, leaving room for rent, gas, staff, waste and slow days. Below 25% may mean the portion is small; above 45% is usually too tight to survive on.
Should I include the container in my plate cost?+
Yes. Foil pans, boxes, bags, forks and napkins go out the door with every order and can easily add J$40-60 a plate. Shops that leave packaging out of the calculation consistently underprice.
How do I price a dish that makes several plates at once?+
Cost the whole pot, then divide by the number of plates it actually yields, not the number you hoped for. Yield is where most costings go wrong.