Plate Cost Calculator
Add ingredients, set your target food cost percentage, and get the menu price that protects your margin.
Ingredients per batch
How many plates the ingredients above make.
Most full-service kitchens aim for 28-32%.
Leave blank to use the recommended price.
How this is calculated
Plate cost = sum of (unit cost × quantity) ÷ plates per batch.
Recommended price = plate cost ÷ target food cost %. At 30% target, a $4.50 plate should sell for $15.00.
Food cost % = plate cost ÷ menu price. Green when at or under your target.
Gross margin % = (menu price − plate cost) ÷ menu price. Labor, rent, and waste come out of this later.
Prices are before GST/HST. Add tax on top of the price shown, never inside your margin. Estimates, not advice.
This plate makes money
Food cost 30.0% — under your 30% target.
- Plate cost
- $3.02
- Batch cost
- $3.02
- Food cost %
- 30.0%
- Gross margin %
- 70.0%
Cents over target on this plate, at 400 plates a month, halved. Zero means it is priced right.
Save in workspaceThe printable worksheets, templates, and benchmarks behind this calculator. $29, one-time.
Want this saved, with your real numbers?
One ingredient list feeds every plate, the menu, the bar and labour. Change a supplier price and every plate re-costs. Saved on this device, free.
Open the restaurant workspaceMore restaurant calculators
All RestaurantsLabor + Prime Cost Calculator
Food cost plus labor cost against revenue. See your prime cost and whether it is under the 60% benchmark.
What Is It Costing You?
Food cost drift, hours costing by hand and never-costed menu items, turned into one yearly number. Drag the sliders to what you believe.
Delivery App Breakeven
What a delivery-app order really earns after commission and packaging, and the markup that matches your in-house margin.
Tip Pool Splitter
Split a shift's tips fairly by hours and role points. Every person's share and their tips per hour.