Guides / Restaurants
How much does a plate actually cost to make?
Every ingredient at what you pay per unit, times what goes on the plate, divided by plates in the batch. Then the price that protects your margin.
Skip the reading. The tool does this maths for you, free, as you type.
Cost a platePlate cost is the ingredient cost of one serving, nothing else. Not labour, not rent. It is the number your menu price has to be built on, and the one most kitchens guess.
The formula
Batch cost = Σ(unit cost × quantity used). Plate cost = batch cost ÷ plates in the batch. Menu price at target = plate cost ÷ target food cost %.
What a good number looks like
Pasta, pizza, soups. Cheap starch carries the plate.
Healthy for a full-service plate.
Under-priced, over-portioned, or a supplier moved. Fix one of the three.
What to do about it
- Cost the plate with trim and waste, not the catalogue weight.
- Use the unit you actually buy in: per kg, per case, per litre.
- Save it in the workspace so a supplier price change re-costs it for you.
Now do it with your numbers.
Free, no account, saved on your device. The verdict comes back while you type.
Cost a plate