Recipe cost calculator and menu price
Enter what each ingredient costs you and how much the recipe uses. You get the cost per portion, the menu price for your target food cost and what you make at the price you already charge.
How to use the calculator
- Enter the ingredients with the price you pay for them: £14 for 1 kg, £2.40 for 12 eggs, £1.05 for 1 litre.
- Enter how much the recipe uses in grams, millilitres or units. The calculator converts the units for you.
- Add the trim waste for ingredients you clean or that shrink when cooked (whole fish, meat on the bone, vegetables you peel).
- Say how many portions it makes and, if you like, other costs per portion: bread, garnish, sauce, takeaway packaging.
- Choose your target food cost and look at the suggested menu price. If you already have a price, enter it to see your real food cost.
The formulas
- Ingredient cost = purchase price ÷ quantity bought × quantity used ÷ (1 − waste).
- Cost per portion = total of the ingredients ÷ portions + other costs per portion.
- Price ex VAT = cost per portion ÷ food cost. It’s the same as multiplying: at 30%, × 3.33; at 25%, × 4.
- Price inc VAT = price ex VAT × 1.20 (the UK standard rate of 20%, which applies to food and drink served on your premises).
- Real food cost = cost per portion ÷ menu price ex VAT.
Many UK kitchens talk about gross profit (GP) instead: it’s the other side of the same number. A 30% food cost is a 70% GP. In the US and Canada, menu prices are shown before sales tax, which is added at the till, so set the VAT field to 0 and the suggested price is the one that goes on the menu.
From costing to menu
The price you get is a starting point, not an order. Compare it with what places near you charge and with what your guests expect to pay for that dish. If the price you need is much higher than your menu can take, it’s time to look at the recipe, the portion or the supplier. We go into more detail in how to price a menu and, to decide which dishes to push and which to drop, in menu engineering.
Once you have your prices, make your menu with MenuDesign: upload a photo of the one you have, change the prices and download it ready to print.
Frequently asked questions
What is recipe costing?
It’s the breakdown of what a dish costs: every ingredient with its purchase price and the amount the recipe uses. Add it up, divide by the number of portions and you know what each plate you serve costs you.
What food cost percentage should I aim for?
As a rough guide, many places work between 25% and 35%, which is a gross profit (GP) of 65% to 75%. It depends on the type of venue, the dish and how much labour goes into it: a glass of wine or a soft drink can run at a lower percentage than a dish built on an expensive ingredient.
How do I work out the selling price?
Price ex VAT = cost per portion ÷ target food cost. At 30%, multiply the cost by 3.33. Then add VAT (20% in the UK) and round to a comfortable menu price. In the US and Canada menus show the price before sales tax, so set VAT to 0.
What is trim waste?
What you lose when you clean, peel, bone or cook an ingredient. If you get 600 g of usable fish from a 1 kg whole fish, the waste is 40% and the real cost of the cleaned fish is higher than the price per kilo.
Are my costings saved?
The last one is saved in this browser, so it’s there when you come back. Nothing is sent to a server and you don’t need to sign up.