Free Food Cost Calculator
Add what goes on the plate, pick a target food cost, and see the price that hits it. Free, no sign-up, nothing leaves your browser.
Trim, spillage, the napkin and the to-go cup. Covers what the recipe doesn't list.
Enter ingredient costs to see a price.
How the calculator works
Plate cost
sum of ingredient costs × (1 + waste %)
What one plate costs you to make. The textbook way is to cost each ingredient at its usable weight (price paid ÷ yield %). The waste slider is a shortcut for the same idea.
Food cost percentage
plate cost ÷ menu price × 100
The share of the menu price that goes to ingredients. A $4 plate cost on a $14 menu price is 28.6%.
Price for a target
plate cost ÷ target food cost %
Work backwards from the percentage you want. A $4 plate cost at a 30% target is $13.33, which the calculator rounds up to $13.50.
Contribution margin
menu price − plate cost
The dollars each plate leaves you to pay for labor, rent and everything else. This is the number menu engineering ranks dishes by.
What food cost percentage should you aim for?
There's no single right number. It depends on your concept, your prices and how much labor each dish takes. For reference, these are medians the National Restaurant Association reported for 2024:
- Full-service, under $2M in sales: food and non-alcoholic drinks
- 33.7% of sales
- Full-service, $2M+ in sales: food and non-alcoholic drinks
- 31.0% of sales
- Limited-service: prime cost (food, drinks and labor)
- 65% of sales
- Full-service: income before taxes
- 2.8% of sales
- Limited-service: income before taxes
- 4.0% of sales
Source: National Restaurant Association, 2025 Operations Data Abstract (2024 data). A median describes the middle of the industry, not a goal. A café, a steakhouse and a pizzeria land in very different places.
FAQ
What is a good food cost percentage?
Many restaurants aim for around 30%, and the National Restaurant Association's 2024 data put median food and non-alcoholic drink costs for full-service restaurants at 31% to 34% of sales. What matters more is that you know the number for each dish and that your whole menu, on average, leaves enough to cover labor and rent.
Should every dish hit the same food cost?
No. A steak at 38% can leave you more dollars per plate than fries at 20%. Guests pay dollars, not percentages, so look at contribution margin too. Our guide to visual menu engineering shows how to sort dishes by popularity and margin.
What should I include in plate cost?
Everything that leaves the kitchen with the dish: protein, sides, sauce, garnish, bread, and for takeout the container and cutlery. Cost ingredients at the price you actually paid, and allow for trim and waste with the slider or by using yield percentages.
Why does the calculator round up to the next 25 cents?
Menu prices usually end in .00, .25, .50 or .75, and rounding up keeps you at or below your target percentage. Round to whatever price endings your menu uses.
Does this include labor?
No. This calculator covers ingredients only. Food and drink costs plus labor are called prime cost, and the National Restaurant Association reported a median of 65% of sales for limited-service restaurants in 2024.
Is my data saved anywhere?
No. The calculator runs in your browser. Nothing you type is sent to us or stored.
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