Menu price calculator
What should you charge for a dish?
Most restaurants aim for a food cost somewhere between 25% and 35% of the price before VAT. Put in what one plate costs you and your target to get the price that hits it, the menu price with VAT, and what each plate leaves you to pay for everything else.
Your numbers
Cost every ingredient at the amount on the plate, garnish and sides included.
Commonly 25% to 35%. Lower for drinks and desserts, higher for premium mains.
Food and hot drinks served by restaurants, cafés and hot takeaways have been 9% since 1 July 2026. Alcohol, soft drinks and bottled water are 23%. Check Revenue if you are unsure.
What it comes to
- Price before VAT
- €13.33
- Menu price with VAT
- €14.53
- Rounded for the menu
- €15.00
- Left per plate, after ingredients
- €9.76
Food cost at the rounded price: 29.1%
Every Mosey rate on this page is read from the same code that charges it, so it is always current. Your figures stay in your browser: nothing is sent or saved.
How the sums work
The price before VAT is the plate cost divided by your target food cost. A €4 plate at a 30% target is €13.33 before VAT.
The menu price adds VAT at the rate you enter, then rounds up to the next 50 cent. At 9% VAT that €13.33 becomes €14.53, rounded to €15.00 for the menu.
What is left per plate is the price before VAT minus the ingredients. It pays for staff, rent, energy, packaging, card fees and, after all that, your profit.
Food cost is only one lever. A dish that sells well at a slightly higher food cost can earn you more than one that rarely sells at a perfect percentage.
Questions owners ask
What is a good food cost percentage for a restaurant?
Commonly 25% to 35% of the price before VAT, varying by dish. Drinks and desserts usually run lower, premium mains and fresh fish higher.
How do I calculate the food cost of a dish?
Cost every ingredient at the amount on the plate, including sides, sauce and garnish, and add them up. Recost when a supplier's price changes.
Should menu prices include VAT?
Yes. Prices shown to customers in Ireland must include VAT, which is why the calculator adds it before rounding.
Why round menu prices?
Round numbers are easier to read and compare. Rounding up to the next 50 cent keeps you at or above your target.
What is gross profit per plate?
The price before VAT minus the ingredient cost. It is what each plate contributes towards wages, rent and every other cost.
Does the commission on an order change the price I should charge?
It changes what you keep. On a delivery app commonly around 30%, a dish priced for a 30% food cost leaves very little. On Mosey Order Ahead at 1.5%, the same price keeps almost all of its margin.
Go deeper
More calculators
- Delivery app commission calculator
See what delivery app commission costs you a year, and what you would keep on Mosey.
- No-show cost calculator
Find out what empty seats cost you a year, and how much a deposit would win back.
- Card payment fee calculator
See what Mosey's in-store fee comes to each month, and the point where it stops growing.
Keep more of every euro you earn
Mosey is free to list, with no set-up fee and no contract. You pay a small published commission when you sell, and every rate is on one page.