Menu price calculator
What should you charge for a dish?
Most restaurants aim for a food cost somewhere between 25% and 35% of the menu price. Put in what one plate costs you and your target to get the price that hits it, 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.
The answer
- Menu price for your target
- $13.33
- Rounded for the menu
- $13.50
- Left per plate, after ingredients
- $9.50
Food cost at the rounded price: 29.6%
The numbers shown first are examples to show how the sum works. Replace every one with your own: nothing here is a quote.
How the sum works
Your menu price is the plate cost divided by your target food cost. A $4 plate at a 30% target is $13.33. Prices on a menu in United States are shown before sales tax, so the calculator works before sales tax too.
The rounded price goes up to the next 50 cents, which is how most menus read. That $13.33 becomes $13.50.
What is left per plate is the price 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 about this calculator
What is a good food cost percentage for a restaurant?
Commonly 25% to 35% of the menu price, 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 your suppliers change a price.
Is sales tax in the price?
On most menus it is not: it is added when the guest pays. This calculator works before sales tax for that reason.
Why round to 50 cents?
It is how most menus read. You can use the unrounded price if you prefer.
Is anything saved or sent?
No. The numbers stay in your browser and nothing is stored.
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