Practical tools for people who run kitchens.
Free calculators, checklists and short guides you can use today. No sign-up needed.
What should this dish sell for?
Enter what one portion costs you to make and the food cost percentage you aim for. We work out the selling price.
What was your food cost last month?
The single number that tells you whether the kitchen is making money. Most food businesses aim for roughly 28 to 35 percent, depending on the concept.
Kitchen health check.
Tick everything that is true today. Be honest, this is for you. You will get a score and the first things to fix.
Planning to open a restaurant?
Download the Restaurant Opening Checklist: ten areas to settle before the doors open, from permits and kitchen layout to training and your first month. Free. Tell us where to send it.
Short guides.
Five signs your kitchen is leaking money
- You do not know your food cost. If nobody can quote last month's percentage, the leaks stay hidden.
- Portions change with the cook. Without a standard recipe and a scale, every plate costs something different.
- Waste is thrown away without a record. What is not recorded cannot be reduced.
- Deliveries are not checked. Short weights and substituted items go straight onto your bill.
- The menu has not been reviewed in a year. Prices of ingredients move. Your menu has to move with them.
How to price a menu item
- Cost the plate. Add up every ingredient at the quantity actually used, plus a small allowance for trim and garnish.
- Pick a target food cost. Many kitchens aim between 28 and 35 percent.
- Divide. Plate cost divided by the target percentage gives the selling price.
- Check the market. If the price is far above what guests will pay, change the recipe or the portion, not just the price.
- Revisit every quarter. Ingredient prices change, and so should the number.
Why a written standard beats a good chef
A talented chef carries the kitchen in their head. When they are off, leave or get busy, quality drops and costs rise. A written recipe, a prep list and an opening and closing checklist let a trained team deliver the same result every shift. The goal is not to remove skill. It is to stop the business depending on one person.
A simple weekly routine for owners
- Check the week's food cost against your target.
- Review the waste log and pick one cause to fix.
- Look at the top and bottom five dishes by sales.
- Walk the kitchen at opening and at close, with the checklist in hand.
- Spend ten minutes with one team member on a skill they need.
Get one useful kitchen tip each month.
Short, practical ideas on cost, menus and systems for food businesses. Unsubscribe any time by replying to any email.