This calculator turns the cost of one portion into a menu price. You enter what the dish costs and the food cost percentage you aim for; it adds sales tax if your prices include it, rounds up to a clean price and shows the real food cost you end up with after rounding.
How it works
Food cost percentage is the share of the price that goes on ingredients. If you choose 30%, you want $30 of every $100 of sales before tax to be food. The arithmetic follows from that:
- Price before tax = cost of the dish ÷ target food cost.
- Price with tax = price before tax × (1 + tax rate). With no tax, it stays the same.
- Menu price = that number rounded up to the next $0.10, $0.50 or $1.00.
- Real food cost = cost of the dish ÷ (menu price ÷ (1 + tax rate)).
- Left per plate = menu price before tax − cost of the dish.
That last figure is not profit. It is what each plate contributes to rent, gas, wages, power and, at the end, you. To see whether it is enough, put it into the break-even calculator.
Worked example: a burger and fries
You costed your burger and fries at $4.10 a plate: bun $0.45, patty $2.10, cheese $0.35, salad and pickles $0.30, sauce $0.15, fries $0.75. You choose to run this dish at 30% food cost, your menu prices are before tax, and you round to the nearest 50 cents, upwards.
| Step | Sum | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Price before tax | 4.10 ÷ 0.30 | $13.67 |
| Rounded up to $0.50 | next step up | $14.00 |
| Real food cost | 4.10 ÷ 14.00 | 29.3% |
| Left per plate | 14.00 − 4.10 | $9.90 |
At $14.00 the dish sits slightly under the 30% you picked. Had you rounded down to $13.50, food cost would be 30.4% and you would give away 50 cents on every plate.
Mistakes that raise the cost without you noticing
- Costing raw meat instead of trimmed meat. If you lose fat and sinew when you trim, each kilo that reaches the plate costs more than the kilo you paid for. Get that figure from the yield calculator and read how to measure it in the guide to yield and trim loss.
- Working out the percentage on the price with tax. It flatters the number. The guide to tax inside your price shows why with figures.
- Never updating. When beef goes up, the same menu price leaves you less. Enter the new cost and see how far the percentage moved.
The guide to food cost percentage explains where the percentage comes from and how to pick yours, and the one on pricing for a target margin covers the same idea when you think in margin rather than food cost.
For the full cost of a product, with ingredients, packaging, your time and the gas, use the food cost calculator.
Frequently asked questions
What food cost percentage should I use?
The one you choose for your business. It depends on your rent, your wages, what you want to earn and what your customers will pay. Try a few in the calculator and watch how the price and what is left per plate change.
Should I include sales tax?
Only if your menu prices include it. Food cost is always measured on the price before tax, so the tool works out that price first and then adds the tax you enter. Check your local tax rules for the rate.
Why round up and never down?
Rounding down pushes your real food cost above the target you chose. Rounding up gives you a few cents of extra margin and a clean number on the menu.
What goes into the cost of the dish?
Everything on the plate for one portion: protein after trimming, sides, oil, sauces, garnish and what you lose in prep. Add takeaway packaging only if the dish is sold to go.