Restaurant De Keuken increased their weekly profit by €127 just by adjusting portion sizes on three bestsellers. Most owners chase new menu items while missing bigger opportunities in dishes that already sell consistently. Small tweaks to your top performers deliver faster returns than any new creation.
Analyze your current bestsellers
Start with your 5 best-selling dishes. These drive your revenue. A small improvement here beats 10 new dishes that barely move.
? Example:
Restaurant De Keuken sells per week:
- Steak: 45 portions at €28.00
- Salmon: 38 portions at €24.50
- Pasta carbonara: 52 portions at €18.50
- Chicken fillet: 41 portions at €22.00
- Risotto: 29 portions at €19.50
Total: 205 portions = €4,627 per week
These 5 dishes generate almost €20,000 monthly. A 2% margin bump means €400 extra each month, without attracting a single new guest.
Calculate the actual food cost per bestseller
Many operators guess their ingredient costs. That's risky with high-volume dishes. Add up everything that touches the plate:
- Main ingredient (meat, fish, pasta)
- Garnish and vegetables
- Sauces and dressings
- Oil, butter, spices
- Bread, decoration
? Example: Steak calculation
Menu price: €28.00 incl. VAT (€25.69 excl. VAT)
- Steak 200g: €6.40
- Fries 180g: €0.54
- Sauce: €0.45
- Vegetables: €1.20
- Butter/oil: €0.25
Total ingredient costs: €8.84
Food cost: (€8.84 / €25.69) × 100 = 34.4%
A food cost of 34.4% runs high. Most restaurants target 28% to 32%. There's room for improvement.
Find the biggest opportunities
Target bestsellers with the highest food costs or largest volumes. That's where small changes create the biggest impact. From years of working in professional kitchens, I've seen operators overlook their volume leaders while chasing marginal dishes that barely contribute to the bottom line.
⚠️ Note:
Always calculate with the selling price excluding VAT. Your menu shows prices including 9% VAT. €28.00 incl. becomes €25.69 excl. VAT.
Optimize ingredient costs without sacrificing quality
You don't need cheaper ingredients. Often you can shop smarter or waste less:
- Control portion sizes: Measure your portions. 10 grams less steak = €0.32 per portion
- Reduce cutting waste: Better filleting saves 5-10%
- Compare suppliers: Weekly prices can vary by 15%
- Buy seasonally: Vegetables and fish follow seasons
? Impact calculation:
Steak: 45 portions/week × €0.32 savings = €14.40/week
Annual basis: €14.40 × 50 weeks = €720 extra margin
Just by using 10 grams less meat per portion.
Consider smart price adjustments
Bestsellers often have price flexibility. Guests order them regardless, even with small increases. Test carefully:
- Start with €0.50 - €1.00 increase
- Monitor sales numbers for 2-3 weeks
- Calculate the impact on total margin
? Price increase example:
Steak from €28.00 to €29.00 (+€0.92 excl. VAT)
Scenario 1: Same sales (45/week) = +€41.40/week
Scenario 2: 10% less sales (40/week) = +€36.80/week
Even with 10% fewer sales you still increase margin.
Measure and monitor continuously
Optimization isn't a one-time fix. Supplier prices fluctuate, seasons change, labor costs rise. Check monthly:
- Food cost percentages of your top 5
- Sales volumes per dish
- New supplier prices
- Total margin per bestseller
With systems like KitchenNmbrs you see these figures automatically, without manual calculations. You can immediately spot which dishes generate the most revenue and where your margin is bleeding.
How do you optimize your bestsellers? (step by step)
Identify your top 5 best-selling dishes
Count how many portions you sell per week of each dish. Rank by volume. These 5 dishes get priority because small improvements here have the biggest impact.
Calculate the exact ingredient costs per portion
Add up all ingredients that go on the plate: main ingredient, garnish, sauces, oil, butter. Use current purchase prices from your suppliers, not estimated amounts.
Determine the food cost percentage per dish
Divide ingredient costs by selling price excluding VAT and multiply by 100. Dishes above 35% food cost have priority for optimization.
Find improvement opportunities without losing quality
Check portion size, compare suppliers, limit cutting waste. Often you can improve 2-5% food cost without guests noticing.
Test careful price adjustments
Increase bestsellers by €0.50-€1.00 and monitor sales numbers for 2-3 weeks. Calculate whether the higher margin per portion outweighs possible loss of volume.
✨ Pro tip
Track your #1 bestseller's food cost weekly for the next 30 days. Even a 1.5% improvement on your top dish generates more profit than most new menu additions.
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Frequently asked questions
How much food cost percentage is normal for bestsellers?
Can I raise prices without losing customers?
Should I calculate with or without VAT?
What if my bestseller has low margin but sells heavily?
How often should I check my food costs?
Can I lower ingredient costs without losing quality?
Sources consulted
- EU Verordening 852/2004 — Levensmiddelenhygiëne (2004) — Official source
- EU Verordening 853/2004 — Hygiënevoorschriften voor levensmiddelen van dierlijke oorsprong (2004) — Official source
- EU Verordening 1169/2011 — Voedselinformatie aan consumenten (2011) — Official source
- NVWA — Hygiënecode voor de horeca (2024) — Official source
- NVWA — Allergenen in voedsel (2024) — Official source
- Codex Alimentarius — International Food Standards (2024) — Official source
- FSA — Safer food, better business (HACCP) (2024) — Official source
- BVL — Lebensmittelhygiene (HACCP) (2024) — Official source
Food Standards Agency (FSA) — https://www.food.gov.uk
The HACCP standards shown in this application are for informational purposes only. KitchenNmbrs does not guarantee that displayed values are current or complete. Always consult the FSA or your local authority for the latest regulations.
Written by
Jeffrey Smit
Founder & CEO of KitchenNmbrs
Jeffrey Smit built KitchenNmbrs from 8 years of hands-on experience as kitchen manager at 1NUL8 Group in Rotterdam. His mission: give every restaurant owner control over food cost.
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