A downtown bistro increased their lunch revenue by 34% after introducing half-size pasta portions at €13.50 instead of just offering the €18.50 regular size. Most restaurant owners assume smaller portions automatically mean less profit. But the math often tells a different story.
Why consider smaller portions?
Smaller portions attract new customer groups: seniors who eat less, people wanting to try multiple courses, or guests actively seeking lighter meals. They can also boost lunch revenue without cannibalizing dinner sales.
💡 Example:
You have a pasta carbonara for €18.50. You're considering a "small portion" for €13.50.
- Regular portion: 350g pasta, ingredients €5.10
- Small portion: 250g pasta, ingredients €3.80
Is the small portion profitable enough?
The calculation: comparing food cost
It's not about absolute profit per plate—it's about food cost percentage. If your food cost percentage stays consistent, you earn proportionally.
Calculate for both portions:
- Food cost % = (Ingredient costs / Selling price excl. VAT) × 100
- Compare the percentages
- Check whether the small portion still falls within your desired margin
💡 Calculation:
Regular portion (€18.50 incl. VAT):
- Selling price excl. VAT: €18.50 / 1.09 = €16.97
- Food cost: (€5.10 / €16.97) × 100 = 30.1%
Small portion (€13.50 incl. VAT):
- Selling price excl. VAT: €13.50 / 1.09 = €12.39
- Food cost: (€3.80 / €12.39) × 100 = 30.7%
Difference: 0.6 percentage points - excellent!
Watch out for fixed costs per plate
Some costs remain identical regardless of portion size. Think bread, table butter, garnish, or a fixed piece of meat you can't halve.
Most kitchen managers discover this too late: dishes with expensive main ingredients (steak, fish) make small portions much harder to price profitably. The garnish becomes disproportionately expensive.
⚠️ Watch out:
With dishes featuring expensive main ingredients (steak, fish), it's harder to make small portions profitable. The garnish becomes relatively more expensive.
Factor in operational impact
Smaller portions often mean:
- More work: Additional plates, more dishwashing, increased service
- Different ingredients: Smaller pasta portions, adjusted vegetable ratios
- Menu space: Extra items cluttering your menu
Factor these costs into your decision. If your team has significantly more work, the margin needs compensation.
💡 Practical test:
Start with 2-3 popular dishes as small portions. Measure after a month:
- How many small portions do you sell?
- Do regular portion sales go down?
- Does your total revenue increase?
Then you'll know if it works for your business.
Pricing: not just 70% of the regular price
Many restaurants make the mistake of pricing small portions proportionally. But your fixed costs per plate stay identical. A better formula:
Price small portion = (Fixed costs per plate + Variable costs small portion) / Desired food cost %
This way you maintain your margin, even with smaller portions.
How do you calculate whether small portions are worth it? (step by step)
Calculate the food cost of your current portion
Add up all ingredient costs and divide by your selling price excl. VAT. Multiply by 100 for the percentage. This is your reference point.
Determine the ingredient costs of the small portion
Work out how much each ingredient costs for the smaller portion. Watch out: some costs (garnish, bread) often stay the same, others (pasta, meat) become proportionally less.
Calculate the required selling price
Divide your ingredient costs by your desired food cost percentage. Multiply by 1.09 for the price incl. VAT. Check whether this price is acceptable to guests.
✨ Pro tip
Track your small portion sales for exactly 6 weeks, comparing Tuesday-Thursday lunch periods before and after introduction. You'll spot patterns in customer behavior that weekend data often masks.
Calculate this yourself?
In the KitchenNmbrs app you can do this in just a few clicks. 7 days free, no credit card.
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Frequently asked questions
Should my small portion have the same food cost as the regular portion?
Not necessarily, but it should stay within your desired margin range. A difference of 1-2 percentage points works fine. Much larger gaps can create problems.
Which dishes work well for small portions?
Pastas, salads, and vegetable-heavy dishes work excellently. Expensive meat or fish dishes prove trickier because fixed costs like garnish become proportionally higher.
How do I prevent small portions from cannibalizing regular sales?
Position them differently: lunch versus dinner, or appetizer versus main course. Measure total revenue, not individual portion performance. Test with 2-3 dishes first.
📚 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
- Warenwetbesluit Bereiding en behandeling van levensmiddelen (2024) — Official source
- WHO — Foodborne diseases estimates (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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