A restaurant owner recently realized she earned just €18 per hour after working 75-hour weeks for three months straight. Most hospitality entrepreneurs focus solely on revenue while ignoring their own time and energy costs. You'll make better money staying closed one extra day and working refreshed than grinding through seven exhausting days for minimal additional profit.
Why your own time and energy count
Your labor has real value - you're officially on payroll or not. Working 70 hours weekly for €2,000 net profit means you're earning €28.57 hourly. Most experienced chefs earn €15-18 per hour. Why accept less for running your own business?
💡 Example:
Restaurant open 6 days vs. 7 days a week:
- 6 days: €8,000 revenue, 60 hours work = €133 per hour
- 7 days: €8,500 revenue, 70 hours work = €121 per hour
That extra day costs you €12 per hour in quality of life.
Calculate your real hourly wage
Take your monthly profit and divide by total hours worked. Count everything: cooking, shopping, admin, cleaning, menu planning. Don't forget those late-night inventory sessions or weekend supplier calls.
Formula: Hourly wage = Monthly profit / Hours worked
⚠️ Watch out:
Most entrepreneurs only count kitchen hours. But you're also working while researching recipes at home or negotiating with suppliers by phone.
The real costs of an extra day
Opening one additional day brings revenue, sure. But it also brings hidden costs that eat into profits:
- Energy costs: Gas, electricity, water (€50-150 daily)
- Staff costs: Even minimal staffing adds up (€100-300 daily)
- Food waste: More operating days = higher spoilage risk
- Your time: 10-12 additional hours weekly
💡 Example calculation:
Extra Sunday open, average 25 covers at €28:
- Revenue: €700
- Food cost (30%): €210
- Energy: €80
- Staff: €120
- Other costs: €50
Profit: €240 for 12 hours work = €20 per hour
Recognizing smart closure decisions
Something most kitchen managers discover too late: you can actually earn more per hour by staying closed certain days. The math doesn't lie once you factor in your own labor costs.
- Quiet days: Fewer than 15 covers? Check if you're breaking even
- High staff costs: Needing full staff for minimal guests
- Exhaustion: Tired mistakes cost money through waste and complaints
- Prep opportunities: Use closed days for efficient shopping and preparation
Energy savings through smart opening hours
Your energy costs keep running regardless of guest count. Daily restaurant energy usage typically includes:
- Refrigeration: Constant operation (€15-25 daily)
- Heating/AC: €20-40 daily
- Kitchen equipment: €30-60 daily
- Lighting: €10-20 daily
⚠️ Watch out:
Energy typically runs 5-8% of revenue. On slow days this can spike to 15-20% of sales.
Daily break-even calculations
Calculate minimum revenue needed for profitable operation:
Break-even revenue = Fixed daily costs / (1 - Variable cost %)
💡 Example break-even:
Fixed daily costs: €250 (energy, minimal staffing, your time)
Variable costs: 40% (food 30% + miscellaneous 10%)
- Break-even: €250 / (1 - 0.40) = €417
- At €25 average check: 17 covers needed minimum
Serving fewer than 17 guests means you're losing money that day.
Work stress vs. profitability
Excessive work stress directly impacts your bottom line through:
- Mistakes: Wrong orders, increased waste, unhappy customers
- Illness: Overworked staff call out sick more frequently
- Quality decline: Less attention to individual dishes
- High turnover: Staff quit faster under constant pressure
Food cost tracking systems help you quickly identify which days generate actual profit by monitoring daily revenue against costs, enabling smarter opening hour decisions.
How do you calculate profitability per opening day?
Calculate your fixed costs per day
Add up: energy (€50-150), minimal staff (€100-300), yourself (€150-250), and other fixed costs like rent and insurance per day. These are costs you incur regardless of how many guests you have.
Determine your variable cost percentage
Calculate what percentage of your revenue goes to variable costs: food cost (usually 25-35%), extra staff during busy times (5-10%), and other variable costs (5%). Add these up for your total variable cost percentage.
Calculate your break-even revenue per day
Use the formula: Break-even = Fixed costs per day / (1 - Variable costs %). If your break-even is €400 and your average check is €25, you need a minimum of 16 covers to break even.
✨ Pro tip
Track your hourly earnings by day for 6 weeks straight, including all behind-the-scenes work time. You'll discover some days pay you €35 per hour while others barely hit €12 - that data drives smarter scheduling decisions.
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
How do I factor in my own time as a cost?
Calculate what you'd pay a manager or experienced chef (€15-25 hourly). Multiply by your total work hours. These become your 'personal labor costs' included in daily fixed expenses.
What if I only serve 10 covers on quiet days?
Check if those 10 covers hit your break-even point. At €25 per cover that's €250 revenue. If your break-even exceeds this amount, you're losing money and should either close or reduce costs.
How do I prevent closure from driving customers away?
Communicate opening hours clearly through Google, social media and your website. Most guests prefer consistency over chaos. Being reliable five days beats being unpredictable seven days.
Should I include energy costs if refrigeration runs constantly?
Absolutely. But don't count refrigeration since it runs closed or open. Your heating, lighting, ovens and other equipment consume additional energy each operating day. Include all avoidable energy costs from staying closed.
📚 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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