A charcuterie board with paired wines has a complex cost calculation because you're combining both food and beverage costs. Many hospitality entrepreneurs forget to include drink costs, which means they unknowingly lose money on these popular arrangements. In this article, you'll learn step-by-step how to calculate the total cost price including the right wine pairings.
What is beverage cost on a charcuterie board?
Beverage cost is the percentage of your selling price that goes toward drinks. With a charcuterie board with wine pairing, you combine food cost (cheese, cured meats, nuts) with beverage cost (wines). Together, they shouldn't exceed 35-40% of your selling price.
💡 Example charcuterie board for 2 people:
Selling price: €45.00 incl. 9% VAT (€41.28 excl. VAT)
- Cheese and cured meats: €8.50
- Nuts and garnish: €2.00
- 2 glasses of wine at €3.50: €7.00
Total cost price: €17.50 = 42.4% of revenue
First, calculate the food cost of the charcuterie board
Start with all edible components on your board. Add up literally everything that goes on the plate:
- Cheeses: Calculate per 100 grams per person
- Cured meats: Also per 100 grams per person
- Nuts and olives: Usually 30-50 grams per person
- Bread or crackers: Don't forget this!
- Garnish: Grapes, figs, jam - it all counts
⚠️ Note:
Always calculate with your purchase price per kilo, not per item. A block of cheese costing €15 that you cut into 8 portions costs €1.88 per portion.
Calculate the beverage cost of the wines
For the wine pairing, you calculate per glass that you serve. A standard wine glass is 125ml, and from a 750ml bottle you get 6 glasses.
💡 Example wine calculation:
White wine bottle purchase: €8.50
- Per glass: €8.50 ÷ 6 = €1.42
- Red wine bottle purchase: €12.00
- Per glass: €12.00 ÷ 6 = €2.00
With 1 white + 1 red per person: €3.42 beverage cost
Handle VAT correctly
This is crucial: alcoholic beverages have 21% VAT, food has 9% VAT. With a combined arrangement, you calculate with a mixed VAT rate.
- Food on charcuterie board: 9% VAT
- Wine: 21% VAT
- Your selling price must cover both rates
⚠️ Note:
Many entrepreneurs only calculate with 9% VAT and forget that wine has 21% VAT. This can significantly squeeze your margin.
Calculate total cost price
Add all components together and calculate the percentage of your selling price excl. VAT:
Formula: (Food cost + Beverage cost) ÷ Selling price excl. VAT × 100
💡 Complete calculation:
Charcuterie board €45.00 incl. VAT for 2 people
- Food cost: €10.50
- Beverage cost: €7.00
- Total: €17.50
- Selling price excl. VAT: ±€39.00
Cost price: €17.50 ÷ €39.00 = 44.9%
Optimize your arrangement
A cost price of 45% is too high for most restaurants. Here are your options to improve this:
- Increase selling price: To €52-55 for better margin
- Cheaper wines: Look for wines at €6-8 per bottle
- Smaller portions: 80 grams cheese/meat instead of 100 grams
- Less expensive cheeses: Replace some with cheaper varieties
With an app like KitchenNmbrs you can make these calculations automatically and run different scenarios without Excel.
How do you calculate beverage cost of a charcuterie board? (step by step)
Make a list of all ingredients
Note all cheeses, cured meats, nuts, bread and garnish with exact quantities per person. Don't forget anything - even the olive oil for the bread counts.
Calculate the food cost per component
Divide your purchase price per kilo by the number of portions you get from it. Add all food costs together for the total edible costs.
Calculate the wine costs per glass
Divide your purchase price per bottle by 6 (number of glasses per bottle). Multiply by the number of glasses per person for the total beverage cost.
Add food and beverage cost together
This is your total cost price. Divide by your selling price excluding VAT and multiply by 100 for the cost price percentage.
✨ Pro tip
With wine pairings, always calculate an extra 10% cost price for waste and tasting. A bottle you don't completely finish still costs you the full purchase price.
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
What VAT should I charge on a charcuterie board with wine?
Food has 9% VAT, alcoholic beverages 21% VAT. With a combined arrangement you get a mixed rate. For cost price calculation, always work with the price excluding VAT.
How much wine should I calculate per person?
Standard is 1-2 glasses per person for a charcuterie board. A glass is 125ml, so from one bottle (750ml) you get 6 glasses. Calculate conservatively to prevent waste.
What is an acceptable cost price for a charcuterie board with wine?
Aim for a maximum of 35-40% total cost price. Due to the combination of food and beverage, this is higher than food alone, but above 40% it becomes difficult to be profitable.
Should I include the glass and tableware in the cost price?
No, glassware and tableware are operational costs that you depreciate over time. Only consumable ingredients and drinks count for the cost price calculation.
How do I prevent waste with wine pairings?
Open wines per bottle only if you're sure you'll finish it. Also offer wine by the glass so guests can choose. Store open bottles for a maximum of 3-4 days.
📚 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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