Your menu has hidden profit winners and losers that only surface through systematic comparison. Calculate food cost percentages for each dish within price categories to identify which offerings actually make money and which ones drain profits.
Restaurants lose an average of €15,000 annually by not tracking which dishes actually make money. Your menu has hidden winners and losers, and the only way to spot them is through systematic food cost comparison. Calculate each dish's food cost percentage to reveal your most profitable offerings.
Why compare dishes on food cost?
Your menu consists of winners and losers. A dish with 25% food cost earns much more than a dish with 40% food cost at the same selling price. By comparing systematically, you'll see:
- Which dishes generate too little profit
- Where you can raise prices
- Which dishes you can promote
- Where you can replace ingredients
The basics: calculating food cost percentage
For a fair comparison, calculate the food cost percentage for each dish:
Food cost % = (Ingredient costs / Selling price excl. VAT) × 100
💡 Example:
You compare three main courses:
- Steak: €32.00 (€29.36 excl. VAT) - ingredients €9.50 = 32.4%
- Salmon: €28.00 (€25.69 excl. VAT) - ingredients €7.20 = 28.0%
- Pasta: €18.50 (€16.97 excl. VAT) - ingredients €5.10 = 30.1%
Winner: Salmon with 28.0% food cost
Compare within the same price range
Make fair comparisons within similar price ranges. Don't compare an €8 appetizer with a €32 main course.
Create groups:
- Appetizers: €6 - €12
- Main courses: €18 - €35
- Desserts: €6 - €10
- Lunch: €8 - €16
Pay attention to popularity and profitability
A dish with low food cost only matters if it actually sells. This is one of the most common blind spots in kitchen management - focusing solely on percentages without considering volume. Combine food cost with sales numbers:
💡 Example comparison:
Two main courses in the same week:
- Steak: 32.4% food cost - 45 sold - profit per portion €19.86
- Salmon: 28.0% food cost - 62 sold - profit per portion €18.49
Total profit steak: 45 × €19.86 = €893.70
Total profit salmon: 62 × €18.49 = €1,146.38
Salmon generates more profit due to higher sales
Signals for action
After comparing, you'll know which dishes need attention:
⚠️ Watch out:
Dishes above 35% food cost often earn too little. Check if your price is too low or ingredients are too expensive.
- Food cost > 35%: Raise price or buy cheaper
- Food cost < 25%: Opportunity to increase portion size or upgrade ingredients
- Poor sales + high food cost: Consider removing from menu
- Good sales + low food cost: Promote and highlight
Making comparisons easier
Food cost calculators show all your dishes side by side. You can sort by food cost percentage, popularity or total profit. This way you spot which dishes need attention within 2 minutes, without manual calculations.
How do you compare dishes on food cost? (step by step)
Calculate food cost for each dish
Make a list of your dishes. Calculate for each dish: ingredient costs divided by selling price excl. VAT, times 100. Always use the price excluding VAT for a fair comparison.
Group dishes by category
Divide your dishes into groups: appetizers, main courses, desserts and lunch. Compare only within the same group, because price levels differ per category.
Sort by food cost percentage
Rank each group from low to high food cost percentage. Dishes under 25% are very profitable, above 35% may earn too little.
Combine with sales numbers
Look at how many of each dish you sell per week. A dish with low food cost but few sales generates less than a popular dish with slightly higher food cost.
Determine actions per dish
Dishes above 35% food cost: raise price or buy cheaper. Popular dishes with low food cost: promote. Poor sellers with high food cost: consider removing.
✨ Pro tip
Compare your weekend specials against regular menu items with similar ingredients - specials often have inflated food costs because chefs get creative without checking margins first.
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 I compare all dishes with each other?
No, compare only within the same category. Appetizers with appetizers, main courses with main courses. Different price levels make comparison between categories unfair.
What is a good food cost for main courses?
For restaurants, a typical food cost is between 28% and 35%. Below 25% is very good, above 35% often means too little profit. These are guidelines, not absolute rules.
What if my best-selling dish has high food cost?
Then you have two options: raise the price or buy cheaper. Test carefully with small price increases. If it's popular, guests often accept a slightly higher price.
How do I handle seasonal price fluctuations in comparisons?
Recalculate food costs monthly, especially for dishes with seasonal ingredients like asparagus or game. Create separate comparisons for peak season versus off-season to maintain accurate profitability rankings.
📚 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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