You check the food cost of your menu

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Restaurants that monitor food costs weekly lose an average of 3. 2% more profit than those checking daily. Your margins erode silently while you focus on service, staff, and customers. Here's exactly how often to check and which red flags demand immediate action.

Restaurants that monitor food costs weekly lose an average of 3.2% more profit than those checking daily. Your margins erode silently while you focus on service, staff, and customers. Here's exactly how often to check and which red flags demand immediate action.

Daily check: only your top sellers

Monitor the food cost of your 3 best-selling dishes every day. These generate 60-70% of your revenue, so any margin slip here hits hardest.

? Example daily check:

Restaurant with 3 top sellers:

Steak: yesterday 32% food cost (normally 30%)
Salmon: yesterday 28% food cost (stable)
Pasta: yesterday 25% food cost (stable)

Action: Check why steak became more expensive

This takes 5 minutes daily but prevents weeks of selling at razor-thin margins.

Weekly check: your entire menu

Each week, review all dishes. Suppliers adjust pricing, seasonal ingredients spike, and new additions need validation.

All main courses: Food cost between 28-35%?
Appetizers: Often higher food cost allowed (35-40%)
Desserts: Low food cost (15-25%) compensates for other dishes
Daily specials: Extra attention, often experimental

⚠️ Watch out:

Don't skip dishes you rarely sell. Ingredient prices can spike unnoticed because you use them infrequently.

Monthly check: trends and averages

Monthly reviews reveal the bigger picture. Which direction is your total food cost heading? Where are the most significant shifts occurring?

? Example monthly overview:

Food cost development:

January: 31.2% average
February: 32.8% average
March: 33.5% average

Trend: Rising food cost, action needed

Any upward trend exceeding 2 percentage points demands action: price increases or recipe modifications.

Check immediately in these situations

Certain scenarios require instant monitoring, regardless of your regular schedule:

Supplier raises prices: Immediately review all dishes using those ingredients
Seasonal change: Vegetables and fish can jump 30-50% overnight
New chef: Different portioning habits can destroy your food cost calculations
Complaints about portions: Too small portions? Your food cost target might be unrealistic
Declining profit with stable revenue: Food cost creep is usually the culprit

What do you do about deviations?

From tracking this across dozens of restaurants, you have three main options for high food costs:

Raise the price: Most straightforward, but market conditions matter
Adjust the recipe: Less expensive ingredients, controlled portions
Switch suppliers: Sometimes 10-15% savings are available

? Example price adjustment:

Steak food cost rose from 30% to 35%:

Current price: €32.00 incl. VAT
New ingredient costs: €10.30
For 30% food cost: €10.30 / 0.30 = €34.33 excl. VAT
New menu price: €34.33 × 1.09 = €37.42

Price increase: €5.42 per portion

Digital vs. manual checking

Manual tracking with Excel or paper consumes 2-3 hours weekly for 20 dishes. Plus, calculation errors are inevitable.

Digital systems show current food costs per dish instantly. Update ingredient prices once, and every dish recalculates automatically.

⚠️ Watch out:

Even with software, you must update ingredient prices manually. This doesn't happen automatically.

How do you set up a checking schedule?

Identify your top sellers

Make a list of your 3-5 best-selling dishes. You check these daily because they influence your profit the most.

Set warning limits

Determine the maximum food cost per dish. For example: main courses max 35%, appetizers max 40%. Take immediate action if exceeded.

Create a weekly overview

Schedule 30 minutes each week to check all dishes. Also check whether suppliers have adjusted prices and update your ingredient costs.

✨ Pro tip

Set price alerts at 2% above your target food cost threshold. This gives you a 48-hour window to investigate before margins get seriously damaged.

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Frequently asked questions

Do I really have to check every day?

For your top sellers, absolutely. These 3-5 dishes generate the largest share of your revenue. Weekly checks work fine for everything else.

What if my food cost suddenly spikes?

Immediately identify which ingredients increased. Then adjust prices or modify recipes. Every day you wait costs real money.

How do I catch supplier price increases early?

Scrutinize invoices upon delivery. Many suppliers raise prices without advance notice, especially on meat, fish, and dairy products.

What if every dish shows excessive food cost?

Implement gradual price increases starting with your bestsellers. Most customers won't notice 5-10% increases if rolled out strategically.

ℹ️ This article was prepared based on official sources and professional expertise. While we strive for current and accurate information, the content may differ from the most recent regulations. Always consult the official authorities for binding standards.

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.

8 years kitchen manager at 1NUL8 Group Rotterdam

Expertise: food cost management HACCP kitchen management restaurant operations food safety compliance

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