The ratio between food and beverages partly determines your profitability. Beverages often have higher margins than dishes, making a good mix crucial for your results. In this article you'll learn what a healthy ratio is and how to optimize it.
What is a healthy food-beverage ratio?
For most restaurants, a healthy ratio is around 70% food and 30% beverages in revenue. This varies by type of establishment:
- Fine dining: 65-75% food, 25-35% beverages
- Bistro/brasserie: 70-80% food, 20-30% beverages
- Café with kitchen: 50-60% food, 40-50% beverages
- Wine bar: 40-50% food, 50-60% beverages
💡 Example:
Restaurant with €500,000 annual revenue:
- Food: €350,000 (70%)
- Beverages: €150,000 (30%)
This is a healthy ratio for a casual dining restaurant.
Why beverages are important for your profit
Beverages typically have much higher margins than dishes. While your food cost often falls between 28-35%, beverage purchases are usually only 20-25% of the selling price.
💡 Example margins:
- Main course: 32% food cost = 68% margin
- Glass of wine: 22% purchase = 78% margin
- Beer: 20% purchase = 80% margin
- Soft drink: 15% purchase = 85% margin
Every additional beverage increases your overall margin.
How do you calculate your current ratio?
You can calculate this in two ways: per day or over a longer period.
Daily revenue formula:
Food % = (Food revenue / Total revenue) × 100
Beverage % = (Beverage revenue / Total revenue) × 100
💡 Example calculation:
Yesterday you sold:
- Food: €2,400
- Beverages: €800
- Total: €3,200
Food: (€2,400 / €3,200) × 100 = 75%
Beverages: (€800 / €3,200) × 100 = 25%
⚠️ Note:
Always calculate with amounts excluding VAT for a fair comparison. Food has 9% VAT, alcoholic beverages 21%.
What if your ratio is off?
If your beverage sales are too low (below 20%), you're probably losing profit. These are common causes:
- No active selling: Staff doesn't ask about beverages
- Limited wine list: Too few options per price range
- Poor wine-food pairings: No advice with dishes
- High prices: Beverages too expensive compared to food
Tips to increase your beverage sales
A few practical ways to sell more beverages:
- Train your staff: Have them always offer an aperitif and digestif
- Suggestive selling: "This white wine pairs perfectly with the salmon"
- Visible wine list: Place it on the table as standard
- Price per glass: Offer expensive wines by the glass too
- Special beverages: House cocktails or local beers
💡 Impact example:
Restaurant with 100 covers/day, 6 days/week:
- Now: 1 beverage per 3 guests = €5 extra per day
- Goal: 1 beverage per 2 guests = €7.50 extra per day
- Difference: €2.50 × 600 days = €1,500/year extra
Seasons and day parts
The ratio can vary by time of day:
- Lunch: Often more food (80%) vs beverages (20%)
- Dinner: More beverages possible (65% food, 35% beverages)
- Weekend: Usually more beverage sales
- Summer: More terrace sales = more beverages
⚠️ Note:
Measure your ratio over at least one month. One busy happy hour day can skew your weekly figures.
How do you optimize your food-beverage ratio?
Measure your current ratio
Track your daily food and beverage revenue for 4 weeks. Calculate the average percentage. This is your starting point.
Analyze your beverage sales by time of day
Check when you sell the least beverages: lunch, early evening, or certain days. That's where your biggest opportunity lies.
Train your team in suggestive selling
Teach your staff to recommend a suitable beverage with each dish. Make this part of your standard service.
Adjust your menu
Ensure you have beverages in every price range. Offer expensive wines by the glass too so they become more accessible.
Measure the results
Check after 4 weeks if your ratio has improved. Calculate how much extra profit this has generated.
✨ Pro tip
Check your ratio by day part separately. Often there's still profit to be made at lunch with coffee and tea, while in the evening you can focus more on wine and aperitifs.
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 if my beverage sales are too high (above 40%)?
Then you risk guests seeing you as a café rather than a restaurant. Check if your dishes are attractively priced and offer enough variety.
Should I include VAT in this calculation?
For a pure comparison, it's better to calculate excluding VAT, since food (9%) and alcohol (21%) have different rates. Including VAT also gives a good picture of your till.
How often should I check this ratio?
Check it weekly, but assess trends over at least one month. Seasons, weather, and events can strongly affect daily figures.
What is the ideal ratio for a lunch restaurant?
For lunch, the ratio is often around 80-85% food and 15-20% beverages. Lunch guests drink less alcohol, but more coffee, tea, and soft drinks.
Can I raise my beverage prices to improve the margin?
Careful increases are possible, but watch that you don't exceed the local level. Better to stimulate sales than to raise prices.
How do I calculate the impact on my profit?
Multiply the difference in beverage percentage by your annual revenue and the extra margin. For example: 5% more beverages × €300,000 revenue × 25% extra margin = €3,750 extra profit.
📚 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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