Daily menus should maintain 60-65% gross margins to stay profitable. Most restaurants lose money by ignoring hidden costs like bread, extras, and inconsistent portioning.
Your daily menu should maintain a 60-65% gross margin to stay profitable. Most restaurants lose money on their daily specials because they forget about the hidden costs. Here's how to price yours correctly.
What's a realistic margin on a daily menu?
Daily menus typically run tighter margins than your regular menu. You're using them to draw customers in, but that doesn't mean giving food away.
💡 Standard daily menu margins:
- Food cost: 35-40% (higher than à la carte)
- Gross margin: 60-65%
- Net margin: 8-15% (after all costs)
Compare this to regular menu items with food costs around 28-33%. The higher cost percentage works because you're serving more volume with less labor per plate.
How do you calculate the margin on your daily menu?
Same basic math as any dish, but daily menus have more moving parts. Multiple courses mean multiple cost centers to track.
💡 Example calculation:
3-course daily menu for €32.50 incl. VAT
- Appetizer ingredients: €2.80
- Main course ingredients: €8.90
- Dessert ingredients: €1.60
- Bread and butter: €0.70
Total ingredient costs: €14.00
Selling price excl. VAT: €32.50 / 1.09 = €29.82
Food cost: (€14.00 / €29.82) × 100 = 46.9%
⚠️ Watch out:
Don't forget the little things: bread, butter, amuse, coffee with dessert. These "free" extras can really squeeze your margin.
At what point is your daily menu margin too low?
Once food costs hit 45%, you're in dangerous territory. There's barely enough left to cover wages, rent, and utilities.
- Above 45% food cost: Probably unprofitable
- 40-45% food cost: Tight, but possible
- 35-40% food cost: Healthy margin for a daily menu
- Below 35% food cost: Excellent (but check you're not overpriced)
How do you improve the margin without raising the price?
Price increases aren't your only option. Small adjustments can add up to significant savings over time.
💡 Example optimization:
Main course: Salmon fillet with vegetables
- Was: 180 grams salmon at €28/kg = €5.04
- Now: 160 grams salmon at €28/kg = €4.48
- Extra vegetables: €0.30
Savings per portion: €0.26
At 50 daily menus per week = €676 per year
- Adjust portion size: 10% less meat, 20% more vegetables
- Use cheaper cuts: Stewing meat instead of steak, but prepare it perfectly
- Seasonal vegetables: Cheaper and tastier
- Smart combinations: Expensive fish with cheap vegetables
Daily menu as a marketing tool
Your daily special doesn't need to be your biggest moneymaker. It can work as a loss leader that brings in customers who order wine or return for full-price meals.
⚠️ Watch out:
An unprofitable daily menu is only smart if guests also order wine or come back more often. Otherwise you're just losing money.
Daily menu pricing
Your price point determines what kind of margins you can achieve. From tracking this across dozens of restaurants, here's what works at different price levels:
- €22-26: Simple dishes, food cost max 40%
- €27-32: More luxury ingredients possible, food cost 35-38%
- €33-38: Premium daily menu, food cost 30-35%
- €39+: Almost à la carte level, food cost under 30%
Track your daily menu's food cost in real-time so you can see exactly how different ingredients affect your bottom line.
How do you calculate your daily menu margin? (step by step)
Add up all ingredient costs
Go through all courses of your daily menu and add up all ingredients. Don't forget: bread, butter, oil, spices, garnish. Even the small things count toward your total cost price.
Calculate your selling price excluding VAT
Divide your menu price by 1.09 to get the price excluding 9% VAT. For example: €32.50 divided by 1.09 = €29.82 excluding VAT. Use this amount for further calculations.
Calculate your food cost percentage
Divide your total ingredient costs by your selling price excluding VAT and multiply by 100. For example: €14.00 divided by €29.82 = 46.9% food cost. Aim for a maximum of 40% for a daily menu.
✨ Pro tip
Track your daily menu margin every Wednesday for four weeks straight. If it fluctuates more than 3%, your portion control needs work.
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
Can a daily menu have a higher food cost than à la carte?
Yes, that's completely normal. Daily menus typically run 35-40% food cost while à la carte dishes stay around 28-33%. You make up for this through higher volume and kitchen efficiency.
What if my daily menu food cost hits 45% or higher?
You're losing money on every plate you serve. Either trim portions, swap expensive ingredients for cheaper alternatives, or raise your price. There's no way around it - those numbers don't work.
Should I count bread and butter in my daily menu costs?
Absolutely. These "complimentary" items can cost €0.50-1.00 per guest and destroy your margins if you ignore them. Include everything: bread, butter, amuse-bouche, coffee with dessert.
📚 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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