? Knowledge base category

Basic knowledge and formulas

Learn the fundamental formulas and calculation methods for hospitality.

How do I link my cash register figures to my food cost?

Your cash register tracks revenue, but that's only half the story. You need to connect those sales figures to your actual ingredient costs to see which dishes t...

⏱️ 3 min read 👁️ 192 📅 22 Feb 2026
Read more →

How do I calculate my margin when a delivery platform...

Most restaurant owners don't realize they're losing money on every delivery order. You calculate margins based on your regular prices, but forget that Uber Eats...

⏱️ 3 min read 👁️ 192 📅 21 Feb 2026
Read more →

What's the difference between gross margin and net margin?

Your restaurant could be bleeding money even with perfect ingredient costs. Gross margin shows profit after direct costs like ingredients, while net margin reve...

⏱️ 2 min read 👁️ 192 📅 21 Feb 2026
Read more →

How do I check if my purchases match my revenue?

Checking if your purchases match revenue is like balancing a checkbook – except the stakes are your restaurant's survival. Most owners watch their sales religio...

⏱️ 3 min read 👁️ 191 📅 21 Feb 2026
Read more →

How do I make my restaurant less dependent on gut...

Running a restaurant on instinct alone drains your profits faster than you realize. You estimate dish costs, guess at profitability, and cross your fingers for...

⏱️ 4 min read 👁️ 189 📅 22 Feb 2026
Read more →

How do I recognize from my numbers that I have room to...

Running a restaurant is like driving a car - just because the speedometer shows high numbers doesn't mean the engine is healthy. Four financial indicators revea...

⏱️ 3 min read 👁️ 189 📅 22 Feb 2026
Read more →

How do I determine the price of a new burger on my menu?

Most restaurant owners admit they've priced at least one menu item by gut feeling alone. You glance at competitors' prices, tack on a few euros, and cross your...

⏱️ 2 min read 👁️ 189 📅 22 Feb 2026
Read more →

When is your food cost healthy for your restaurant?

I've watched countless restaurant owners discover they're hemorrhaging money through food costs they never properly calculated. Your food cost percentage determ...

⏱️ 3 min read 👁️ 189 📅 21 Feb 2026
Read more →

How do I calculate food cost when there are often leftovers?

Leftovers and waste make food cost calculation tricky. You buy ingredients for 100 portions, but only sell 80. Your actual cost per portion jumps higher than ex...

⏱️ 3 min read 👁️ 189 📅 21 Feb 2026
Read more →

What's the risk if you don't know which dishes are...

Are you serving customers all day but barely breaking even at month's end? If you don't know which dishes are profitable, you're flying blind on revenue while p...

⏱️ 3 min read 👁️ 188 📅 22 Feb 2026
Read more →

How do I determine my desired margin per dish?

Setting your dish margins is like tuning a guitar - get it wrong and the whole performance falls flat. Too low and you're bleeding money with every order, too h...

⏱️ 3 min read 👁️ 188 📅 21 Feb 2026
Read more →

How often should you recalculate your dish food costs?

A 5% unnoticed food cost increase can wipe out €15,000 in annual profit for an average restaurant. Your dish costs shift weekly as suppliers adjust prices, seas...

⏱️ 3 min read 👁️ 188 📅 21 Feb 2026
Read more →

What is a good margin on group arrangements?

Too many restaurants lose money on group bookings without realizing it. The hidden costs of arrangements eat away at profits faster than you'd expect. A healthy...

⏱️ 2 min read 👁️ 188 📅 21 Feb 2026
Read more →

What all falls under prime cost in my kitchen?

Are you tracking the one number that makes or breaks restaurant profitability? Most restaurant owners obsess over food costs while their labor expenses quietly...

⏱️ 3 min read 👁️ 188 📅 21 Feb 2026
Read more →

How do I calculate the cost price of a platter with...

Building a profitable platter is like assembling a puzzle - every piece needs precise placement and pricing. Calculating cost prices for platters gets tricky si...

⏱️ 3 min read 👁️ 187 📅 22 Feb 2026
Read more →

How do I link my inventory management to my margins?

Your inventory numbers directly control your profit margins. Most restaurant owners track stock levels but never connect those figures to actual profitability....

⏱️ 3 min read 👁️ 187 📅 22 Feb 2026
Read more →

How do I set prices when working with market prices?

Most restaurant owners struggle with pricing because they copy competitors without knowing their own costs first. You might think you're being competitive, but...

⏱️ 3 min read 👁️ 187 📅 22 Feb 2026
Read more →

What is a good margin on a wine pairing?

Most restaurants think wine pairing margins are just about the bottle cost - that's completely wrong. Your pairing profitability depends on hidden costs like ex...

⏱️ 2 min read 👁️ 187 📅 21 Feb 2026
Read more →

What is a normal food cost for a fine dining restaurant?

Fine dining food costs eat into profits faster than most restaurateurs realize. Most fine dining establishments maintain their food cost between 28% and 35%, wi...

⏱️ 3 min read 👁️ 187 📅 21 Feb 2026
Read more →

How do I make reviewing my numbers a fixed part of my...

A bistro owner in Dublin discovered €1,200 was vanishing monthly through tiny leaks he couldn't spot. Extra portions here, forgotten vegetables there, gradual s...

⏱️ 5 min read 👁️ 186 📅 22 Feb 2026
Read more →

🔥 Most read in this category

The most viewed articles in Basic knowledge and formulas

1
What is food cost in a restaurant?
⏱️ 2 min · 👁️ 1,503 times read
Read →
2
How can I see if my profit comes mainly from drinks or food?
⏱️ 3 min · 👁️ 724 times read
Read →
3
What is prime cost in the hospitality industry?
⏱️ 3 min · 👁️ 536 times read
Read →

Related categories

Discover more about related topics

?

Recipes, knowledge & memory

View articles → 249
?

Financial KPIs & management

View articles → 199
?

Menu psychology & menu engineering

View articles → 246
?

Labor cost, P&L & break-even

View articles → 321
View all articles in the category Basic knowledge and formulas. (351)
Disclaimer & terms of use