Every month, restaurant owners sit across from hospitality coaches discussing problems they can't quantify. You'll transform these vague conversations into actionable sessions by bringing concrete food cost data. Numbers don't lie—and they give your coach the foundation needed to craft solutions that actually work.
Why food cost data transforms coaching sessions
Most restaurant owners enter coaching sessions armed with frustration but lacking facts. You mention struggling with profitability, but can't pinpoint exactly where money's bleeding out. Food cost data shifts this dynamic completely—suddenly you're presenting evidence instead of emotions.
💡 Example:
Instead of: "My steak doesn't make enough money"
You say: "My steak has 38% food cost, while the benchmark is 30-33%. That costs me €2,400 per month."
Essential food cost metrics for coaching
Collect these specific numbers before your coaching session:
- Food cost per dish of your 10 best-selling items
- Average food cost across all dishes
- Ingredient costs per category (meat, fish, vegetables, dairy)
- Trimming loss percentages of expensive ingredients
- Portion costs of your signature dishes
Structuring your data presentation
Build a clear overview of your 5 top-performing dishes using these columns:
- Dish name
- Selling price excl. VAT
- Ingredient costs
- Food cost percentage
- Number sold per month
- Impact on total profit
💡 Example overview:
- Steak: €29.36 - €11.20 - 38% - 120x - €1,392 loss
- Salmon: €23.85 - €7.15 - 30% - 80x - €0 problem
- Pasta: €16.97 - €4.25 - 25% - 200x - €0 problem
Conclusion: Steak is the problem, not the entire menu
Spotting trends that matter
Examine developments from the past 3-6 months—a pattern we see repeatedly in restaurant financials shows that current snapshots miss the bigger picture:
- Have ingredient prices increased? By how much percent?
- Have you adjusted your menu prices? And exactly when?
- Which suppliers raised prices?
- Which dishes are experiencing rising food costs?
⚠️ Note:
Many entrepreneurs only have current numbers, but trends are more important. A coach can only give advice once he sees how your numbers are moving.
Frame specific questions for your coach
Don't just dump data—arrive with targeted questions that demand actionable answers:
- "My food cost is 35%, benchmark is 30%. Do I raise prices or lower costs?"
- "Supplier increased by 15%, I increased by 8%. How do I make up the difference?"
- "Which dishes should I remove from the menu based on these numbers?"
- "How often should I update my food costs?"
Digital tools vs. Excel
Most coaches prefer working with clean data rather than complicated Excel sheets. Apps automatically generate the overviews coaches need, eliminating manual calculations that eat up valuable session time.
💡 Example:
Coach asks: "What's your average food cost?"
With Excel: 20 minutes searching and calculating
With app: 10 seconds, directly on screen
Converting advice into action
Coaches provide direction, but execution falls on you. Ensure you:
- Document concrete action items with deadlines
- Schedule follow-up sessions
- Establish systems to track progress
- Create methods to measure change impact
How do you prepare food cost data? (step by step)
Gather basic data from your top dishes
Make a list of your 10 best-selling dishes. Note per dish: selling price excl. VAT, total ingredient costs and number sold per month. This gives your coach immediate insight into where you're making or losing money.
Calculate food cost percentages and impact
Divide ingredient costs by selling price excl. VAT and multiply by 100 for the percentage. Then calculate the monthly impact: (actual food cost - desired food cost) × selling price × number sold. This shows your coach which dishes are costing you the most money.
Analyze trends from the last 6 months
Compare your current food cost with 3 and 6 months ago. Note which suppliers raised prices and by how much percent. These trends help your coach understand whether it's a structural or temporary problem.
✨ Pro tip
Prepare your top 8 dishes' food cost percentages from the past 90 days in a single-page summary. Having this ready transforms a 2-hour coaching session into focused problem-solving instead of number-hunting.
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 food cost data is most important for a coach?
Food cost percentages of your best-selling dishes and trends over the last 6 months. These two numbers tell the whole story of your profitability.
Do I need to calculate all dishes for a coaching conversation?
No, focus on your 10 best-selling dishes. These represent 80% of your revenue and profit. You can tackle the rest later.
How often should I update my food cost data?
At least once a month for your top dishes, and immediately after every supplier price increase. Outdated data leads to wrong advice from your coach.
What if my food cost data doesn't match my gut feeling?
Then you've probably overlooked something in your calculation. Check whether you've included all ingredients, including oil, spices and garnish.
Should I bring theoretical food costs or actual waste-adjusted numbers?
Always bring waste-adjusted actual costs. Theoretical recipe costs ignore trimming losses, spoilage, and over-portioning that happen in real kitchens.
How do I present seasonal menu items with limited sales history?
Focus on ingredient cost trends and similar dish performance from previous seasons. If it's completely new, use comparable dishes as benchmarks for the discussion.
What's the ideal timeframe for food cost trend analysis?
Six months gives the clearest picture of patterns without getting lost in daily fluctuations. Three months minimum if you've had recent major supplier changes.
⚠️ EU Regulation 1169/2011 — Allergen Information — https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2011/1169/oj
The allergen information on this page is based on EU Regulation 1169/2011. Recipes and ingredients may vary by supplier. Always verify current allergen information with your supplier and communicate this correctly to your guests. KitchenNmbrs is not liable for allergic reactions.
In the UK, the FSA enforces allergen regulations under the Food Information Regulations 2014.
📚 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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