87% of restaurant failures stem from poor cost control and disconnected kitchen operations. You buy without knowing what it means for your menu, you plan without knowing your actual costs. These three puzzle pieces need to work together for maximum clarity.
Why separate systems don't work
Many kitchens operate like this: purchasing in Excel, planning on paper, menu in Word. The result? Nobody knows if the price on the menu still matches what you're buying.
⚠️ Watch out:
If your supplier raises beef prices by 15%, but you don't update your menu, you lose money on every steak you sell.
The three pillars of kitchen management
To get control of your kitchen, you need to connect three things:
- Purchasing: What do you pay for ingredients?
- Planning: How much will you use?
- Menu: What do you charge for it?
Only by comparing these three can you see if your dishes remain profitable.
Step 1: Centralize your purchasing prices
Stop using separate Excel files per supplier. Put all prices in one overview. For each ingredient you want to know:
- Current purchasing price per kg/liter
- Last price update
- Which supplier
- Minimum order quantity
💡 Example:
Beef entrecote:
- Purchasing price: €28.50/kg
- Update: January 15, 2025
- Supplier: Van der Berg Meat
- Minimum: 5 kg
Step 2: Link planning to purchasing
Your planning needs to align with what you buy. Create an overview of:
- Expected sales per dish this week
- Required ingredients per dish
- Total purchasing needed
- Current inventory
This prevents buying too much or running short.
💡 Example planning:
Steak this week:
- Expected sales: 40 portions
- Per portion: 250g entrecote
- Total needed: 10 kg
- Current inventory: 3 kg
- Must order: 7 kg
Step 3: Check your menu prices
Now that you know what ingredients cost, you can check if your menu is still accurate. Calculate for each dish:
- Current ingredient costs
- Food cost percentage
- Minimum selling price
- Current menu price
Food cost formula: (Ingredient costs / Selling price excl. VAT) × 100
💡 Example calculation:
Steak on menu: €32.00 incl. VAT
- Selling price excl. VAT: €29.36
- Ingredient costs: €10.80
- Food cost: 36.8%
This is too high! Aim for max 33%.
Digital vs. manual tracking
You can do this manually in Excel, but it takes considerable time. Every price change needs to be entered in multiple files. If you forget one file, your numbers won't match anymore.
From tracking this across dozens of restaurants, I've seen manual systems fail repeatedly during busy periods. A system like tools automatically links purchasing, planning, and menu. Change a purchasing price, and you immediately see the effect on your food cost and menu prices.
Weekly check routine
Make it a routine to check weekly:
- Are there price changes from suppliers?
- Does your planning match actual sales?
- Are there dishes with food cost above 35%?
- Do you need to adjust menu prices?
⚠️ Watch out:
Suppliers often raise prices without you noticing right away. Check your purchasing prices at least once a month.
Benefits of one overview
Linking purchasing, planning, and menu gives you:
- Real-time insight: You immediately see what price changes mean
- Better planning: You buy exactly what you need
- Correct prices: Your menu stays profitable
- Less stress: No more surprises
It takes some time to set up, but it ultimately saves you hours per week and ensures you don't lose money due to outdated prices.
How do you link purchasing, planning, and menu? (step by step)
Gather all current purchasing prices
Create one overview of all ingredients with current prices, supplier, and last update. Check with each supplier if there have been recent price changes.
Calculate ingredient costs per dish
Add up what all ingredients cost for each dish: main ingredient, garnish, sauce, oil, everything that goes on the plate. Don't forget anything, not even the smallest ingredients.
Check your food cost percentage
Divide ingredient costs by selling price excl. VAT and multiply by 100. If you're above 35%, you need to raise your selling price or lower ingredient costs.
Plan your purchasing based on expected sales
Estimate how much of each dish you'll sell this week. Calculate how many ingredients you need for that and subtract your current inventory.
Create a weekly check routine
Check your purchasing prices, food cost percentages, and whether your planning matched actual sales each week. Adjust your menu prices where needed.
✨ Pro tip
Review your top 8 dishes every Tuesday morning for 15 minutes. This weekly habit catches price discrepancies before they impact your monthly profit margins.
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
How often should I update my purchasing prices?
Check at least once a month whether suppliers have adjusted prices. Some products (fish, vegetables) can change weekly. Make agreements with suppliers to notify you of price changes in advance.
What if my food cost is above 35%?
Then you have two options: raise your selling price or lower ingredient costs. First check if your portions aren't too large or if you can replace expensive ingredients with cheaper alternatives.
Can't I just estimate this without calculating?
Estimating often goes wrong. A difference of 2 percentage points in food cost means €10,000 per year difference on €500,000 turnover. That's too much to guess about.
Do I need to do this for all dishes?
Start with your 5 best-selling dishes. They make up 80% of your turnover. Once those are sorted, you've solved the biggest part of your problem.
How do I prevent buying too much?
Link your purchasing to your planning. Calculate how much you realistically will sell and buy just a bit more than that. Better to sell out once than have a lot of waste.
What do I do if suppliers suddenly raise prices?
Immediately calculate the effect on your food cost. If it goes above 35%, raise your menu price or find an alternative supplier. Don't wait until the end of the month.
How do I handle seasonal price fluctuations for ingredients?
Track seasonal patterns for 12 months to predict price swings. Build buffer margins into dishes with volatile ingredients like seafood or specialty produce. Adjust portions or substitute ingredients during peak price periods.
📚 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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