Picture this: your accountant stops asking you to explain every number on your food cost report because they actually understand your dashboard. Most restaurant owners create tracking systems that make perfect sense to them but leave their accountant scratching their head. The solution lies in building your dashboard around the financial structure your accountant already knows.
Start with the basic structure every accountant recognizes
Your accountant thinks in categories that align with the profit and loss statement. Build your dashboard around familiar concepts like revenue, cost of goods sold, and gross margin.
? Example dashboard layout:
- Total revenue (excl. VAT): €45,000
- Total food cost: €13,500
- Food cost percentage: 30%
- Gross margin food: €31,500 (70%)
- Number of covers: 1,800
- Average check: €25.00
Distinguish between food and beverage
Split your dashboard into food and beverage because they have different margins and your accountant makes this distinction in the administration too. Alcohol has a lower cost percentage but falls under 21% VAT.
? Example food vs. beverage:
- Food revenue: €32,000 (food cost 30%)
- Beverage revenue: €13,000 (pour cost 22%)
- Total: €45,000
Your accountant immediately sees that beverages are more profitable.
Add comparisons with previous periods
Show not just current figures, but also comparison with the previous month and the same time last year. This helps your accountant spot trends and recognize seasonal patterns.
- This month vs. previous month
- This month vs. same time last year
- Year-to-date vs. last year
Track your top 5 dishes separately
Your accountant wants to know where you make money. Create a separate section with your 5 highest-revenue dishes and their individual food cost. This demonstrates that you have control over your main revenue sources - something most kitchen managers discover too late when trying to explain profit fluctuations.
? Top 5 dishes overview:
- Steak: 180 sold, food cost 32%
- Salmon: 150 sold, food cost 28%
- Pasta: 120 sold, food cost 25%
- Burger: 110 sold, food cost 30%
- Chicken: 95 sold, food cost 26%
⚠️ Important:
Always work with prices excluding VAT for your food cost calculations. Your accountant also always calculates excluding VAT for profit margins.
Add explanations for variances
If your food cost suddenly jumps from 28% to 35%, note why. This could be due to supplier price increases, different recipes, or more waste. Your accountant appreciates this context.
- Supplier raised beef prices by 15%
- Chef gave 20% larger portions during busy week
- More waste due to poor weekend forecast
Use consistent period divisions
Always report over the same periods: week, month, and quarter. Your accountant also creates quarterly reports and annual statements, so this division fits their workflow.
? Standard reporting rhythm:
- Weekly: food cost check on top 5 dishes
- Monthly: complete dashboard with all figures
- Quarterly: trend analysis and year-over-year comparison
How do you build an accountant-friendly food cost dashboard?
Gather your basic data per period
Pull from your POS system the total revenue excl. VAT, number of covers, and average check value. Split this into food and beverage if you have different margins.
Calculate your food cost percentage per category
Divide your total food cost by your food revenue excl. VAT and multiply by 100. Do the same for beverages (pour cost). Round to 1 decimal place.
Add comparison figures and context
Next to each current figure, show the difference from the previous month and same period last year. Add a brief explanation for major variances (>3 percentage points).
Create a top 5 dishes overview
List your 5 best-selling dishes with quantity sold and individual food cost percentage. This shows which dishes are profitable or costly.
Set a fixed reporting rhythm
Schedule weekly quick checks and monthly full updates. Share the dashboard with your accountant before your monthly meeting.
✨ Pro tip
Update your dashboard exactly 3 days before each monthly accountant meeting. This gives you 72 hours to spot any obvious errors and prepare explanations for unusual variances.
Calculate this yourself?
In the KitchenNmbrs app you can do this in just a few clicks. 7 days free, no credit card.
Was this article helpful?
Frequently asked questions
What figures does my accountant always want to see?
Should I distinguish between food and beverage?
How often should I update the dashboard?
What if my food cost suddenly becomes much higher?
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.
More in this category
Related questions
Explore more topics
Automate your daily kitchen controls
Manual controls take time and miss errors. KitchenNmbrs automates temperature logging, inventory management, and HACCP checks. Try it free for 14 days.
Start free trial →