Right now, five critical numbers are bleeding your restaurant dry. Most owners fixate on revenue while profits vanish through metrics they never monitor. You can change this pattern starting tomorrow morning.
The 5 figures you can't ignore anymore
These numbers determine your profit or loss. You can begin monitoring all of them today.
💡 Example:
Restaurant De Smulhoek tracked these 5 metrics daily for 3 months:
- Food cost per day: dropped from 38% to 31%
- Waste per day: reduced from €45 to €18
- Average check: increased from €28 to €32
Result: €2,400 more profit per month
1. Food cost percentage from yesterday
This percentage shows how much revenue goes to ingredients. Check it every morning for the previous day.
- Formula: (Purchase value of ingredients yesterday / Revenue yesterday excl. VAT) × 100
- Target range: 28-35% for most restaurants
- Action step: Above 35%? Examine which dishes sold heavily
⚠️ Note:
Always calculate using revenue excl. VAT. Your menu prices include 9% VAT, so divide by 1.09.
2. Waste in euros
Count every evening what ended up in the trash. This represents direct profit loss.
- Leftover ingredients you discard
- Failed dishes returned by customers
- Products that expired unused
💡 Example:
Yesterday's waste at Bistro Lekker:
- 500g beef tenderloin (expired): €22
- 1 failed pasta dish: €5
- Wilted lettuce: €3
Total: €30 waste on €1,200 revenue = 2.5%
3. Average check per guest
This metric reveals whether guests are ordering more or spending less.
- Formula: Total revenue yesterday / Number of covers
- Trend matters: Is it climbing or declining?
- Action step: If dropping: examine side dish and drink sales
4. Number of covers vs. last week
Compare each day with the same day from last week. Monday against Monday, Tuesday against Tuesday.
💡 Example:
Wednesday February 14 vs. Wednesday February 7:
- This week: 78 covers
- Last week: 85 covers
- Difference: -7 covers (-8%)
Identify the cause: bad weather, competitor promotion, fewer reservations?
5. Inventory value in cooler and freezer
Check weekly (say, every Monday) what's stored in your cooler and freezer. Something most kitchen managers discover too late: their inventory swings wildly because they never measured it.
- Count the purchase value of all products
- Rising every week? You're buying too much
- Dropping too fast? You lack adequate buffer
⚠️ Note:
High inventory ties up money and increases spoilage risk. Target 3-5 days of inventory.
How long does this take per day?
Checking these 5 metrics requires maximum 15 minutes daily:
- 5 minutes: Calculate food cost
- 3 minutes: Total up waste
- 2 minutes: Calculate average check
- 3 minutes: Compare covers
- 2 minutes: Record notes
What do you do with these figures?
Perfect numbers aren't the goal—spotting trends is. If your food cost climbs three consecutive days, you investigate why.
💡 Example signals:
- Food cost rises 3 days → Did supplier increase prices?
- Waste spikes on weekends → Over-buying for busy periods?
- Average check drops → Fewer side dish orders?
- Covers decline → New competitor or seasonal shift?
Digital vs. on paper
You can track this on paper, but digital offers advantages:
- Automatic calculations (no calculator required)
- View trends through graphs
- Quick access to previous weeks' data
- Available on your phone anytime
An app like KitchenNmbrs calculates these metrics automatically once you enter daily purchases and revenue. Then you just monitor the trends.
How do you start today? (step by step)
Choose one figure to start with
Start with food cost percentage. This has the biggest impact on your profit. Calculate it for yesterday: divide your purchase costs by your revenue excl. VAT and multiply by 100.
Make a simple list
Write down the 5 figures you're going to track on a piece of paper. Hang it by your register or in the kitchen where you see it every day. Starting simple works better than a complicated system.
Plan a fixed time
Choose a fixed time, for example every morning at 10:00 or every evening after closing. Set an alarm on your phone. After 2 weeks it becomes automatic.
✨ Pro tip
Pick your 3 highest-revenue days from last week and calculate their food cost percentages within the next 2 hours. You'll spot patterns you've been missing for months.
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 if my food cost exceeds 35%?
Don't panic immediately. First verify you're calculating with prices excl. VAT. Then examine your 3 top-selling dishes and calculate their individual food costs. Often one high-cost dish skews everything.
How do I track waste if my kitchen staff forgets to record it?
Make it part of closing duties—no one leaves until waste is logged. Post a simple form by the trash bin. Start with just counting expensive proteins and produce over €5 value.
Should I compare covers to last year instead of last week?
Last week is more useful for immediate decisions. Seasonal changes make year-over-year comparisons less actionable for daily management, though they're valuable for long-term planning.
📚 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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