A dish that consistently underperforms eats into your profit. Instead of panic or guesswork, you need a short, sharp team meeting. With the right questions you'll quickly find the cause and take immediate action.
The 5 crucial questions for your team
When a dish consistently underperforms, ask these questions in order:
💡 Example team meeting:
"Our steak is at 38% food cost, that's too high. Let's check:"
- Is the weight correct? (200g or 250g?)
- What garnish goes with it?
- How much sauce per portion?
- Has the supplier price gone up?
"In 10 minutes we've found the cause."
1. "Is the weight we're serving correct?"
The most common cause: portions that are too generous. Ask your chef and sous-chef:
- How many grams of meat/fish go on the plate?
- Do we weigh it or estimate?
- Does this vary per cook?
- Have portions gotten bigger than planned?
⚠️ Watch out:
50 grams extra meat per portion costs you €1,000+ per year extra at 100 portions per week.
2. "What exactly goes on the plate?"
Inventory all ingredients you might have forgotten:
- What garnish exactly?
- How much sauce per portion?
- What oil/butter for cooking?
- Herbs, spices, salt?
- Decoration, microgreens, edible flowers?
Restaurants often forget the "small" things that add up considerably.
3. "Are our purchase prices still current?"
Suppliers regularly raise prices, but many kitchens don't update their cost calculations:
- When did we last check the prices?
- Which supplier delivers this product?
- What was the old price, what's the new one?
- Have we checked alternative suppliers?
💡 Example price increase:
Beef rose from €18/kg to €22/kg (+22%)
- Old cost per steak 200g: €3.60
- New cost per steak 200g: €4.40
- Difference per portion: €0.80
At 50 steaks per week: €2,080 per year difference!
4. "Have we accounted for trimming loss correctly?"
With fresh products you process yourself, check the actual yield:
- How much usable meat do we get from a whole fish?
- What's our actual trimming loss with vegetables?
- Do our yields still match practice?
- Does this vary per supplier or season?
5. "What's our target for this dish?"
Determine together what you want to achieve:
- What food cost do we want to reach?
- Can we raise the selling price?
- Do we need to adjust the portion?
- Is there a cheaper alternative ingredient?
- Does quality stay at the right level?
Take action immediately after the meeting
Once you've found the cause, take action right away:
✅ Action plan:
- Weigh portions for 3 days
- Update cost calculation with correct figures
- Communicate new portion size to team
- Schedule check-in in 2 weeks
With a system like KitchenNmbrs you see the effect of adjustments on your food cost immediately, without having to calculate yourself.
How do you organize an effective team meeting? (step by step)
Prepare the figures
Gather the current food cost, sales figures and latest cost calculation for the dish beforehand. This way you won't waste time during the meeting searching for information.
Keep the meeting short and focused
Plan a maximum of 15 minutes. Ask the 5 questions systematically and note the answers. Avoid discussions about other topics.
Make concrete agreements
End with concrete actions: who does what, when do we check the results. Schedule a follow-up meeting within 2 weeks to discuss progress.
✨ Pro tip
Keep a 'food cost logbook' where you note when you've checked which dishes and what you've adjusted. This prevents problems from returning unnoticed.
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 hold this kind of meeting?
Check your 5 best-selling dishes monthly. If a dish's food cost deviates 3% or more from your target, schedule a quick meeting right away.
What if my team doesn't know the cause?
Then measure for a week and weigh all portions and ingredients. Actually weigh what goes on each plate. You'll often see immediately where the difference is.
Do I need to do this for every underperforming dish?
Start with your best-selling dishes. They have the biggest impact on your total profit. A dish you sell 5 times a month has lower priority.
How do I communicate adjustments to my team?
Explain why it's necessary and what it delivers. For example: '50 grams less meat per steak saves us €2,000 per year, without quality loss.'
What if food cost becomes too high due to price increases?
You have three options: raise the selling price, adjust the portion, or find a cheaper ingredient. Calculate the impact of each option before deciding.
📚 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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