Most restaurant owners think they need to monitor every menu item equally. But your top ten dishes actually drive 80% of your profit. A focused 30-minute weekly routine beats scattered daily checks every time.
Why your top ten dishes specifically?
Your bestsellers aren't just popular—they're your financial backbone. These 10 dishes typically generate 70-80% of total revenue. And if even one has margin problems? You'll see it immediately in your bottom line.
💡 Example:
Restaurant with 1000 covers per month:
- Steak (120× sold): 12% of all orders
- Salmon (100× sold): 10% of all orders
- Pasta carbonara (90× sold): 9% of all orders
These 3 dishes alone: 31% of your total revenue.
One of the most common blind spots in kitchen management is assuming yesterday's food costs still apply today. Suppliers adjust prices weekly, but many operators update their calculations monthly—or worse.
The weekly check routine
Pick your slowest day (usually Monday) and carve out 30 minutes. This small investment prevents hundreds in monthly leakage.
Step 1: Get your sales data
From your POS system or receipt book, gather:
- Which 10 dishes were sold the most last week?
- How many times was each dish ordered?
- What was the total revenue per dish?
Step 2: Check current purchase prices
That €18/kg protein from last month? It's probably €19.50 now. For each top dish, verify:
- Main ingredient (meat, fish, vegetables)
- Expensive add-ons (truffle oil, parmesan)
- Changes in supplier prices
⚠️ Watch out:
Many business owners update their cost prices only 2-3 times per year. Meanwhile, money leaks away without you noticing.
Step 3: Calculate current food cost
For each top dish, you calculate:
Food cost % = (Total ingredient costs / Selling price excl. VAT) × 100
💡 Calculation example:
Steak on menu: €32.00 (incl. 9% VAT)
- Selling price excl. VAT: €32.00 / 1.09 = €29.36
- Ingredient costs: €10.80
- Food cost: (€10.80 / €29.36) × 100 = 36.8%
Too high! Aim for max 33% for meat.
Step 4: Flag the problems
Create a simple priority list:
- Above 35%: Immediate action needed
- 33-35%: Keep an eye on it
- Below 30%: Maybe you can make the portion bigger
What do you do with the results?
Three options exist for fixing high food costs:
Option 1: Raise the price
The simplest fix. Adding €2 to your menu price can drop food cost from 36% to 30%.
Option 2: Adjust the portion
Reducing portions by 20 grams saves 1-2 percentage points. Most guests won't notice.
Option 3: Cheaper ingredients
Different supplier, alternative cuts, or seasonal swaps work well.
💡 Impact example:
Bringing steak food cost from 36.8% to 30%:
- Difference: 6.8 percentage points
- Per steak: €29.36 × 0.068 = €2.00 extra margin
- 120 steaks per month: €240 extra
- Per year: €2,880 extra profit
Digital help with your routine
You can handle this routine manually with Excel, but it's time-consuming. Tools like KitchenNmbrs automatically calculate food cost per dish after you update ingredient prices. You'll instantly spot which dishes exceed your target percentages.
This saves 20 minutes of calculation work weekly and ensures you catch every price change.
How do you set up your weekly check? (step by step)
Determine your top 10 dishes from last month
Get from your POS system which dishes sold the most. Count how many times each dish was ordered. These 10 dishes become your fixed control group.
Create an overview of all ingredients and prices
List all ingredients for each top dish, including garnish and sauces. Look up current purchase prices from your suppliers. This is your starting point.
Schedule 30 minutes every Monday for the check
Put it in your calendar as a standing appointment. Check last week's sales data, update any changed supplier prices, and calculate the new food cost percentages.
✨ Pro tip
Every Tuesday, spend 15 minutes reviewing your Monday sales data and spot-checking ingredient costs on your 3 highest-volume dishes from the previous week. This mini-routine catches margin problems within 48 hours instead of waiting a full week.
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 percentages should I target for different dish types?
For meat and fish dishes, aim for 28-33%. Pasta and vegetarian options should hit 20-28%. Salads typically run 25-30%. These are guidelines that work for most restaurants, but your local market might require adjustments.
How do I track food costs when suppliers change prices mid-week?
Set up alerts with your key suppliers for price changes on your top ingredients. Most suppliers will email updates if you ask. Check invoices every delivery against your last recorded prices to catch unexpected increases immediately.
Should I remove a profitable dish that's becoming too expensive to make?
Not necessarily—try the three-option approach first. Raise the price slightly, reduce portion size, or find alternative ingredients. Only remove dishes when customers start rejecting the higher prices or you can't maintain quality with cheaper ingredients.
📚 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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