While cold salads might cost €0.30 to package, hot pasta dishes can easily hit €0.75 due to insulation requirements. Many dark kitchen owners overlook these packaging costs entirely, watching their margins quietly erode with each delivery order. The difference between hot and cold dish packaging can make or break your profitability.
Why packaging costs differ per dish
Not all packaging costs the same. A cold salad in a plastic container is cheaper than a hot pasta that needs insulation, ventilation, and leak-proof packaging.
? Example of the difference:
Cold Caesar salad:
- Plastic container: €0.12
- Lid: €0.05
- Fork: €0.03
- Bag: €0.08
Total: €0.28
Hot pasta carbonara:
- Insulated container: €0.35
- Leak-proof lid: €0.12
- Fork: €0.03
- Napkin: €0.02
- Insulated bag: €0.15
- Bag: €0.08
Total: €0.75
Map out all packaging costs
For an accurate calculation, you need to include all packaging materials. After managing kitchen operations for nearly a decade, I've seen too many operators forget the small items that quickly add up.
- Primary packaging: container, box, tray where the food goes
- Closures: lids, foil, stickers to seal
- Cutlery and accessories: forks, knives, spoons, napkins
- Insulation: insulated containers, heat-retention foil for hot dishes
- Transport: bags, insulated bags, protective materials
- Branding: stickers with logo, branded bags (part of marketing costs)
⚠️ Note:
Always calculate with the actual purchase price per unit, not the price per package. A box with 100 containers for €35 means €0.35 per container.
Cost calculation per dish
The formula is straightforward: add up all packaging materials and divide by the number of portions in that packaging.
Packaging cost per portion = Total packaging costs / Number of portions
? Example calculation:
Hot lasagna for €16.50 (incl. 9% VAT):
- Ingredients: €4.80
- Packaging: €0.65
- Selling price excl. VAT: €15.14
Total cost: €4.80 + €0.65 = €5.45
Food cost including packaging: (€5.45 / €15.14) × 100 = 36.0%
Hot versus cold dishes
Hot dishes have different requirements than cold ones, which directly impacts packaging costs.
Cold dishes (€0.20 - €0.40 per portion)
- Salads: standard plastic container with lid
- Sushi: special sushi containers, often slightly more expensive
- Desserts: small containers, often transparent to show the product
- No insulation needed, but leak-proof packaging required
Hot dishes (€0.50 - €1.00 per portion)
- Pasta, curry, stews: insulated containers that retain heat
- Pizza: special pizza boxes with ventilation
- Fried food: breathable packaging to keep crispy
- Soup: leak-proof cups with sturdy lids
? Practical example:
Restaurant with 60% hot and 40% cold dishes:
- Average packaging cost cold: €0.30
- Average packaging cost hot: €0.70
- Weighted average: (0.4 × €0.30) + (0.6 × €0.70) = €0.54 per order
At 200 orders per week: €0.54 × 200 × 52 = €5,616 per year on packaging
Calculate impact on your margin
Packaging costs flow through to your total food cost percentage. If you forget to include them, your margin will appear higher than it actually is.
For delivery, a total food cost of 35-40% (including packaging) is normal, compared to 28-35% for a restaurant without delivery.
⚠️ Note:
Platform fees (Deliveroo, Uber Eats) come on top of your packaging costs. Calculate with 15-30% platform fee over your total order value.
Seasonal adjustments
Packaging prices fluctuate, especially for plastic and cardboard. Check with your supplier every 3 months and update your cost calculation.
- Plastic containers: prices often rise in winter (oil price)
- Cardboard boxes: depends on paper price, can fluctuate 10-20%
- Insulation material: more expensive in winter due to higher demand
Related articles
How do you calculate packaging costs? (step by step)
Inventory all packaging materials
Make a list of everything that goes with one order: container, lid, cutlery, napkins, bag, insulation material. Note the purchase price per unit for each item.
Add up the total packaging cost
Sum all individual costs together. For a hot pasta: €0.35 (container) + €0.12 (lid) + €0.03 (fork) + €0.15 (insulated bag) + €0.08 (bag) = €0.73 total.
Calculate your food cost percentage
Add packaging costs to your ingredient costs and calculate your new food cost: (Ingredients + Packaging) / Selling price excl. VAT × 100. This is your actual margin.
✨ Pro tip
Track your packaging costs for both hot and cold dishes separately over the next 30 days. You'll often find hot dish packaging runs 60-80% higher than your initial estimates, especially during winter 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
Should I include packaging costs in my food cost percentage?
What percentage of my selling price can go to packaging?
Are insulated packages always more expensive than standard containers?
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
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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