Care facility delivery presents a unique financial puzzle compared to standard restaurant delivery. While you'll face higher costs from specialized packaging and adapted portions, you gain predictable volumes and eliminate expensive platform fees. The math works differently here.
The specific cost structure
Care facility delivery operates under completely different rules than your typical delivery model. You're working with unique requirements that directly impact your bottom line:
- Special packaging (insulated containers, portion boxes)
- Adapted portions (often smaller, softer food)
- Direct delivery (no platform like Thuisbezorgd)
- Fixed delivery times and volumes
- Stricter hygiene requirements
Calculate your total cost price per portion
Your margin calculation must capture every expense. Ingredients are just the starting point - the real cost lies in those specialized requirements.
💡 Example cost price calculation:
Hot meal for care facility (50 portions per day):
- Ingredients per portion: €4.20
- Packaging (insulated container + lid): €0.45
- Extra preparation (softer cooking): €0.30
- Delivery per portion (50 units): €0.80
Total cost price: €5.75 per portion
Determine your selling price and margin
Care facilities work within tight budgets. Your pricing needs to hit that sweet spot between competitive and profitable. Always work with VAT-exclusive numbers (9% on food) for accurate calculations.
💡 Example margin calculation:
Selling price: €8.50 incl. VAT = €7.80 excl. VAT
- Cost price: €5.75
- Margin per portion: €7.80 - €5.75 = €2.05
- Margin percentage: (€2.05 / €7.80) × 100 = 26.3%
At 50 portions per day = €102.50 margin per day
⚠️ Note:
Always calculate with the price excluding VAT for your margin calculation. The price you pass on to the care facility includes 9% VAT.
Extra costs you often forget
Care facility delivery brings hidden expenses that'll eat into your margins if you're not careful. From years of working in professional kitchens, I've seen operators underestimate these costs repeatedly:
- Special diets: Sugar-free, low-salt, minced food
- Hygiene certification: Extra HACCP requirements and inspections
- Return packaging: Reusable containers you need to pick up
- Fixed delivery times: Possibly extra staff at specific times
- Smaller volumes: Less economies of scale in purchasing
Advantages that improve your margin
But here's the flip side - care facility delivery offers some serious financial perks that can boost your profitability:
💡 Advantages of care facility delivery:
- No platform costs (15-30% savings)
- Fixed orders (predictable volumes)
- Long-term contracts (less customer acquisition)
- Bulk delivery (lower delivery costs per portion)
- Fewer no-shows and cancellations
Break-even calculation
You need to know your break-even point to determine if this concept makes financial sense. How many portions must you sell daily to cover fixed costs?
Formula: Break-even = Fixed costs per day / Margin per portion
💡 Break-even example:
Fixed costs per day: €180 (staff, rent, energy)
Margin per portion: €2.05
Break-even: €180 / €2.05 = 88 portions per day
How do you calculate the margin on care facility delivery? (step by step)
Calculate all costs per portion
Add up: ingredients + packaging + extra preparation + delivery costs. Don't forget special requirements like softer food or hygiene certification. This gives you the total cost price per portion.
Determine selling price excluding VAT
Divide your desired selling price by 1.09 to get the price excluding VAT. This is how you calculate your margin. Example: €8.50 / 1.09 = €7.80 excl. VAT.
Calculate margin and break-even
Subtract cost price from selling price excl. VAT to get your margin per portion. Divide your fixed daily costs by this margin to find your break-even point. This tells you how many portions you need to sell at minimum.
✨ Pro tip
Negotiate 6-month minimum contracts with guaranteed weekly volumes of at least 200 portions. This stability lets you lock in supplier pricing and accurately forecast your monthly margins.
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 is a realistic margin for care facility delivery?
A margin of 20-30% is realistic for care facility delivery. This is lower than regular delivery due to higher costs, but you have no platform fees and more stable volume.
Do I need to pass on VAT to care facilities?
Yes, care facilities pay the standard 9% VAT on meals. Include this in your selling price, but always calculate your margin with the price excluding VAT.
How do I calculate delivery costs per portion?
Divide your total delivery costs by the number of portions per trip. At 50 portions and €40 delivery costs, that's €0.80 per portion. Also factor in your delivery driver's time.
Are packaging costs higher for care facility delivery?
Yes, often they are. You need insulated containers, special portion boxes and sometimes reusable packaging. Budget €0.30-0.60 per portion for quality packaging.
Can I charge the same prices as regular delivery?
Usually not. Care facilities often have a limited budget per resident. Compensate for lower prices by achieving higher volumes and lower customer acquisition costs.
How do texture-modified meals affect my food costs?
Pureed and minced meals typically cost 15-25% more due to additional processing time and specialized equipment. However, you can often charge a small premium for these specialized dietary requirements.
Should I factor in seasonal volume fluctuations for care facilities?
Care facilities have remarkably stable demand year-round, unlike regular restaurants. You might see slight dips during holiday periods when residents visit family, but overall volumes remain consistent within 5-10%.
📚 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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