Nearly 60% of food truck owners underestimate their true food costs due to daily price fluctuations in fresh ingredients. Fish prices can swing €7 per kilo in a single week, while seasonal vegetables often fluctuate 40% within days. Here's how to track your real costs without drowning in spreadsheets.
The problem with daily price products
Fresh fish can cost €18 per kilo on Monday and €25 on Thursday. Seasonal vegetables sometimes fluctuate 40% in price within one week. For a food truck this creates headaches because you:
- Need to buy daily for the next day
- Usually have a fixed menu price
- Don't know if you're still making profit on fluctuating days
The bandwidth system
Instead of one fixed cost price, work with minimum and maximum cost prices per dish. This gives you control over your margin, even during price swings.
💡 Example: Fish & chips
Menu price: €12.50 (excl. 9% VAT = €11.47)
- Fish cheap (€16/kg): cost price €3.20
- Fish expensive (€24/kg): cost price €4.00
- Other ingredients: €1.50 (constant)
Total cost price: €4.70 - €5.50
Food cost: 41% - 48%
Daily price registration
Keep a simple list of your daily price products. It doesn't need to be perfect, but it should be consistent. Note every morning after purchasing:
- Product name
- Price per kg/piece today
- Quantity per portion
- Cost price per portion
⚠️ Note:
Always calculate with the actual price you paid, including trimming loss. Whole fish at €18/kg often becomes €32/kg usable meat after filleting.
Spotting trouble before it hits
With the bandwidth system you immediately see when you're bleeding money - the kind of thing you only learn after closing your first month at a loss. As a rule of thumb for food trucks:
- Food cost below 35%: Good margin, keep going
- Food cost 35-40%: Acceptable, keep an eye on it
- Food cost above 40%: Too little margin, action needed
💡 Example: Action plan for high prices
Fish rises from €18 to €28/kg (+55%). Your options:
- Increase menu price: from €12.50 to €14.50
- Reduce portion: from 200g to 160g fish
- Temporarily offer a different dish
- Daily special with fixed price ("while supplies last")
Plan ahead with seasonal planning
Plan your menu around seasons. Asparagus is dirt cheap in May but unaffordable in October. Create a yearly calendar with:
- Cheapest months per product
- Most expensive months per product
- Alternative dishes for expensive periods
Digital help with fluctuating prices
Apps like KitchenNmbrs can help by tracking your daily cost prices without manual calculations. You enter your new purchase price and immediately see your new food cost percentage. This saves time and calculation errors during the hectic food truck day.
How do you calculate cost price with daily price products? (step by step)
Create an ingredient list with fixed and variable costs
Split your dish into ingredients that always cost the same (spices, oil, bread) and daily price products (fish, meat, seasonal vegetables). Calculate the fixed costs first - those stay constant.
Determine your bandwidth for daily price products
Look at prices from the last 3 months. What was the cheapest and most expensive price? This becomes your bandwidth. Calculate what your cost price is at both extremes.
Update your actual cost price daily
Note every morning after purchasing the actual price you paid. Calculate your food cost percentage for that day. If you exceed 40%, consider your options for adjustment.
✨ Pro tip
Set a 15-minute timer each morning after purchasing to log your daily prices. This prevents the afternoon rush from derailing your cost tracking and keeps your calculations current.
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 adjust my menu price with fluctuating purchase prices?
Only adjust your menu price for structural price increases that last longer than 2 weeks. For temporary spikes, it's better to adjust your portion size or temporarily offer an alternative dish.
Should I include trimming loss in my daily price calculation?
Yes, absolutely. Whole fish at €20/kg often becomes €35/kg usable meat after filleting due to trimming loss. Always calculate with the actual price per portion after processing, not the purchase price per kilo.
What if I don't have time to track prices every day?
Track at least your 3 most expensive ingredients - usually fish, meat, and premium vegetables. These have the biggest impact on your margin. You can check the rest weekly.
⚠️ EU Regulation 1169/2011 — Allergen Information — https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2011/1169/oj
The allergen information on this page is based on EU Regulation 1169/2011. Recipes and ingredients may vary by supplier. Always verify current allergen information with your supplier and communicate this correctly to your guests. KitchenNmbrs is not liable for allergic reactions.
In the UK, the FSA enforces allergen regulations under the Food Information Regulations 2014.
📚 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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