Selling coffee with pastry as a combo sounds simple, but calculating the cost price can be tricky. Many café owners only account for the coffee and forget the pastry, or vice versa. This way you lose track of your margin and don't know if that €6.50 combo deal is actually profitable.
Why calculating combo deals is important
A cappuccino with apple pie for €6.50 sounds like a good deal. But if your coffee costs €2.10 and your pie costs €3.80, you only make €0.60 on the whole combo. That's a margin of less than 10% - way too low to cover your fixed costs.
⚠️ Watch out:
Many business owners think they can be cheaper with combos, but forget that both products still need to make a profit.
Calculating the cost price of coffee
For coffee, include:
- Coffee beans: average 7-9 grams per cappuccino
- Milk: about 120ml for a cappuccino
- Sugar/sweeteners: if you give these away for free
- To-go cup and lid: if it's takeaway
💡 Example coffee cost price:
Cappuccino to-go:
- Coffee beans (8 grams at €18/kg): €0.14
- Milk (120ml at €1.20/liter): €0.14
- To-go cup + lid: €0.12
- Sugar (optional): €0.02
Total coffee cost price: €0.42
Calculating the cost price of pastry
For pastry it gets more complex. You have three options:
- Baked in-house: calculate all ingredients + energy + time
- Frozen/ready-made: purchase price + heating costs
- Fresh from supplier: purchase price per piece
💡 Example pastry cost price:
Apple pie from supplier:
- Purchase price per slice: €1.85
- Whipped cream (optional): €0.15
- Crockery (for dine-in): €0.00
Total pastry cost price: €2.00
Calculating the combo to selling price
Now add both cost prices together and calculate toward a healthy margin. For cafés, a food cost of 25-35% is standard.
Formula: Minimum selling price = (Total cost price / Desired food cost %) × (1 + VAT %)
💡 Example combo calculation:
Cappuccino + apple pie:
- Coffee cost price: €0.42
- Pastry cost price: €2.00
- Total cost price: €2.42
At 30% food cost:
- Minimum price excl. VAT: €2.42 / 0.30 = €8.07
- Minimum price incl. 9% VAT: €8.07 × 1.09 = €8.80
So your €6.50 combo is actually a loss!
Alternatives if your combo becomes too expensive
If your calculation comes out higher than what customers want to pay, you have a few options:
- Buy cheaper: find another supplier for pastry
- Smaller portions: mini pastries instead of large slices
- Different products: cookie instead of pie
- Accept higher food cost: but then you need to make more margin elsewhere
⚠️ Watch out:
A loss-making combo deal will attract customers, but if you sell too many, you'll go bankrupt from your own success.
Keeping track digitally saves time
Doing all these calculations manually takes a lot of time. Especially if you have multiple combos or change prices regularly. An app like KitchenNmbrs automatically calculates the cost price of combos as soon as you've entered the individual products.
You immediately see if your combo is profitable and can quickly run different scenarios.
How do you calculate combo cost prices? (step by step)
Calculate the cost price of each component
First calculate the cost price of the coffee (beans, milk, cup) and then the pastry (purchase or ingredients). Add up all costs, including small things like sugar or whipped cream.
Add the cost prices together
Coffee cost price + pastry cost price = total combo cost price. This is the amount you need to make back at minimum to break even.
Calculate to selling price with desired margin
Divide the total cost price by your desired food cost percentage (for example 0.30 for 30%). Then multiply by 1.09 for 9% VAT to get your minimum selling price.
✨ Pro tip
Check your 3 best-selling combos every month. If those are profitable, you've solved 80% of your combo problem.
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
Do I need to include VAT in my combo calculation?
Yes, always calculate with the price excluding VAT and add 9% VAT at the end. The price on your menu is including VAT, but for cost price calculations you work excluding VAT.
What if my combo deal is loss-making?
Then you have three options: buy cheaper, make the combo more expensive, or accept that you need to make more margin elsewhere. A loss-making combo can attract customers, but don't sell too many of them.
How often should I check my combo prices?
Check at least every 3 months or if your supplier raises prices. Coffee and pastry prices can fluctuate quite a bit, especially with organic or seasonal products.
Can I use different margins for different combos?
Yes, you can deliberately choose lower margins on popular combos and higher margins on others. Just make sure your average food cost stays under 35%.
Should I include staff time in the cost price?
For simple combos like coffee + pastry, that's not necessary - that time is included in your general staff costs. For complex combos that require extra preparation, yes.
📚 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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