Sauces and dips seem small, but can significantly increase your food cost. In streetfood concepts where everything revolves around tight margins, even the smallest ingredients count. In this article you'll learn how to correctly include sauces in your cost price without ruining your margins.
Why sauces are often forgotten
With a hamburger you neatly add up the meat, bun and cheese. But that curry mayo, ketchup and mustard? Those are often 'forgotten' in the cost price calculation. It seems like little, but at high volumes this adds up.
💡 Example:
You sell 200 fries per day with curry mayo:
- Curry mayo per portion: 25 grams = €0.18
- Per day: 200 × €0.18 = €36
- Per year: €36 × 300 working days = €10,800
That's €10,800 you might forget to include.
The three types of sauces in streetfood
Not all sauces are the same. For your cost price it matters which type you use:
- Standard sauces: Ketchup, mayo, mustard from large packages
- Homemade sauces: Curry mayo, aioli, special burger sauces
- Premium sauces: Truffle mayo, sriracha mayo, fresh pesto
Each type has a different cost per gram. Premium sauces can be 3-5× more expensive than standard ones.
Calculate the actual costs per portion
For accurate cost pricing you need to know how much sauce actually goes on each product. Measure this a few times during busy hours.
💡 Example: Homemade curry mayo
Ingredients for 1 liter curry mayo:
- Mayo (750ml): €2.40
- Curry powder (30g): €0.85
- Ketchup (200ml): €0.45
- Paprika powder (10g): €0.25
Total costs: €3.95 per liter = €0.40 per 100ml
Per portion (25ml): €0.10
⚠️ Note:
Measure during busy hours. Stress causes staff to use more sauce than planned. Budget an extra 10-15% for that.
Sauces in your total food cost
Sauces can make up 2-8% of your total food cost, depending on your concept. With premium streetfood featuring homemade sauces this can go up to 10%.
💡 Example: Loaded fries
Selling price: €8.50 (excl. 9% VAT = €7.80)
- Fries: €1.20
- Cheese sauce: €0.85
- Bacon bits: €1.40
- Jalapeños: €0.25
- Sour cream: €0.45
- Chives: €0.15
Total food cost: €4.30 = 55% of €7.80
Sauces alone: €1.30 = 17% of €7.80
Portion control is crucial
The biggest cost leak is in inconsistent portions. A squeeze bottle gives different portions than a spoon. Invest in portion control:
- Dispensing pumps: For thin sauces like ketchup and mayo
- Portion spoons: For thick sauces and dips
- Squeeze bottles with dispensing tips: For consistent lines
A good dispensing pump costs €15-25 but saves hundreds of euros per year in over-portioning.
Special considerations for streetfood
Streetfood has different challenges than restaurants:
- Speed: During busy times too much sauce is often used
- Temperature: Warm environment can make sauces thinner
- Hygiene: Sauces left out too long must be discarded
- Packaging: To-go packaging can leak, so more sauce is needed
⚠️ Note:
Budget an extra 5-10% sauce costs for waste and spillage in to-go concepts. Containers leak, customers spill, and not every portion is perfectly dispensed.
How do you calculate sauce costs? (step by step)
Measure the actual portion size
Weigh 10 portions of sauce during normal operations. Take the average and add 10% for variation during busy times.
Calculate the costs per 100 grams
Add up all ingredients of homemade sauces. For ready-made sauces: divide the purchase price by the weight of the package.
Multiply by your daily volume
Number of portions per day × sauce costs per portion = daily sauce costs. This way you immediately see the impact on your food cost.
✨ Pro tip
Measure your sauce consumption every day for one week. You'll be amazed at the difference between quiet and busy days - and how much money is involved.
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 free extra sauces in my cost price?
Yes, absolutely. Even 'free' sauces cost money. Include them in your main dish or raise your price by €0.50 per extra sauce.
What percentage of my food cost should sauces be?
For streetfood concepts 3-8% is normal. With loaded fries or sauce-heavy concepts this can go up to 12%. Above 15% becomes problematic.
Can I estimate sauce costs instead of calculating them?
Not recommended. Sauces seem cheap but at high volumes this quickly adds up to thousands of euros per year. Calculate it precisely.
What if customers ask for extra sauce?
Calculate what an extra portion costs and charge €0.30-0.50 for it. This way you cover the costs and keep your margin intact.
How do I prevent staff from using too much sauce?
Use dispensing pumps or portion spoons instead of squeeze bottles. Train your team on correct portions and check regularly during busy times.
📚 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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