Ever wonder what those daily prep hours actually cost your kitchen? Most chefs can't pinpoint their mise-en-place expenses, yet these hidden costs often consume 20-30% of total labor budgets. Understanding your hourly prep costs reveals efficiency gaps and shows exactly where you can trim expenses.
What are mise-en-place labor costs?
Mise-en-place labor costs cover every wage expense tied to prep work. This includes chopping vegetables, making sauces, portioning proteins, and setting up for service.
- Gross wages of cooks during prep time
- Employer contributions (pension premiums, unemployment insurance, etc.)
- Holiday pay and 13th month bonus
- Health insurance employer contribution
These expenses stay hidden but typically represent 20-30% of your wage costs.
⚠️ Note:
Always include employer contributions in your calculations. The gross hourly wage represents just 70-75% of an employee's true cost.
Calculate your total labor costs per hour
Your actual labor costs extend far beyond gross wages. Here's the formula:
Total labor costs per hour = (Gross hourly wage + Employer contributions) × Holiday pay and bonus markup
Employer contributions in the Netherlands run approximately 25-30% of gross wages. This covers:
- Employee insurance (unemployment, disability, healthcare): ~7%
- Employer pension contribution: ~10-15%
- Health insurance: ~5-7%
- Other levies: ~2-3%
💡 Example:
Your sous chef earns €16.00 gross per hour:
- Gross hourly wage: €16.00
- Employer contributions (28%): €4.48
- Holiday pay markup (8.33%): €1.70
Total cost per hour: €22.18
Measure your mise-en-place time
You'll need precise timing data to calculate hourly costs. Track these metrics for one full week:
- What time does prep start?
- What time is everything ready for service?
- How many people are involved in prep?
- What tasks are being done?
Most restaurants follow this breakdown:
- 40% of work time: mise-en-place
- 50% of work time: service
- 10% of work time: cleanup and sanitation
💡 Example:
Your team works from 3:00 PM to 11:00 PM (8 hours), service starts at 6:00 PM:
- Mise-en-place: 3:00 PM-6:00 PM = 3 hours
- Service: 6:00 PM-10:30 PM = 4.5 hours
- Cleanup: 10:30 PM-11:00 PM = 0.5 hours
Mise-en-place is 37.5% of work time
Calculate costs per cover
After determining mise-en-place costs and guest counts, you can calculate per-cover expenses:
Mise-en-place costs per cover = Total mise-en-place costs / Number of covers
This metric reveals efficiency trends. Rising mise-en-place costs without increased guest counts signals declining productivity. And it's a pattern we see repeatedly in restaurant financials - kitchens that don't track prep costs often see labor expenses creep up 15-20% annually.
💡 Example:
Tuesday evening service:
- 3 hours mise-en-place × €22.18 = €66.54
- 85 covers that evening
- Cost per cover: €66.54 ÷ 85 = €0.78
If this costs €0.78 per cover every evening, that's €285 per year per cover for mise-en-place.
Optimize your mise-en-place planning
Now that you know prep costs, you can plan more strategically:
- Batch larger: Chop vegetables for 2 days instead of daily
- Prep during quiet times: Do heavy prep on Monday for the rest of the week
- Divide tasks wisely: Have junior cooks do simple prep
- Use leftovers: Plan dishes that share the same prep
⚠️ Note:
Excessive batch prep creates waste. Consider shelf life and only prep what you'll use within 2-3 days.
A system like KitchenNmbrs helps track prep task duration, enabling better planning and reduced labor costs.
How do you calculate mise-en-place labor costs? (step by step)
Calculate total labor costs per hour
Take the gross hourly wage and add 28% employer contributions, plus 8.33% holiday pay. A cook earning €16 gross costs you approximately €22.18 per hour including all costs.
Measure mise-en-place time over a week
Track how many hours your team spends on prep work. Note the start time of prep, end time of prep, and number of people. Typical is 3-4 hours of prep for an evening service.
Multiply hours × costs and divide by covers
Total mise-en-place costs = prep hours × cost per hour. Divide this by the number of covers to get cost per guest. Aim for €0.50-€1.00 per cover.
✨ Pro tip
Time your five most labor-intensive prep tasks over the next week - you'll likely find they consume 60-70% of total prep hours and offer the biggest savings opportunities.
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 employer contributions in mise-en-place costs?
Absolutely. Employer contributions run 25-30% of gross wages and represent real labor expenses. Excluding these costs creates an unrealistic picture of your actual spending.
How much time is normal for mise-en-place?
Typically 35-45% of total work hours. For an 8-hour evening service, expect 3-3.5 hours of prep. This varies based on menu complexity and kitchen size.
What if my mise-en-place costs are too high?
Focus on batch prep for multiple days, assign tasks based on skill level, and design dishes sharing common ingredients. Smart planning often reduces costs by 20-30%.
Should I calculate prep time per dish?
Yes, this helps with menu engineering. High-prep dishes need higher margins to compensate for labor costs. Start with total mise-en-place costs per service first.
How often should I recalculate these costs?
Review monthly to ensure mise-en-place costs per cover stay stable. Recalculate immediately after wage increases or menu changes.
Can seasonal menu changes affect my prep labor costs?
Definitely. Winter menus with braised items and complex sauces require more prep than summer salads and grilled items. Track costs quarterly to spot seasonal patterns and adjust pricing accordingly.
📚 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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