Mise-en-place costs per day - calculator 2026

Quick answer

A chef once told me his restaurant was bleeding money, but he couldn't figure out where. Turns out, his team was spending 6 hours daily on prep work that he'd never calculated. Most kitchens spend 15-30% of their time on mise-en-place without tracking what it actually costs them.

A chef once told me his restaurant was bleeding money, but he couldn't figure out where. Turns out, his team was spending 6 hours daily on prep work that he'd never calculated. Most kitchens spend 15-30% of their time on mise-en-place without tracking what it actually costs them.

What are mise-en-place costs?

Mise-en-place costs consist of all the time and ingredients you invest in preparations before service begins. This includes:

Cutting and washing vegetables
Making sauces and dressings
Preparing meat and fish
Setting up garnishes and decorations
Portioning base ingredients

These costs break down into labor costs (time from your kitchen team) and ingredient costs (what you use for preparations).

The calculation step by step

To calculate your mise-en-place costs as a percentage of revenue, you need three components:

? Formula:

Mise-en-place % = (Labor costs + Ingredient costs) / Daily revenue × 100

Calculating labor costs

Add up how many hours your team spends on preparations and multiply by the hourly wage including employer contributions.

? Example labor costs:

Daily mise-en-place: 4 hours

Chef: 2 hours × €22/hour = €44
Kitchen assistant: 2 hours × €16/hour = €32

Total labor costs: €76

⚠️ Note:

Calculate with hourly wage including employer contributions (approximately 30% on top of gross salary). A cook earning €18 gross costs you approximately €23.40 per hour.

Ingredient costs for mise-en-place

These are the costs of ingredients you use for preparations but don't directly sell to guests:

Oil and butter for frying and roasting
Herbs and spices
Base ingredients for sauces
Cutting waste from vegetables and meat

? Example ingredient costs:

Daily mise-en-place ingredients:

Sauces and dressings: €18
Oil, butter, herbs: €12
Vegetable cutting waste: €8
Garnishes and decoration: €6

Total ingredient costs: €44

Complete calculation with example

Now you can calculate the total percentage:

? Full example:

Restaurant with daily revenue of €2,500:

Labor costs mise-en-place: €76
Ingredient costs mise-en-place: €44
Total mise-en-place costs: €120

Percentage: (€120 / €2,500) × 100 = 4.8%

Benchmarks and guidelines

Common mise-en-place costs as a percentage of revenue:

Fine dining: 6-10% (lots of handwork, complex dishes)
Casual dining: 3-6% (moderate complexity)
Fast casual: 2-4% (simple prep)
Pizzeria/grill: 2-3% (minimal preparations)

⚠️ Note:

Above 8% mise-en-place often becomes too expensive. It's the kind of thing you only learn after closing your first month at a loss - every minute of prep work needs to justify its cost.

How to lower your mise-en-place costs

If your percentage is too high, these are effective ways to save:

More efficient planning: Only prep what you really need
Batch cooking: Make larger quantities of sauces to spread labor costs
Simpler garnishes: Easier decorations save time
Better timing: Prep during quiet moments with cheaper staff

With a food cost calculator like KitchenNmbrs you can track which prep activities take the most time, so you can optimize more strategically.

How do you calculate mise-en-place costs? (step by step)

Measure your prep time over one week

Track how many hours your team spends daily on preparations. Note this for different team members and add them up. Do this for at least one week to get an average.

Calculate your labor costs per day

Multiply the prep hours per person by their hourly wage including employer contributions. Add all labor costs for mise-en-place together for one day.

Add up your ingredient costs for prep

Calculate what you spend daily on oil, herbs, sauces, and cutting waste for preparations. These are costs that don't go directly into a dish but are still necessary.

Divide by your daily revenue and multiply by 100

Use the formula: (Labor costs + Ingredient costs) / Daily revenue × 100. This gives you the percentage of your revenue that goes to mise-en-place.

✨ Pro tip

Track your prep times for exactly 14 days and calculate the percentage weekly. You'll discover that Mondays typically cost 40% more in prep time than other weekdays due to weekend inventory depletion.

Calculate this yourself?

In the KitchenNmbrs app you can do this in just a few clicks. 7 days free, no credit card.

Try KitchenNmbrs free →

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Frequently asked questions

What if I prep for multiple days at once?

Then divide the costs over the number of days you benefit from it. Making sauce on Monday for three days? Then calculate 1/3 of those prep costs per day.

Should I include VAT in this calculation?

No, calculate with revenue excluding VAT. Your mise-en-place costs are also excluding VAT, so for a fair comparison you use both amounts without VAT.

How do I handle prep waste that gets thrown away?

Include the full cost of wasted prep ingredients in your calculation. If you make too much hollandaise and toss half, count the entire cost for that day. This shows the true impact of over-prepping on your margins.

ℹ️ This article was prepared based on official sources and professional expertise. While we strive for current and accurate information, the content may differ from the most recent regulations. Always consult the official authorities for binding standards.

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

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.

8 years kitchen manager at 1NUL8 Group Rotterdam

Expertise: food cost management HACCP kitchen management restaurant operations food safety compliance

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