Think of your kitchen planning like old-school handwritten order tickets versus a modern POS system. Digital planning saves you time every day, but how much exactly? By calculating the time savings you can see if the investment pays for itself.
Why measure time savings?
Time is money in hospitality. Every minute you save on planning you can spend on guests, purchasing, or other important tasks. By calculating the time savings precisely, you'll see if a digital system is worth it.
💡 Example: Restaurant De Smaak
Chef Marco spends with paper every day:
- Looking up recipes: 15 minutes
- Making shopping lists: 20 minutes
- Calculating portions: 10 minutes
- Writing planning: 15 minutes
Total: 60 minutes per day
Calculate time savings per task
First measure how much time you currently spend on each planning task. Do this for a week to get a good average.
Main tasks to measure:
- Looking up and checking recipes
- Making ingredient lists
- Calculating portions and quantities
- Writing mise-en-place planning
- Dividing tasks across the team
- Making changes
⚠️ Note:
Only measure 'pure' planning time. Don't include cooking time or other kitchen work.
Estimate digital time savings
With a digital system, many tasks go much faster. Here are realistic time savings:
- Looking up recipes: 80% faster (everything in one app)
- Ingredient lists: 90% faster (automatically generated)
- Calculating portions: 95% faster (automatic calculation)
- Sharing planning: 70% faster (directly to team)
💡 Example calculation:
Chef Marco with digital system:
- Looking up recipes: 15 min → 3 min (80% savings)
- Shopping list: 20 min → 2 min (90% savings)
- Calculating portions: 10 min → 0.5 min (95% savings)
- Writing planning: 15 min → 4.5 min (70% savings)
New total: 10 minutes per day
Time savings: 50 minutes per day
Convert time savings to money
To calculate the value, you convert the saved time to money. Use your own hourly rate or that of your chef.
Formula:
Annual savings = Daily savings (minutes) × Working days per year × (Hourly rate / 60)
💡 Example money calculation:
Chef Marco earns €25 per hour:
- Daily savings: 50 minutes
- Working days per year: 300
- Hourly rate: €25
Calculation: 50 × 300 × (€25 / 60) = €6,250 per year
Annual savings: €6,250
Calculate return on investment
Compare the annual savings with the costs of a digital system to calculate the ROI. One of the most common blind spots in kitchen management is underestimating how quickly these systems pay for themselves.
ROI formula:
ROI = (Annual savings - Annual system costs) / Annual system costs × 100%
💡 ROI example:
Tools like KitchenNmbrs cost €300 per year:
- Annual savings: €6,250
- Annual costs: €300
- Profit: €6,250 - €300 = €5,950
ROI: €5,950 / €300 × 100% = 1,983%
The system pays for itself almost 20 times over!
Include additional benefits
Besides time savings, there are more benefits that are hard to express in money:
- Less stress: No searching for recipes or lists
- Fewer errors: Automatic calculations are always correct
- Better planning: Overview of all tasks
- Easier delegation: Team has direct access to planning
⚠️ Note:
Calculate conservatively. It's better to underestimate the time savings than overestimate. This prevents disappointments.
How do you calculate time savings? (step by step)
Measure your current planning time
Keep track for a week of how much time you spend looking up recipes, making lists, calculating portions, and writing planning. Note this per day and calculate the average.
Estimate the digital time savings
Calculate per task how much faster it goes digitally. Use realistic percentages: looking up recipes 80% faster, making lists 90% faster, calculations 95% faster.
Convert to money
Multiply the daily time savings by your working days per year and your hourly rate. Formula: minutes per day × working days × (hourly rate / 60) = annual savings in euros.
✨ Pro tip
Track your planning time for exactly 7 days before switching to digital - you'll save 18-25 minutes daily on average across recipe lookup, portion calculations, and team communication. Most chefs underestimate their current time spent by 40%.
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 much time does digital planning realistically save?
On average 30-60 minutes per day, depending on your current work method. Restaurants that work a lot with paper save the most time. Most chefs see the biggest difference in automatic ingredient lists and portion calculations.
Should I include all planning costs?
No, only include pure planning time. Cooking time, shopping, or other kitchen work don't belong in planning calculations. Focus on tasks like recipe lookup, list-making, and portion calculations.
How do I calculate my own hourly rate?
Divide your monthly salary by the number of hours worked per month. As an owner you can assume €20-35 per hour, depending on your experience and location.
📚 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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