Manually adjusting prices costs time and causes errors. Every time a supplier raises their prices, you have to recalculate all dishes and update menus. With one integrated system, this happens automatically, saving you time and preventing profitable dishes from accidentally becoming loss-makers.
What happens now when prices change?
Your supplier sends an email: beef is going up 15%. Now the work begins:
- Find all dishes with beef
- Calculate new cost price for each dish
- Check if your food cost still works out
- Update the menu
- Inform staff about new prices
This easily takes 2-3 hours of work. And often you forget a dish, so you lose money for weeks without realizing it.
⚠️ Watch out:
Many business owners only adjust prices when they notice their profit dropping. By then you've already lost money for weeks.
The cost of manual adjustments
Say you sell 50 steaks per week and forget to adjust the price after a €2 per kilo meat price increase:
💡 Example:
Steak 200 grams, price increase €2/kg:
- Extra cost per portion: €0.40
- 50 portions per week: €20
- Per year: €1,040
Loss from one forgotten dish: €1,040
With multiple dishes and ingredients, this quickly adds up to thousands of euros per year.
How does automatic adjustment work?
An integrated system like KitchenNmbrs links your recipes directly to your ingredient prices:
- Enter once: Update the beef price in your ingredient list
- Automatic recalculation: All dishes with beef automatically get a new cost price
- Instantly visible: You immediately see which dishes exceed your target food cost
- Suggestions: The system calculates what your new menu price should be
💡 Example automatic adjustment:
Beef rises from €18 to €20.70/kg (+15%):
- Steak: cost price rises from €8.50 to €9.04
- Beef stew: cost price rises from €6.20 to €6.62
- Carpaccio: cost price rises from €7.80 to €8.28
Time needed: 30 seconds (just update ingredient price)
How much time does this save?
Manual versus automatic with a price change for 10 ingredients:
💡 Time savings:
Manual (per price change):
- Looking up ingredients in recipes: 45 min
- Recalculating cost prices: 60 min
- Updating menu: 30 min
- Total: 2.5 hours
Automatic: 5 minutes
With an average of 2 price changes per month, this saves 60 hours per year. At €25 per hour, that's €1,500 in time.
Fewer errors, more certainty
Manual adjustments lead to mistakes:
- Forgotten dishes stay too cheap
- Calculations go wrong
- VAT gets forgotten (9% on food)
- Trim loss isn't included
An automated system prevents these errors and gives you certainty that all prices are correct.
⚠️ Watch out:
Automation only helps if you keep your ingredient prices up-to-date. The system is only as good as the data you put in.
Who benefits most from this?
Automatic price adjustments are especially valuable if you:
- Have many different dishes (20+ items)
- Regularly see ingredient prices rise
- Have little time for administration
- Use multiple suppliers
- Work with seasonal ingredients
For a simple business with 10 dishes that never change, manual tracking might still be manageable. But once you grow, automation becomes a must.
How do you set up automatic price adjustments?
Build your ingredient library
Enter all ingredients with current purchase prices per supplier. Make sure every price is up-to-date before you start with automation.
Link recipes to ingredients
Make sure each recipe is exactly linked to the ingredients in your library. Use the same ingredient names everywhere, no variations or abbreviations.
Set your target food cost
Determine per dish or dish category what your maximum food cost can be (usually 28-35%). The system will then automatically warn you if it's exceeded.
Update ingredient prices regularly
Check your supplier invoices at least weekly and update any changed prices. The more current your ingredient prices, the more reliable your cost prices.
✨ Pro tip
Check your supplier emails every Monday morning for price changes and update them directly in your system. That way you start the week with current cost prices.
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
Does this also work with seasonal products that fluctuate heavily in price?
Yes, automatic recalculation is especially valuable for seasonal products. You update the ingredient price and immediately see if your menu price still works or needs adjustment.
What if I buy ingredients from different suppliers?
You can enter multiple suppliers per ingredient with different prices. This way you immediately see which supplier offers the best deal.
Do I have to constantly update my menu then?
No, you can absorb small price increases in your margin. Only update menu prices for major changes or when multiple ingredients get more expensive at the same time.
How often do you get price changes from suppliers?
On average 1-3 times per month, especially for meat, fish and dairy. Vegetables and fruit can fluctuate weekly, depending on season and weather.
Can I also automatically calculate discounts and promotions?
Yes, you can enter temporary discounts with an end date. The system automatically reverts to the regular price after the promotion ends.
📚 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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