For years, restaurant owners have been drowning in calculations while their teams wait for answers. You can delegate tasks, make decisions faster and everyone thinks in euros instead of just taste. Here's what it concretely brings when your whole team understands the numbers.
Less stress, more overview
If only you understand the numbers, you're a bottleneck. Every question about prices, portions or new dishes comes to you. Your team can't make independent decisions because they don't know what things cost.
💡 Example:
Your chef wants to add a new appetizer with burrata and prosciutto. Now he has to ask: "What can this cost?" If he can calculate himself:
- Burrata: €3.20
- Prosciutto (40g): €2.80
- Arugula and olive oil: €0.60
- Bread: €0.90
Cost price: €7.50 → At 30% food cost = €25.00 selling price
He can immediately assess whether this is realistic for your menu. No consultation needed, no waiting for your approval.
Faster adjustments when prices change
Suppliers regularly raise prices. If only you calculate this through, it takes weeks before all menus are updated. Your team can lose money in the meantime without knowing it.
⚠️ Watch out:
If your beef becomes 15% more expensive and you don't adjust your prices, you immediately lose profit on every beef dish. With 20 portions per week that can cost you €200+ per month.
With a team that can calculate themselves, everyone immediately sees the impact of price changes. Your sous chef can calculate new cost prices, your service manager can update menus.
Better portion control
Cooks think in taste, not in costs. A little extra cheese, a bit more meat - it makes the dish better. But every gram extra costs money.
💡 Example:
You calculate with 180g steak at €24/kg. Your cook consistently gives 200g because "it looks better":
- Calculated: 180g × €24 = €4.32
- Actual: 200g × €24 = €4.80
- Extra costs: €0.48 per portion
With 15 steaks per week = €374 per year in extra costs
If your cook knows what those 20 grams extra cost, he can choose consciously. Maybe it's worth it for a signature dish, but not for a standard lunch.
Creative dishes within budget
Your team often gets ideas for new dishes. Now they have to wait until you have time to calculate the cost price. Meanwhile their enthusiasm cools down.
With basic knowledge of cost price calculation, they can assess themselves whether an idea is feasible. They come to you with worked-out proposals instead of vague ideas.
- Without number knowledge: "Can we do something with salmon and avocado?"
- With number knowledge: "I've calculated a salmon-avocado salad for €8.20 cost price. At €28 selling price we have 29% food cost."
Less waste through awareness
If your team knows what ingredients cost, they throw less away. A pound of tomatoes that are just past their date get a second chance if they know it saves €4 in waste. This awareness prevents a mistake that costs the average restaurant EUR 200-400 per month in unnecessary food waste.
💡 Example:
Your team throws away ingredients daily without thinking:
- Half an onion (too small for dish): €0.15
- Piece of cheese (just not enough): €1.20
- Leftover herb butter: €0.80
- Remaining vegetables: €2.40
Daily €4.55 × 300 working days = €1,365 per year waste
With cost awareness, your team finds creative solutions: soup from the vegetables, cheese through the risotto, herb butter with the bread.
Better collaboration between kitchen and service
Service often doesn't know why certain dishes are more expensive. They can't advise guests well about price-quality ratios. With basic knowledge of cost prices, they can promote dishes with good margins.
Your sommelier then knows that the €28 wine per bottle (€7 cost) yields more margin than the €32 per bottle (€12 cost). He can consciously steer toward profitability.
What your team needs to learn
You don't need to make everyone a financial expert. This basic knowledge is enough:
- Food cost formula: (Cost price ÷ Selling price excl. VAT) × 100
- Minimum selling price: Cost price ÷ 0.30 (for 30% food cost)
- Impact of portions: 10 grams extra = X euros extra costs
- VAT calculation: €29 incl. VAT ÷ 1.09 = €26.61 excl. VAT
How do you start?
Start with your sous chef and one experienced cook. Teach them the food cost formula with 3 examples of your most popular dishes. Give them a week to calculate cost prices themselves for 5 other dishes.
Then expand to the rest of the team. Use tools like KitchenNmbrs where everyone sees the same numbers, so there's no confusion about prices and cost prices.
How do you train your team in cost price calculation?
Start with the basics: food cost formula
Teach your sous chef and head cook the formula: (Cost price ÷ Selling price excl. VAT) × 100. Practice with 3 dishes they know well, so they understand the principle.
Give practical assignments
Let them calculate cost prices themselves for 5 other dishes. Check the results together and explain where mistakes are. Repeat until they can do it flawlessly.
Expand to the whole team
Organize a short training for all cooks and experienced service staff. Focus on practical examples from your own menu. Use one system where everyone can see the same numbers.
✨ Pro tip
Train your team to calculate food costs for your 3 most expensive ingredients within the first week. This alone covers 60% of your daily cost decisions and saves you 2-3 hours weekly.
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
What if my team makes mistakes in calculations?
Start with simple dishes and check all calculations for the first few weeks. Use an app that calculates automatically, then they can only make mistakes in entering quantities. Most teams master the basics within two weeks of practice.
How much time does this save me per week?
Many entrepreneurs save 3-5 hours per week. No more questions about what dishes can cost, no calculating cost prices, no discussions about portion sizes.
What happens if I have high staff turnover?
That's exactly why multiple people should know the calculations, not just one person. Make sure all cost prices and recipes are stored digitally so new hires can access them immediately. Training one new person takes about 2 hours versus weeks of doing everything yourself.
📚 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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