How do you properly calculate margins for daily specials that sit alongside your regular menu? You'll likely want higher profits on specials since they're unique, but ingredient costs run higher due to smaller purchasing quantities. Here's how to calculate daily special margins correctly and compare them against your fixed offerings.
Why daily specials have different margins
Daily specials differ from your fixed menu on three points that affect your margin:
- Higher purchase prices: You buy smaller quantities, so less discount
- More risk: If it doesn't sell, you have waste
- Higher expectations: Guests are willing to pay more for something special
💡 Example:
Your fixed steak costs €8.50 per portion and you sell it for €32.00. Your daily special with ribeye costs €15.00 per portion.
- Fixed steak: food cost 29.0% (€8.50 / €29.36 excl. VAT)
- Ribeye special: at €45.00 → food cost 36.2% (€15.00 / €41.28 excl. VAT)
The daily special has higher food cost, but also higher absolute margin: €26.28 vs €20.86 per plate.
Calculate your daily special margin correctly
For daily specials you don't just calculate with ingredient costs, but also with risk and time. Here's the formula:
Actual cost price daily special = Ingredient costs + Waste risk + Extra time
⚠️ Note:
Always calculate with 10-15% waste risk for daily specials. You prep for 20 portions, but maybe only sell 16.
Include waste risk in your calculation
If you prep 20 portions but sell 16, you actually pay more per sold portion:
💡 Waste risk example:
You prep 20 portions at €12.00 = €240.00 total purchase. You sell 16.
- Actual cost price per sold portion: €240 / 16 = €15.00
- Not €12.00 like you thought
Waste increases your cost price by 25%.
Compare absolute margin, not just percentages
With daily specials, absolute margin (euros) is often more important than the percentage. A higher food cost is fine if you keep more euros per plate.
- Fixed menu steak: 29% food cost, €20.86 margin
- Daily special ribeye: 36% food cost, €26.28 margin
- Conclusion: Daily special brings in €5.42 more per plate
Price your daily specials strategically
Use this rule of thumb for daily special pricing:
- Premium ingredient: Food cost can go to 35-40%
- Normal ingredient, special preparation: Keep food cost under 32%
- Seasonal product: Calculate with peak price, not introduction price
💡 Seasonal pricing example:
Asparagus costs €8/kg in April, €15/kg in June. Calculate your price with €15/kg.
- This prevents you from making a loss later
- In April you make extra margin, in June you still make profit
Track daily special performance
From years of working in professional kitchens, I've learned to measure these figures for each daily special:
- Sold portions vs. prepped: How much waste?
- Absolute margin per plate: How many euros do you keep?
- Total contribution: Sold × margin per plate
- Time investment: How much extra prep time does it cost?
A daily special that costs 20 minutes extra prep but yields €8 more margin is more profitable than a special with 5 minutes prep and €3 extra margin. You can track this data easily with tools like KitchenNmbrs to spot patterns over time.
How do you calculate the margin of your daily special? (step by step)
Calculate your actual ingredient costs
Add up all ingredients for one portion. Calculate with the smaller purchase quantities you use for specials, not with your bulk prices from the fixed menu.
Add waste risk
Include 10-15% waste. If your cost price is €12.00, that becomes €12.00 / 0.85 = €14.12 per sold portion at 15% waste.
Determine your minimum selling price
Divide your actual cost price by your desired food cost percentage. At €14.12 cost price and 35% food cost: €14.12 / 0.35 = €40.34 excl. VAT = €44.00 incl. VAT.
✨ Pro tip
Track your daily specials for exactly 30 days using a simple spreadsheet: cost price, selling price, portions sold, and waste percentage. You'll quickly identify which specials consistently deliver the highest absolute margins and deserve a permanent spot.
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
Can my daily special have a higher food cost than my fixed menu?
Yes, that's normal and expected. Daily specials often run 35-40% food cost because you buy smaller quantities and take more risk. As long as your absolute margin (euros per plate) is higher, you earn more.
Should I maintain the same margin as my fixed menu?
No, focus on absolute margin in euros instead of percentages. A daily special with 38% food cost that yields €8 more margin than a fixed dish with 28% food cost is more profitable for your restaurant.
How do I price seasonal products as a daily special?
Calculate with the highest price of the season, not the introduction price. This way you never make a loss and earn extra margin at the beginning of the season. It's a safety buffer that protects your profitability.
📚 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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