Most people comparing Ratatool alternatives already agree with the premise: guessing your food cost is burning money. The question is only which tool fits your kitchen — and what you will need six months from now.
What Ratatool does well
Ratatool built a loyal following, especially in French-speaking kitchens, with clean recipe cost sheets: put in your ingredients and purchase prices, get your cost per portion and your margin. Straightforward and focused.
What usually comes next
After a few months of costing recipes, the same two needs show up in almost every kitchen. First: food safety paperwork. You are already logging fridge temperatures and cleaning tasks somewhere — usually on paper, usually incomplete on the one day the inspector visits. Second: menu strategy. Knowing each dish's margin is step one; knowing which dishes to promote, re-price or remove (menu engineering) is where the real money is.
The comparison
| Ratatool | KitchenNmbrs | |
|---|---|---|
| Recipe costing & technical sheets | Yes — its core strength | Yes — food cost per dish in 60 seconds |
| HACCP logging | Not its focus | Built in: temperatures, cleaning, checks on your phone |
| Menu engineering | Basic margin view | Built in (popularity × margin matrix) |
| Languages | French-first | 11 languages across the EU |
| Trial | See their site | 7 days free, no credit card |
Which should you pick?
If you only want cost sheets and you work in French, Ratatool remains a solid, focused choice. If you want costing plus your HACCP registration in the same tool — one login, one subscription, one place your team checks daily — try KitchenNmbrs on your own menu this week. Costing your first dish takes about a minute.
Calculate this yourself?
In the KitchenNmbrs app you can do this in just a few clicks. 7 days free, no credit card.
Calculate it yourself?
Our free food cost calculator does it in seconds.
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Frequently asked questions
Can KitchenNmbrs replace my paper HACCP binder?
Does KitchenNmbrs work in French?
How long does switching take?
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.
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