Side dishes are often the silent profit makers or loss leaders on your menu. Many restaurant owners only calculate the cost of the main ingredient of a dish, but forget that the potatoes, vegetables and sauce also cost money. You need to calculate the cost price of each side dish to understand how this affects your total food cost.
Why side dishes are often overlooked
A €8.00 steak on your plate seems like a clear cost price. But what does that portion of potato gratin next to it cost? That ratatouille? That butter sauce? Many entrepreneurs estimate this: "Oh, a euro or two." But that estimate can be costly.
⚠️ Note:
Side dishes can make up 20-40% of your total plate costs. If you miscalculate those, your entire food cost won't add up.
The systematic approach to side dishes
Treat each side dish as a mini-recipe with its own cost price. Just like your main course, each side dish has ingredients, quantities and a cost price per portion.
- Main course: steak, marinade, spices
- Side dish 1: potato gratin (potato, cream, cheese, butter)
- Side dish 2: vegetable mix (courgette, bell pepper, onion, olive oil)
- Side dish 3: sauce (stock, butter, wine, spices)
Step-by-step calculation of side dish cost price
💡 Example: Potato Gratin
For 1 portion of potato gratin you need:
- Potatoes: 200g at €1.20/kg = €0.24
- Whipping cream: 50ml at €2.40/liter = €0.12
- Grated cheese: 30g at €8.00/kg = €0.24
- Butter: 10g at €6.00/kg = €0.06
- Spices/salt: €0.02
Side dish cost price: €0.68
Calculate the exact quantities and prices for each side dish. Add everything together for the total cost price of your plate.
How side dishes affect your total food cost
The cost price of your complete plate is the sum of all components. Here's how quickly it adds up:
💡 Example: Complete Steak
Menu price: €32.00 incl. VAT (€29.36 excl. VAT)
- Steak 200g: €7.20
- Potato gratin: €0.68
- Vegetable mix: €0.85
- Pepper sauce: €0.45
- Garnish/butter: €0.15
Total cost price: €9.33
Food cost: €9.33 / €29.36 = 31.8%
Without the side dishes, your food cost would seem to come out to 24.5% (€7.20 / €29.36). But the actual food cost is 31.8% - a difference of 7.3 percentage points!
Common mistakes with side dishes
Most mistakes arise from underestimation or forgetting ingredients. From years of working in professional kitchens, I've seen these errors repeatedly:
- Forgetting oil and butter: Seems like little, but you use more than you think during prep
- Spices and seasonings: Expensive spices like saffron or fresh herbs add up quickly
- Not accounting for waste: With vegetables you have peel waste, with cheese you throw away the rind
- Estimating portion size: Measure your actual portions for a week - you often give more than expected
⚠️ Note:
Check your portion size regularly. If your chef gives 250g potatoes instead of 200g, the cost price rises from €0.24 to €0.30 - that's 25% more!
Digital vs. manual tracking
You can track side dishes in Excel, but that quickly becomes confusing. With 20 dishes each having 3-4 side dishes you have 80+ cost price calculations.
A food cost calculator like KitchenNmbrs automatically calculates the cost price of each component and adds everything together. Change the price of cream, and all dishes with cream are automatically updated.
💡 Practical tip:
Start with your 5 best-selling dishes. Calculate all side dishes exactly for each dish. That already gives you 80% insight into your actual food cost.
The difference with à la carte side dishes
Some restaurants also sell side dishes separately (à la carte). Then you have two cost prices:
- As part of main course: Cost price only (no profit expected)
- As à la carte dish: Cost price + profit margin (usually 25-35% food cost)
A portion of potato gratin costing €0.68 you can sell à la carte for €2.50-3.00. But as part of a main course you only count the €0.68 cost price.
How do you calculate the cost price of side dishes? (step by step)
Make a list of all side dishes per main course
Note for each main course which side dishes go with it: potatoes, vegetables, sauce, garnish. Don't forget the 'invisible' ingredients like oil, butter and spices.
Measure the exact quantities per portion
Weigh all side dishes you prepare for a week. Note how many grams of potatoes, how many milliliters of sauce, how many grams of vegetables per plate. Use these averages as your standard.
Calculate the cost price per side dish
Multiply the quantity per portion by the purchase price per kilogram or liter. Add all ingredients of that side dish together for the total cost price.
Add all side dishes together
Sum the cost price of main course + all side dishes for the total plate cost price. Divide this by your selling price excl. VAT for your actual food cost percentage.
✨ Pro tip
Weigh your actual side dish portions for 3 consecutive days during lunch service. You'll often discover portions are 15-20% larger than your recipe cards indicate, which directly impacts your calculated costs.
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
Should I also include the oil I fry in?
Yes, definitely. Calculate approximately 10-15ml oil per portion you fry. With expensive oils like olive oil this can cost €0.10-0.20 per portion.
How do I calculate spices and seasonings?
For regular spices you calculate €0.02-0.05 per portion. For expensive spices like saffron or fresh herbs you calculate the exact quantity against the purchase price.
What if I offer different side dishes per season?
Make a separate cost price calculation for each season. Summer vegetables cost differently than winter vegetables. Update your cost prices with every menu change.
How often should I check my side dish cost prices?
Check your purchase prices and portion size at least monthly. Suppliers regularly raise prices, and chefs sometimes unconsciously give larger portions.
Can I standardize side dishes to save costs?
Absolutely. Use the same side dishes with multiple main courses. Potato gratin goes with both fish and meat, that saves purchasing and preparation.
How do I handle side dishes with multiple preparation methods?
Calculate each preparation method separately. Roasted vegetables cost different from steamed ones due to oil usage and cooking time.
Should I factor in labor costs for complex side dishes?
For basic costing, focus on ingredient costs only. But if a side dish takes 30 minutes of prep versus 5 minutes, consider the time investment in your overall pricing strategy.
📚 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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