Menu calculations feel overwhelming when you're staring at dozens of dishes without knowing their true profitability. But you can tackle your entire menu in just a few hours with the right system. A centralized approach to recipes, ingredient costs and margins reveals exactly which dishes make money and which don't.
Start by collecting your current recipes
Before any calculations happen, you need every recipe documented. Hunt down chef's notebooks, sticky notes, and those "secret" recipes living only in someone's head. Missing documentation is what stops most restaurants from ever getting their costs under control.
⚠️ Note:
Focus on your 10 highest-volume dishes first. Get those profitable and you've fixed 80% of your cash flow issues. Everything else can wait.
Build your ingredient library
You'll create a master database of every ingredient with current purchase prices. Yes, it's tedious upfront work. But you only build it once, then reuse ingredients across multiple recipes forever.
💡 Example ingredient list:
A typical bistro needs roughly 150-200 ingredients:
- Meat & fish: 30-40 items
- Vegetables: 40-50 items
- Herbs & spices: 25-30 items
- Dairy & eggs: 15-20 items
- Oils, vinegars, sauces: 20-25 items
- Dry goods: 20-30 items
Enter your recipes with exact quantities
Every dish needs precise ingredient amounts per portion. Don't eyeball it - weigh everything. Include garnishes, sauces, even that parsley sprig. Based on real restaurant P&L data, the "small stuff" often adds 15-20% to your actual food costs.
💡 Example: Steak with fries
Complete cost breakdown per portion:
- Steak 250g: €6.50
- Potatoes 300g: €0.45
- Frying oil: €0.30
- Butter for steak: €0.25
- Herbs & salt: €0.15
- Garnish (salad): €0.85
Total cost price: €8.50
Set your desired food cost percentage
Pick your target food cost percentage - usually 28-35% for most restaurants. The system then calculates minimum selling prices automatically. No more guessing what you should charge.
- Fine dining: 28-32% (premium pricing allows lower food cost)
- Casual dining: 30-35% (balancing affordability with profit)
- Bistro/café: 28-33% (varies by local market)
💡 Example calculation:
Steak costing €8.50 at 30% target food cost:
- Minimum price excl. VAT: €8.50 ÷ 0.30 = €28.33
- Price incl. 9% VAT: €28.33 × 1.09 = €30.88
- Round to: €31.00
Actual food cost: €8.50 ÷ €28.44 = 29.9%
Export and compare your entire menu
Now you get the full picture - every dish with its true cost, current price, and actual food cost percentage. The winners and losers become obvious instantly. No more wondering why your profits disappeared.
⚠️ Note:
Never shock customers with massive price jumps. Pick your 3-5 worst performers and adjust those first. Gradual changes go unnoticed.
Plan your price adjustments strategically
With complete menu data, you can prioritize ruthlessly. Anything over 40% food cost is bleeding money. Dishes under 25% might be underpriced goldmines.
- Above 40% food cost: Emergency fixes needed (price up or portion down)
- 35-40% food cost: Adjust within 8 weeks
- 25-35% food cost: Perfect range, don't touch
- Below 25% food cost: Consider bigger portions or lower prices
How do you calculate your entire menu? (step by step)
Collect all recipes and make a list
Start with your 10-15 best-selling dishes. Write down all ingredients with exact quantities per portion. Don't forget garnishes, sauces and oils.
Enter ingredients with current purchase prices
Build your ingredient library in KitchenNmbrs. Check your latest invoices for the correct prices per kilo or per unit. You do this once, then you can reuse everything.
Create recipes and view the cost prices
Enter each recipe with the correct quantities. KitchenNmbrs automatically calculates the cost price per portion. Set your desired food cost (usually 28-35%) to see the minimum selling price.
Compare with your current menu and prioritize
Export the overview and compare with your current prices. Dishes above 40% food cost have priority. Plan gradual price adjustments instead of raising everything at once.
✨ Pro tip
Calculate your 8 highest-volume dishes within the next 72 hours - these drive 60-70% of your food costs. Get these margins right and your monthly P&L will improve dramatically.
Calculate this yourself?
In the KitchenNmbrs app you can do this in just a few clicks. 7 days free, no credit card.
Was this article helpful?
Frequently asked questions
How much time does calculating my entire menu actually take?
For a typical bistro with 25-30 dishes, expect 4-6 hours total. Most time goes to gathering recipes and current ingredient prices. Once everything's in the system, calculations happen instantly.
What if I don't have exact recipes documented anywhere?
Start with your chef's best estimates and refine while cooking. Have them weigh portions during prep for a few days. Rough cost data beats no cost data every time.
Should I recalculate after every supplier price change?
Check your numbers every 3 months minimum, or immediately after major price increases from key suppliers. Updated ingredient costs show the real impact across your entire menu instantly.
📚 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.
Set selling prices based on facts
Guessing at prices? KitchenNmbrs calculates the ideal selling price based on your actual food cost and desired margin. Test it free for 14 days.
Start free trial →