Every hunting season, smart restaurant owners face the same challenge: how to price wild game profitably without scaring off customers. You're dealing with seasonal availability, whole animal purchases, and unpredictable trim losses. Here's your roadmap to calculating realistic margins on hunter-sourced game meat.
Why game meat is different from regular meatGame meat has a different cost structure than regular meat:
- Seasonal: only available during hunting season
- Whole animals: you often buy an entire deer or wild boar
- Varying quality: each animal is different
- No fixed price list: negotiating per delivery
⚠️ Note:
Game meat often has higher trim loss than regular meat. Plan for 35-50% loss from bones, sinews and less usable parts.
Calculate your actual purchase price per kilo of usable meat
With game meat you often buy a whole animal, but don't use everything. The actual price per kilo becomes much higher due to trim loss.
💡 Example:
You buy a whole roe deer weighing 25 kg for €200 from a local hunter:
- Purchase price: €200 / 25 kg = €8.00/kg
- Usable meat after butchering: 15 kg (40% loss)
- Actual price: €200 / 15 kg = €13.33/kg
So you're paying €13.33/kg for the usable meat, not €8.00/kg!
Formula for actual purchase price:
Actual price/kg = Total purchase price / Usable weight after processing
Factor in additional costs
Game meat often brings extra costs that you need to pass on:
- Butchering: Do you do it yourself or have it done? (€2-4/kg)
- Storage: Game meat often needs to be frozen (energy costs)
- Risk: Sometimes quality falls short (buffer of 5-10%)
- Time: More prep time than regular meat
💡 Example complete cost price:
Roe deer at €13.33/kg usable meat:
- Base price: €13.33/kg
- Butchering by butcher: €3.00/kg
- Risk buffer (5%): €0.82/kg
Total cost price: €17.15/kg
Determine your desired margin
Game meat is a premium product, so you can charge a higher margin than regular meat. Standard margins for game meat:
- Food cost game meat: 25-30% (lower than regular meat)
- Reason: Exclusivity, seasonality, story
- Guests: Expect higher price for game meat
Formula for minimum selling price:
Minimum price excl. VAT = Cost price / (Desired food cost % / 100)
💡 Example price calculation:
Roe deer cost price: €17.15/kg, desired food cost: 28%
- Minimum price excl. VAT: €17.15 / 0.28 = €61.25/kg
- For 200g portion: €61.25 × 0.2 = €12.25 excl. VAT
- Menu price incl. 9% VAT: €12.25 × 1.09 = €13.35
So you can charge a minimum of €13.35 for 200g of roe deer.
Account for season and availability
Game meat isn't available year-round. Plan your purchasing and menu smartly - it's the kind of thing you only learn after closing your first month at a loss on what seemed like cheap venison:
- Hunting season: September through February (varies by species)
- Freezing: Buy in season, use later (extra storage costs)
- Menu adjustments: Game meat as seasonal special, not on fixed menu
- Communication: "While supplies last" on menu
⚠️ Note:
Have a backup dish ready if you run out of game meat. Guests who ordered game meat expect an equally good alternative.
How do you calculate the margin on game meat? (step by step)
Calculate actual purchase price per kilo
Divide the total purchase price by the usable weight after butchering and processing. Plan for 35-50% trim loss with game meat. A whole roe deer weighing 25kg costing €200 often yields only 15kg of usable meat.
Add up all extra costs
Factor in butchering costs (€2-4/kg), storage costs and a risk buffer of 5-10%. Game meat brings more handling costs than regular meat from the wholesaler.
Determine selling price with lower food cost
Game meat can have a food cost of 25-30% due to its premium position. Divide your total cost price by the desired food cost and multiply by 1.09 for VAT to get your menu price.
✨ Pro tip
Always negotiate a 48-hour quality guarantee with your hunter - you'll discover issues with aging or shot placement within two days of delivery. This simple agreement has saved me from serving questionable venison at least six times this season.
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 trim loss should I plan for with game meat?
Plan for 35-50% trim loss with game meat, depending on the animal and your butchering skills. Roe deer often has 40% loss, wild boar can have up to 50% loss due to more bones and sinews. Always weigh the usable meat after processing to get your real cost per kilo.
Can I charge the same margin as regular meat?
No, game meat justifies a lower food cost (25-30% instead of 30-35%) due to exclusivity and seasonality. Guests expect a higher price for game meat than regular meat, so you can afford better margins.
How do I handle varying quality in game meat?
Build a risk buffer of 5-10% into your cost price. Not every animal has the same quality, and sometimes you have to reject meat. This buffer covers those occasional losses and keeps your margins stable.
Should I charge 9% or 21% VAT on game meat?
Game meat served as a dish falls under the low VAT rate of 9%, just like other food in restaurants. Only alcoholic beverages have 21% VAT.
What if my hunter raises his prices mid-season?
Recalculate your cost price and menu price immediately. Game meat is a seasonal product where guests expect price fluctuations. Communicate this as 'market price' on your menu to give yourself flexibility.
How do I price different cuts from the same animal?
Price each cut based on its usability and guest appeal. Prime cuts like backstrap can carry higher margins (20-25% food cost) while tougher cuts for stews might need 30-35% food cost. The total animal purchase should still be profitable.
Should I buy from multiple hunters or stick to one supplier?
Start with one reliable hunter to build consistency, but having 2-3 sources prevents shortages. Different hunters often specialize in different game types, and backup suppliers save you during busy periods or when quality varies.
📚 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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