Back in January, suppliers started hitting restaurants with 10-20% price increases across the board. Most owners updated their ordering but forgot the crucial next step: adjusting recipe costs. Your beef might cost 15% more, but your system still thinks that steak costs the old amount.
Why you need to keep your ingredient prices up to date
Your supplier raises the price of beef by 15%. If you don't pass this on in your recipes, you think your steak still costs €8.50 in ingredients. In reality it's €9.78. Per steak sold you lose €1.28 without knowing it.
⚠️ Note:
Suppliers often send price changes by email. Check these monthly and update your ingredient prices, otherwise your food cost calculations become meaningless.
Adjusting ingredient price in KitchenNmbrs
Head to your ingredient library in the app. You'll see all ingredients with current purchase prices. Find the ingredient that got more expensive and update the price.
💡 Example:
Beef jumped from €24.00/kg to €27.60/kg (+15%):
- Open ingredient 'Beef' in the app
- Change price from €24.00 to €27.60
- Save
Every recipe with beef now recalculates instantly.
Automatic recalculation across all recipes
Here's the magic of digital systems: adjust one ingredient price, and every recipe using it recalculates automatically. No manual updates needed. From tracking this across dozens of restaurants, I've seen owners save 2-3 hours per week just by letting the system handle these calculations.
💡 Example recalculation:
Your steak recipe uses 200g beef:
- Old cost price: 0.2kg × €24.00 = €4.80
- New cost price: 0.2kg × €27.60 = €5.52
- Difference: +€0.72 per portion
At 50 steaks per week = €1,872 per year difference.
Check your food cost after price adjustments
After updating ingredient prices, review your food cost percentages. You might need to bump menu prices to protect your margins.
💡 Example food cost check:
Your €32.00 steak (€29.36 excl. VAT):
- Old food cost: €8.50 / €29.36 = 28.9%
- New food cost: €9.78 / €29.36 = 33.3%
- Increase: +4.4 percentage points
Consider raising your menu price to €34.50 to maintain your margin.
Schedule regular price reviews
Turn ingredient price checks into routine. Suppliers typically raise prices quarterly. Seasons affect costs too: vegetables cost more in winter, fish prices fluctuate by season.
- Monthly: Scan supplier emails for price updates
- Quarterly: Review your 10 most expensive ingredients
- New supplier: Compare prices and adjust immediately
- Seasonal shifts: Vegetables, fish and seasonal products
How do you update ingredient prices in KitchenNmbrs?
Open your ingredient library
Go to the ingredient overview in the KitchenNmbrs app. Here you see all the ingredients you use with their current purchase prices per unit.
Search and select the ingredient
Search for the ingredient whose price has changed. Tap it to open the details. You see the current price per kilogram, liter or piece.
Adjust the new purchase price
Change the price to the new purchase price from your supplier. Save the change. All recipes using this ingredient automatically recalculate.
Check your food cost percentages
Check the food cost of your recipes that contain the adjusted ingredient. If the food cost goes above 35%, consider adjusting your menu price.
✨ Pro tip
Set a monthly calendar reminder to review ingredient prices on the same day you process supplier invoices. This creates a 15-minute routine that can save thousands per year.
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
Do all recipes automatically recalculate if I change an ingredient price?
Yes, the moment you adjust an ingredient price, every recipe using that ingredient recalculates instantly. No manual updates required.
How often should I check my ingredient prices?
Review supplier emails monthly for price changes. Do a quarterly deep-dive on your 10 most expensive ingredients, and watch seasonal items like vegetables and fish more closely.
What if I forget to pass on a price change?
Your food cost calculations become worthless and you lose money on every dish without knowing it. A 15% increase on a key ingredient can cost you €1-2 per portion.
Can I see which recipes are affected when I change an ingredient price?
Most systems show you which recipes use each ingredient before you make changes. This helps you understand the impact before updating prices.
Should I raise menu prices every time ingredient costs go up?
Not necessarily. Check your food cost percentage first - if it stays under 35%, you might absorb the increase. Above 35%, consider a menu price adjustment.
What's the fastest way to update multiple ingredient prices from the same supplier?
Update them one by one while reviewing the supplier's price sheet. This ensures you catch every change and see the impact on each ingredient individually.
📚 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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