Most chefs won't admit this: they're flying blind on food costs because their recipe prices are months out of date. Suppliers bump prices constantly, but recipe cards stay frozen in time. That ribeye you think costs €8.50 is actually hitting €11.20 - and your profit margins are bleeding out without you realizing it.
Why current prices matter so much
Your supplier raises the price of beef by 15%. You don't update your recipes. Every steak you sell now costs you more than you think.
💡 Example:
Steak recipe in January:
- Steak 200g: €18/kg = €3.60
- Other ingredients: €2.40
- Total cost price: €6.00
Steak recipe in March (price +15%):
- Steak 200g: €20.70/kg = €4.14
- Other ingredients: €2.40
- Total cost price: €6.54
Difference: €0.54 per portion = €280 less profit per month at 100 portions/week
Signs that your prices are outdated
How do you know your purchase prices no longer add up? Watch for these red flags:
- Your food cost seems too low: If your calculation says 28% but your gut says it should be higher
- Supplier invoices are climbing: You're paying more for the same products, but your recipes stay unchanged
- Margins under pressure: Same revenue but less profit left over
- Price gaps between suppliers: Your backup supplier suddenly became way more expensive
How often should you check prices?
The frequency depends on the type of ingredient:
- Meat and fish: Monthly (prices swing wildly)
- Dairy: Quarterly (fairly stable)
- Vegetables and fruit: Weekly in season, monthly otherwise
- Dry goods: Quarterly (prices creep up slowly)
- Specialty ingredients: With each order (small volumes, big price swings)
⚠️ Heads up:
Always check your top revenue-generating dishes first. If those are accurate, you've solved 80% of your problem.
System for price control
Make price control part of your routine. Do it systematically:
Weekly check (10 minutes):
- Compare your latest invoice with last week's
- Note which prices have jumped
- Update the changed prices in your recipes
Monthly check (30 minutes):
- Recalculate food cost for your 10 highest-selling dishes
- Check if your menu price still makes sense at the new cost price
- Decide if you need to adjust your prices
From years of working in professional kitchens, I've seen too many operations hemorrhage money because nobody owned this process. Make someone responsible.
Digital vs. manual tracking
Many kitchens work with Excel or notebooks. That works, but has drawbacks:
- Forgetting to update: Nobody remembers to update Excel
- No overview: Which recipes use this ingredient?
- Double work: Same ingredient in 10 recipes = 10x updating
💡 Example digital system:
In digital tools you update the price of beef once:
- Beef: €18/kg → €20.70/kg
- All 8 recipes with beef update automatically
- You immediately see the new food cost per dish
- You see which dishes become too expensive
Time savings: 5 minutes instead of 30 minutes of manual work
What to do with major price increases
Sometimes prices jump 20% or more. Then you have three options:
- Raise menu price: Pass it on to the customer
- Adjust recipe: Use less of the expensive ingredient, more of cheaper alternatives
- Remove dish: If it's no longer profitable
Calculate the impact before you decide. A food cost of 38% can still work if you have little waste and control your portions well.
How do you keep purchase prices current? (step by step)
Create an ingredient list of your top dishes
List all ingredients from your 10 best-selling dishes. These dishes determine 80% of your profit, so start here. Note the current purchase price per kg or liter for each ingredient.
Check your invoices weekly for price changes
Compare your new invoices with last week's each week. Pay special attention to meat, fish, and seasonal vegetables - these prices change the most. Note all changes directly in your system.
Update prices and recalculate food cost
Update changed prices in your recipes and calculate the new cost price per dish. Check if your food cost stays under 35%. If not, you need to adjust your menu price or recipe.
✨ Pro tip
Update your 3 most expensive protein prices every 2 weeks without fail. A €1.50/kg increase in salmon costs you more than tracking every herb and spice combined.
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
How often do purchase prices go up on average?
Meat and fish can swing monthly by 5-15%. Dairy and dry goods usually jump 2-4 times a year by 3-8%. Vegetables vary wildly by season.
Do I need to adjust my menu every time prices go up?
Not necessarily. First check if your food cost is still acceptable. Adjust your menu price if your food cost goes above 35-37%, or if multiple ingredients get more expensive at the same time.
What if I don't have time to check prices weekly?
Focus on your 5 highest-selling dishes and check those monthly. That's better than doing nothing at all. A digital system can speed up this process from 30 to 5 minutes.
How do I avoid missing price increases?
Make it part of your weekly routine, for example every Monday morning. Or use a system that alerts you when an ingredient price deviates significantly from your last invoice.
Should I check seasonal ingredients differently than stable ones?
Absolutely. Asparagus in spring might double in price week to week, while flour stays steady for months. Adjust your checking frequency based on how volatile each ingredient typically is.
What's the biggest mistake kitchens make with price tracking?
They update prices randomly instead of systematically. You'll miss the gradual creep that kills margins over time. Set specific days for price reviews and stick to them religiously.
📚 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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