Here's my confession: I've watched countless restaurants argue over portion sizes while bleeding money every single day. Your chef pushes for more salmon, ownership demands lower costs, but nobody actually knows what anything costs. These pricing debates turn into expensive guessing games that drain profits.
Why price discussions arise
The cycle starts predictably: your chef crafts an incredible dish, everyone gets excited, but nobody calculates the actual cost. Months pass, margins shrink, and you're left wondering where the money went.
? Example:
Your teriyaki salmon is on the menu for €28. Your chef uses:
- Salmon fillet 200g: €7.20
- Teriyaki sauce: €0.80
- Vegetables: €1.50
- Rice: €0.60
- Garnish: €0.90
Total cost price: €11.00 on €25.69 excl. VAT = 42.8% food cost
That's dangerously high. Without proper calculations, this dish silently destroys your bottom line.
The hidden costs of unclear pricing
Transparent recipe calculations prevent these costly mistakes:
- Portion sizes fluctuate: 180g salmon one day, 220g the next
- Premium ingredients get overused: Extra truffle oil because "guests love it"
- Nobody questions costs: Who can argue without real numbers?
- Price adjustments get postponed: No data means no convincing arguments
⚠️ Watch out:
A 20-gram variance per portion on expensive ingredients costs €1,000+ annually on popular dishes.
I've seen this mistake cost the average restaurant EUR 200-400 per month. That's real money disappearing because portions aren't standardized and nobody tracks the actual impact.
Transparency as a solution
Everything changes when your team sees actual cost prices. Discussions shift from "I think" to "I know." Your chef understands why 250g beef breaks the budget. Servers grasp why prices need adjustment.
? Practical example:
Restaurant De Heerlijkheid battled monthly over beef tenderloin portions. Owner said too expensive, chef insisted portions were perfect.
After calculating actual costs:
- Chef was serving 220g instead of planned 180g
- Extra cost: €2.40 per portion
- Monthly impact (80 portions): €192 loss
- Annual overspend: €2,304
Solution: standardize at 200g, increase price €2. Problem solved.
Digital recipes as the truth
Paper recipes vanish, memory fails, and everyone creates their own version. Digital systems ensure everyone works from identical numbers.
Tools like a food cost calculator show cost-per-portion instantly, and your team sees exactly what each modification means for margins. No more "roughly costs" debates—just reliable data everyone trusts.
Related articles
How do you make cost prices transparent for your team?
Calculate exact cost price per recipe
Make a list of all ingredients per dish, including oil, butter, spices and garnish. Add up the purchase prices and calculate the cost price per portion. Use the formula: food cost % = (cost price / selling price excl. VAT) × 100.
Make numbers visible to the team
Make sure your kitchen team can see the cost price, for example via a digital system or laminated cards. Explain why certain portion sizes are important and what deviations cost.
Discuss the impact of changes
Show what 10 grams extra of an expensive ingredient costs per year. Make concrete agreements about portion sizes and explain how this affects profitability. This way discussions are based on facts instead of feelings.
✨ Pro tip
Calculate cost prices for your 3 highest-volume dishes within the next 48 hours. Once those numbers are locked and your team understands them, you'll eliminate most pricing arguments instantly.
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
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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
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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