A chef who "to be safe" always gives a little extra can drastically eat into your margin. What seems like care - 50 grams of extra steak, an extra scoop of vegetables - costs you hundreds of euros per month. In this article you calculate exactly what this costs and how to prevent it.
The hidden costs of "a little extra"
Your chef means well. Guests should be satisfied. But every gram extra goes straight off your profit. And because nobody keeps track, you don't see how big the impact is.
💡 Example:
You sell steak for €32.00. According to recipe: 200 grams of meat at €24/kg.
- Recipe cost: 200g × €24 = €4.80
- Reality: 250g × €24 = €6.00
- Extra cost per plate: €1.20
At 50 steaks per week = €3,120 per year in extra costs
Why this goes wrong so often
The problem lies in the communication between recipe and execution. Your recipe says 200 grams, but in the kitchen it becomes "a nice portion". Without a scale, it's estimated. And when in doubt, the chef chooses more.
- No clear portion size agreed upon
- Not weighing during service (too busy)
- Fear of complaints about small portions
- No insight into what the extra costs
The impact on your food cost
Suppose your food cost is calculated at 30%, but due to extra portions it becomes 35%. On an annual turnover of €400,000 this means:
💡 Calculation:
- Target food cost: 30% × €400,000 = €120,000
- Actual food cost: 35% × €400,000 = €140,000
- Difference: €20,000 per year
€20,000 less profit due to "a little extra"
Most common "leaks"
Not all ingredients have the same impact. Expensive ingredients cost you the most:
- Meat and fish: 20% extra = €2-4 per plate
- Cheese and nuts: 15% extra = €1-2 per plate
- Sauces with cream/butter: 25% extra = €0.50-1 per plate
- Garnish: 30% extra = €0.25-0.50 per plate
⚠️ Note:
The most expensive ingredients have the biggest impact. 10 grams of extra salmon costs more than 50 grams of extra potatoes.
How you measure and control this
You can only solve this problem if you measure it. Do weight checks for a week:
- Weigh 10 portions of your most popular dishes
- Compare with your recipes
- Calculate the extra costs per dish
- Multiply by number of sales per week
💡 Practical example:
Pasta carbonara - recipe vs reality:
- Bacon according to recipe: 40g at €18/kg = €0.72
- Bacon actual: 55g at €18/kg = €0.99
- Difference per plate: €0.27
- At 80 portions/week: €1,123 per year
Solutions that work
It's not about cooking by the gram, but about awareness and system:
- Portion cups and spoons: Standardize without weighing
- Visual references: Photos of correct portion sizes
- Weekly spot checks: Weigh 5 plates per dish
- Cost awareness: Show what extra costs
KitchenNmbrs and portion control
With a system like KitchenNmbrs you immediately see what every gram of extra costs. You can record recipes with exact portion sizes and calculate the impact if you deviate. This makes the difference between recipe and reality visible, without you having to do the math yourself.
How do you calculate the impact of extra portions? (step by step)
Measure your actual portions
For a week, weigh 10 portions of your 5 most popular dishes. Note the weight per ingredient and compare with your recipe. This gives you the actual deviation per dish.
Calculate the extra costs per plate
Subtract the recipe weight from the actual weight per ingredient. Multiply the difference by the kilogram price. Add up all ingredients for the total extra cost per plate.
Calculate what it costs you per year
Multiply the extra cost per plate by the number of sales per week, then by 52 weeks. This gives you the annual impact of oversized portions per dish.
✨ Pro tip
Check especially your sauces and dressings - often 50% more goes in than necessary, and that adds up quickly with many covers.
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 much extra do chefs give on average?
Research shows that chefs without portion control give an average of 15-25% more than the recipe prescribes. With expensive ingredients like meat and fish, this can go up to 30% extra.
Do I have to weigh everything during service?
No, that's not practical. Use portion cups, spoons and visual references for standardization. Do weekly spot checks to make sure you stay within the margins.
What if guests complain about smaller portions?
Start with your most expensive ingredients and keep vegetables/side dishes at the same level. Guests notice the difference mainly in meat/fish, not in the total plate size.
How do I explain this to my chefs?
Show them the numbers: what does 50 grams of extra steak cost per year? Make it concrete. Focus on standardization for quality, not on cost-cutting.
Which dishes do I check first?
Start with your best-selling dishes with expensive ingredients. A steak that sells 100 times a week has more impact than a fish dish that sells 10 times.
📚 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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