Some restaurant owners react instantly to ingredient price spikes, while others watch profits drain for weeks. The difference lies in knowing exactly which recipes to check first. Smart operators have a systematic approach that prevents costly oversights.
Start with your best-selling dishes
Always begin with the recipes you sell most frequently. A 20% price increase on beef hits your steak dish much harder than your vegetarian pasta if you sell 50 steaks per week and only 5 pastas.
💡 Example:
Beef rises from €18/kg to €22/kg (+22%). Check these recipes first:
- Steak (200g meat): was €3.60, now €4.40
- Beef stew (150g meat): was €2.70, now €3.30
- Carpaccio (80g meat): was €1.44, now €1.76
Per portion €0.32 to €0.80 extra costs!
Recipes with high concentration of the expensive ingredient
Check recipes where the increased ingredient makes up a large portion. A cheese price increase hits your cheese soufflé harder than your mixed salad with some grated cheese.
- Main ingredient dishes: fish in fish dishes, meat in meat dishes
- Base ingredients: butter in sauces, cream in soups
- Expensive garnishes: truffle, oysters, wagyu
Dishes with tight margins
If a dish already has a food cost of 33-35%, a 15% price increase can push it over the 40% threshold. Then you're not making money on it anymore. This is a pattern we see repeatedly in restaurant financials - operators who don't monitor margin-sensitive dishes end up subsidizing customers without realizing it.
⚠️ Watch out:
Dishes above 38% food cost are often money-losers. At 40%, after labor and other costs, you usually have nothing left.
Seasonal and special dishes
Also check your seasonal menu and specials. These often don't have a fixed place on your menu, so you easily forget them during price checks.
💡 Example:
Asparagus rises from €8/kg to €12/kg in season:
- Asparagus soup (200g asparagus): €1.00 extra
- Asparagus with ham (300g asparagus): €1.20 extra
- Asparagus risotto (150g asparagus): €0.60 extra
These often appear as 'daily specials' and get forgotten during price checks.
Priority matrix: which to check first
Use this order to work systematically:
- High sales + high concentration: Popular dishes with lots of the expensive ingredient
- High sales + low margin: Popular dishes that are already tight
- Low sales + high concentration: Dishes you might need to remove
- Specials and seasonal: Temporary dishes you easily forget
Quick check: the 80/20 rule
Focus on your top 5 dishes that contain the increased ingredient. These often represent 80% of the impact on your total food cost.
How do you check recipes after a price increase? (step by step)
Make a list of all recipes with the increased ingredient
Go through your menu and note every dish that contains the ingredient that became more expensive. Don't forget garnishes, sauces and side dishes.
Sort by sales numbers per week
Put your best-selling dishes at the top. A dish you sell 50 times per week has more impact than one you sell 5 times.
Calculate the new cost price per dish
Update the ingredient price and recalculate the food cost. Check if you're still under 35%, otherwise you need to adjust the selling price.
✨ Pro tip
Map out your 8 highest-volume dishes and their primary ingredients within the next 72 hours. You'll know instantly which recipes need attention during your next supplier price shock.
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 if multiple ingredients become more expensive at the same time?
Start with the ingredient that has the biggest impact on your food cost. This is usually the most expensive ingredient or the one that increased the most in price.
Should I also check side dishes and garnishes?
Yes, especially if they're expensive ingredients like truffle, cheese or nuts. An expensive garnish can significantly increase your food cost without you noticing.
How do I prevent forgetting to check recipes?
Keep a list of which recipes contain which main ingredients. Then you know immediately which dishes to check when prices increase. Update this list quarterly to stay current.
📚 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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