Selective figure sharing transforms confused staff into motivated partners who actively protect your margins. Most restaurant owners either overwhelm their team with every number or keep them completely in the dark. Both approaches waste money and miss opportunities.
The golden rule: relevance determines what you share
Not every figure matters to everyone. Your chef doesn't need rent costs, but should grasp why ingredient precision matters.
💡 Example:
Restaurant with 4 team members:
- Chef: food cost per dish, daily revenue, number of covers
- Sous chef: waste per day, inventory value
- Wait staff: average bill, number of guests
- Owner: all figures including costs and margins
Which figures motivate (and which don't)
Some numbers spark action, others just breed stress or resentment.
- DO share: Daily revenue, covers served, waste amounts, food cost of popular dishes
- DON'T share: Your salary, rent expenses, total profit, staff costs
- SOMETIMES share: Monthly results (only if positive and inspiring)
⚠️ Heads up:
Never share individual salaries or compare team members using numbers. This breeds tension and kills teamwork.
Frequency: daily, weekly or monthly?
Timing matters as much as content. Here's a mistake that costs the average restaurant EUR 200-400 per month: sharing complex weekly reports when staff need simple daily updates instead.
- Daily (5 minutes): Yesterday's revenue, covers served, key highlights
- Weekly (15 minutes): Week totals, waste tracking, top-selling dishes
- Monthly (30 minutes): Monthly performance, upcoming goals, team recognition
💡 Example daily check:
Every morning at 10:00, before lunch prep:
- "Yesterday: €1,250 revenue, 52 covers"
- "Average bill: €24, that's €2 higher than last week"
- "Monitor steak portions today - yesterday ran over budget"
How to share figures without creating stress
Your delivery method trumps the actual numbers. Focus on progress, not problems.
- Frame positively: "We're on track" instead of "we're bleeding money"
- Action-oriented: "We can improve" with specific next steps
- Team-focused: "We" instead of "you guys" or "you all"
Figures your team can influence
Share numbers where your team has direct control. This creates ownership and drives results.
💡 Example controllable figures:
- Waste: chef adjusts portions and prep amounts
- Average bill: servers suggest appetizers and desserts
- Cover count: everyone creates experiences that bring guests back
- Food cost: chef optimizes expensive ingredient usage
Digital tools for transparent figures
A system like KitchenNmbrs automatically generates team reports. No manual number crunching, just current information ready to share.
The dashboard instantly reveals which dishes perform well, where waste happens and how food costs trend. Perfect for those weekly team check-ins.
How do you determine which figures to share? (step by step)
Make a list of all the figures you have
Write down everything: revenue, costs, margins, number of guests, waste, food cost per dish. Make it complete before you start selecting.
Determine for each figure: can my team influence this?
Waste can be influenced by the chef, rent cannot. Average bill can be influenced by wait staff, your energy bill cannot. Focus on what they can control.
Test with 3-5 figures and watch the reaction
Start small with daily revenue, number of covers and waste. See how your team reacts. Motivating? Add more figures. Stress? Share less.
✨ Pro tip
Share weekly food cost data for your 3 highest-volume dishes every Tuesday morning. This gives chefs actionable insight without information overload.
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
Should I share my profit with my team?
Only if it motivates and your team thinks strategically about growth. Never reveal personal income or exact margins. You can say "We're hitting targets" or "strong month" instead.
What if my team isn't interested in figures?
Make numbers relevant to their daily work. Skip percentages, focus on concrete impact: "Careful garnish portions save us €50 weekly." Connect numbers to their success, not abstract concepts.
Can I share food cost percentages with the chef?
Absolutely. Your chef needs profitability data to make smart decisions. Share food costs for your 5 bestsellers so they can adjust portions and ingredient choices accordingly.
📚 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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