A single high-cost dish can drag down your entire restaurant's profitability. Picture this: your ribeye runs at 45% food cost while everything else hovers around 30% - that one outlier skews your whole operation. Four strategic moves can fix this: bump the price, tweak the recipe, hunt for better suppliers, or cut it entirely.
Identify the problem dish
Start by pinpointing which dish is sabotaging your margins. Run the numbers on your top 10 sellers and look for anything creeping above 35% - that's your troublemaker.
💡 Example:
Restaurant with 8 dishes on the menu:
- 7 dishes: 28-32% food cost
- 1 dish (beef tenderloin): 46% food cost
- Total food cost: 34% (too high)
Without the beef tenderloin, total food cost would be 30%.
Option 1: Raise the selling price
The most straightforward fix? Jack up that price. Do the math to figure out what you need to charge for a reasonable 32% food cost.
💡 Example calculation:
Beef tenderloin ingredient costs: €16.00
- For 32% food cost: €16.00 ÷ 0.32 = €50.00 excl. VAT
- Including 9% VAT: €50.00 × 1.09 = €54.50
- Current price: €38.00
- Increase needed: €16.50
Risk: Massive price jumps spook customers. Test the waters with €3-5 bumps first.
Option 2: Adjust the recipe
Trim portion sizes or swap pricey ingredients for budget-friendly alternatives. Side dishes and garnishes offer the easiest targets.
- Portion size: Dropping from 250g to 200g beef tenderloin cuts €3.20 per plate
- Side dishes: Ditch truffle mayo for herb oil
- Garnish: Less expensive veg, more potato or rice fillers
⚠️ Watch out:
Don't overhaul everything at once. Regulars will spot dramatic changes to their go-to dishes immediately.
Option 3: Find a different supplier
Shop around for better deals. After managing kitchen operations for nearly a decade, I've seen identical products with 15-20% price differences between suppliers. Quality and reliability matter just as much as cost.
- Get quotes from at least 3 different suppliers
- Ask about bulk purchase discounts
- Explore alternative cuts (bavette beats tenderloin on price)
Option 4: Remove the dish from the menu
Sometimes you just need to cut your losses. Especially true for low-selling, labor-intensive dishes that eat into profits.
💡 Decision framework:
- Less than 5% of your sales? Consider removing it
- More than 10% of your sales? Try other options first
- Signature dish? Look for creative solutions
Combine multiple options
The smartest approach? Mix and match strategies. Bump the price €5, shrink portions slightly, and negotiate better supplier rates. This spreads the impact across multiple areas.
- Step 1: Modest price bump (€3-5)
- Step 2: Recipe optimization (10-15% savings)
- Step 3: Smarter sourcing (5-10% savings)
This combo approach can slash your food cost from 46% to 32% without customers catching on.
How do you tackle a problem dish? (step by step)
Calculate the exact food cost
Add up all ingredient costs and divide by the selling price excl. VAT. Multiply by 100 for the percentage. Also check how many times this dish is sold per week.
Set your target figure
Choose a realistic food cost for this type of dish (usually 28-35%). Calculate what the new selling price would need to be to achieve this.
Choose your approach
Decide whether you'll raise the price, adjust the recipe, or find a different supplier. Test small changes first and measure the effect after 2-3 weeks.
✨ Pro tip
Track both food cost percentage and prep time for problem dishes. A 38% food cost item that takes 12 minutes often beats a 32% dish requiring 20 minutes of kitchen labor.
Calculate this yourself?
In the KitchenNmbrs app you can do this in just a few clicks. 7 days free, no credit card.
Was this article helpful?
Frequently asked questions
How much can one dish affect your total food cost?
If a single dish represents over 15% of sales and runs above 40% food cost, it'll drag your entire average up significantly. Focus on your top 5 sellers first - they have the biggest impact.
Should I keep an expensive dish for the prestige factor?
Only if it's a signature item that draws customers who order other profitable dishes. Calculate the total revenue impact, including what those customers spend on drinks and appetizers. Otherwise, make it profitable or drop it.
How do I test if customers will accept a price increase?
Start with €3-5 increments and monitor sales for 2-3 weeks. If volume drops more than 20%, you've pushed too hard. Premium dishes typically handle increases better than everyday items.
What if changing the recipe isn't an option?
Then you're down to pricing and sourcing strategies. Hunt for suppliers offering identical products at lower costs, or negotiate volume discounts for bulk purchases.
How quickly will I see results from these changes?
Price adjustments show impact within 2-3 weeks through sales data. Recipe modifications reveal themselves faster - watch for customer feedback within a week.
Can seasonal ingredients help reduce costs on expensive dishes?
Absolutely, but timing matters. Build relationships with local suppliers for seasonal pricing on proteins and produce. Just ensure you can maintain consistent quality and availability during peak service periods.
Should I warn regular customers before removing a popular high-cost dish?
If it represents less than 8% of total sales, most won't notice. For higher-selling items, consider a limited-time farewell promotion to gauge actual demand and potentially clear remaining inventory.
📚 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.
Make better decisions with real numbers
Should you change your menu? Raise prices? Test a new concept? KitchenNmbrs simulates scenarios with your own data. Try it free for 14 days.
Start free trial →