Calculating meal package costs is like building a house – you need every brick accounted for or the foundation crumbles. Many caterers estimate this, causing them to lose money per employee without knowing it. You'll discover the step-by-step method to calculate exactly what a meal package for one work week costs.
What's in a work week meal package?
A standard work week package typically contains:
- 5 hot lunches (Monday through Friday)
- 5 soups or appetizers
- 5 desserts or fruit
- Bread and spreads for snacking
- Beverages (coffee, tea, water)
The exact composition depends on your contract and the employer's wishes.
Calculate the cost price per component
Work systematically through all parts:
💡 Example hot lunch:
Pasta with chicken and vegetables:
- Pasta: €0.35
- Chicken fillet: €1.20
- Vegetables: €0.45
- Sauce: €0.25
- Spices/oil: €0.15
Cost price per lunch: €2.40
Do this for all 5 lunches of the week. Varying your menu? Then calculate the average of your different dishes.
Don't forget additional costs
Besides the main ingredients, there are always extra costs:
- Packaging: Containers, lids, cutlery (€0.15-0.30 per meal)
- Transport: Fuel, driver, cooling (€0.20-0.50 per package)
- Preparation: Labor for prep and packaging
- Loss/waste: 5-10% of your ingredient costs
⚠️ Watch out:
Many caterers forget packaging costs. With 5 meals per week this can be an extra €1.50 per package.
Calculate with the right quantities
Portion size determines your cost price. From analyzing actual purchasing data across different restaurant types, these are standard portions in corporate catering:
- Hot lunch: 350-400 grams per person
- Soup: 250 ml per person
- Meat/fish: 120-150 grams per person
- Vegetables: 150-200 grams per person
- Rice/pasta: 80-100 grams dry weight
💡 Example weekly package:
Cost price for 1 employee, 1 week:
- 5 hot lunches: 5 × €2.40 = €12.00
- 5 soups: 5 × €0.80 = €4.00
- 5 desserts: 5 × €0.60 = €3.00
- Bread/spreads: €2.50
- Packaging: €1.50
- Transport: €1.00
Total cost price: €24.00 per week
Check your margin
Your cost price is the basis for your selling price. Common margins in corporate catering:
- Food cost: 35-45% of selling price
- Total costs: 70-80% (including labor, transport, overhead)
- Net margin: 8-15%
With a cost price of €24.00 and desired food cost of 40%:
Minimum selling price = €24.00 / 0.40 = €60.00 per week excl. VAT
Account for volume
Large orders mean lower costs per package:
- Small orders (10-50 packages): Higher prep time per package
- Large orders (100+ packages): More efficient purchasing and preparation
- Transport: Fixed costs divided over more packages
💡 Volume effect:
Transport of €50 per trip:
- At 25 packages: €2.00 per package
- At 100 packages: €0.50 per package
- At 200 packages: €0.25 per package
Therefore calculate different scenarios for different order sizes.
How do you calculate the cost price of a work week package?
Make a list of all meal components
Write down exactly what's in the weekly package: number of lunches, soups, desserts, bread, beverages. Also include packaging and transport. This prevents you from forgetting costs.
Calculate the cost price per component
Go through each part and calculate what it costs. Add up all ingredients: main product, vegetables, sauces, spices. Use your actual purchase prices, not estimates.
Add all costs together
Sum all component costs plus packaging, transport and waste (5-10%). This is your total cost price per work week package. Check if this is realistic for your target group.
✨ Pro tip
Track your actual cost variance for 30 days against your calculated estimates across at least 3 different package sizes. Most caterers discover their transport costs are 15-20% higher than initially calculated.
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 often should I update my cost prices?
Check your main ingredients monthly and update when prices change by 5% or more. Suppliers regularly raise prices, especially for meat and dairy.
What if customers order less than expected?
Build a minimum order into your contract. Or calculate with higher fixed costs per package for small volumes. Prep time and transport remain the same.
How do I calculate labor time for the cost price?
Add up prep time, packaging and transport. Multiply by your hourly rate including social charges. Divide by the number of packages for cost per package.
What is a realistic food cost for corporate catering?
Between 35-45% is standard. Higher than 45% becomes difficult to make profitable. Remember this is only ingredients, excluding labor and transport.
📚 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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