A seasonal menu requires a good overview of your cost prices and margins. While many restaurant owners rely on Excel or scattered notes, they often lose control when seasons shift. You need a simple spreadsheet system to organize all your seasonal dishes with accurate cost and selling prices.
Why a seasonal overview is essential
Seasonal dishes face constantly changing ingredient prices. Asparagus costs €8 per kilo in May but jumps to €25 in September. Without proper tracking, you'll lose control of your margins and earn less on dishes you believed were profitable.
⚠️ Note:
Many entrepreneurs update their menu but forget to recalculate cost prices. This means they're blind to whether seasonal dishes still generate profit.
The basics of your seasonal spreadsheet
A functional seasonal spreadsheet needs these essential columns:
- Dish name - For example "Asparagus soup with ham"
- Season - Spring, summer, fall, winter
- Ingredient costs - Total cost price per portion
- Selling price excl. VAT - Your menu price without 9% VAT
- Food cost % - Automatically calculated
- Margin per portion - Profit per dish
- Status - Active, planned, stopped
💡 Example spreadsheet setup:
Asparagus soup with ham - Spring:
- Ingredient costs: €4.20
- Selling price: €12.50 excl. VAT
- Food cost: 33.6%
- Margin: €8.30 per portion
Formulas that save you time
These Excel formulas handle calculations automatically:
- Selling price excl. VAT: =Menu price/1.09
- Food cost %: =(Ingredient costs/Selling price_excl_VAT)*100
- Margin per portion: =Selling price_excl_VAT-Ingredient costs
- Margin per month: =Margin_per_portion*Expected_number_sold
Tracking ingredient prices per season
Based on real restaurant P&L data, operators who track seasonal price fluctuations maintain 15% higher margins than those who don't. Create a separate tab called "Ingredient prices" with columns for each season. You can directly see price fluctuations and adjust menu prices accordingly.
💡 Example price fluctuation:
Zucchini per kg:
- Summer: €2.20
- Winter: €4.80
- Difference: 118% more expensive
Your winter zucchini dish needs to cost €2.60 more to maintain the same margin.
Adjusting prices at the right time
Monitor your seasonal dishes monthly for these warning signs:
- Food cost above 35%: Raise your selling price or modify the recipe
- Ingredient 20% more expensive: Update your cost price immediately
- Competitor raises price: Check if you can increase yours too
- Season ends in 2 weeks: Plan your new dishes
⚠️ Note:
Update your cost prices before printing new menus. Adjusting afterwards means weeks of incorrect margins.
Digital vs. Excel
Excel works for basic tracking but has limitations. You must update manually and formulas can break unexpectedly. A food cost calculator like KitchenNmbrs automatically tracks seasonal dishes and alerts you when food costs climb too high.
💡 Advantage of digital system:
- Automatic food cost calculation
- Alert when margins drop
- Recipes linked to cost price
- Accessible on your phone in the kitchen
How do you create a seasonal spreadsheet? (step by step)
Create your basic structure
Open Excel and create columns for: Dish name, Season, Ingredient costs, Selling price excl. VAT, Food cost %, Margin per portion. Use row 1 for headers and start your dishes in row 2.
Add formulas
In column E (Food cost %): =(C2/D2)*100. In column F (Margin): =D2-C2. Copy these formulas to all rows. This way Excel automatically calculates your margins for each seasonal dish.
Create an ingredient table
Add a second tab "Ingredient prices" with columns for ingredient, spring, summer, fall, winter. Update these prices monthly so your cost price calculations stay current.
Plan your season changes
Add a column "Start date" and "End date". This way you know exactly when each seasonal dish needs to go on and off the menu. Plan new dishes 2 weeks before the season starts.
✨ Pro tip
Review your top 5 seasonal dishes every 3 weeks for food cost changes. Focus on these high-volume items since they represent 70% of your seasonal profit impact.
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
Do I need to create a separate tab for each season?
You can, but one overview with a season column works better. This way you can directly see which dishes are active and easily compare between seasons.
How often should I update my ingredient prices?
At least once monthly, or immediately when suppliers raise prices. With seasonal products, check weekly since prices can spike quickly at season's end.
What if my food cost goes above 35%?
You have three options: raise your selling price, modify your recipe with cheaper ingredients, or temporarily accept lower margins if the dish drives customer traffic.
Can I also add expected sales numbers?
Absolutely! Add a column "Expected per month" and calculate total margin with =Margin_per_portion*Expected_number. This shows which seasonal dishes generate the most revenue.
How do I prevent formulas from breaking?
Use absolute cell references ($C$2) for fixed values and protect your worksheet. Make monthly backups and test formulas after major changes.
Should I track labor costs for seasonal dishes?
For complex seasonal preparations, yes. Add a column for prep time and multiply by your hourly kitchen wage to get true dish profitability.
How do I handle dishes that span multiple seasons?
Create separate rows for each season with different cost structures. For example, "Tomato salad - Summer" and "Tomato salad - Winter" as distinct entries.
📚 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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