Seasonal investments in photography and marketing cost money, but can increase your margin if you calculate them back smartly. Most hospitality entrepreneurs treat these costs as separate expenses instead of building them into their dish pricing. The result? Seasonal promotions generate sales but destroy profitability.
Why seasonal investments often become unprofitable
You spend €2,000 on photography for your winter menu and €1,500 on social media marketing. But if you don't adjust your prices accordingly, these costs become pure overhead. The outcome: your seasonal promotion drives revenue while eliminating profit.
⚠️ Watch out:
Most entrepreneurs treat marketing and photo costs as separate line items. This makes your food cost appear healthy, but you're not earning back your seasonal investment.
Calculate your total seasonal investment
List every expense tied to your seasonal promotion:
- Photography: Food photographer, styling, props
- Marketing: Social media ads, flyers, menu cards
- Development: Time for recipe development
- Extra purchasing: Special ingredients, test batches
💡 Example:
Your winter menu investment:
- Photographer: €2,000
- Social media ads: €1,500
- New menu cards: €300
- Recipe development (20 hours × €25): €500
Total: €4,300
Spread costs over expected sales
Estimate portion sales for your seasonal dishes. Divide total investment by this number to find your extra cost per portion.
Formula: Extra costs per portion = Total investment / Expected sales
💡 Example:
You expect to sell 1,200 portions of your winter dishes over 3 months:
€4,300 / 1,200 portions = €3.58 extra per portion
You must add this €3.58 on top of your regular cost price to recover your investment.
Adjust your selling price
Add extra costs per portion to your standard cost price. Then calculate your new selling price using your target food cost percentage.
New cost price = Regular ingredient costs + Extra costs per portion
Selling price = New cost price / (Food cost % / 100)
💡 Example:
Your venison stew normally has:
- Ingredient costs: €8.50
- Extra costs: €3.58
- Total cost price: €12.08
At 30% food cost: €12.08 / 0.30 = €40.27 excl. VAT
Menu price: €40.27 × 1.09 = €43.89 incl. VAT
Monitor your actual sales
Track portion sales religiously. If you sell more than projected, you can reduce prices later. If you sell fewer portions, raise prices or terminate the promotion early.
⚠️ Watch out:
If after 6 weeks you've only sold 200 portions instead of 400, increase your price or discontinue the promotion. Otherwise it becomes a loss.
Seasonal investments as a fixed cost item
Smart restaurant owners budget for marketing and photo expenses every season. From tracking this across dozens of restaurants, operators who allocate 2-3% of seasonal revenue for new content and marketing see more predictable pricing.
- Spring/summer: Terrace marketing, fresh produce photography
- Fall/winter: Comfort food content, warmth marketing
- Holidays: Special arrangements, gift voucher promotions
By systematically including these expenses, you don't need to recalculate profitability for each seasonal promotion.
How do you recoup seasonal investments through your margin?
Add up all seasonal investments
Make a list of all costs: photography, marketing, menu cards, development time and extra purchasing. Add everything up for your total investment.
Estimate your expected sales
Determine how many portions you realistically expect to sell of your seasonal dishes. Look at previous years or similar promotions.
Calculate extra costs per portion
Divide your total investment by the expected number of portions. This gives you the extra costs you need to recoup per portion.
Adjust your selling price
Add the extra costs to your normal ingredient costs. Calculate your new selling price using your desired food cost percentage.
Monitor and adjust
Track weekly how much you sell. If you sell more than expected, you can lower your price later. If you sell less, raise your price.
✨ Pro tip
Track your photo investment recovery within 8 weeks by monitoring daily portion sales against your break-even target. If you're not hitting 65% of projected sales by week 6, either raise prices by €2-3 per dish or pivot your marketing spend to higher-performing items.
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 always have to factor marketing costs into my menu price?
For seasonal-specific marketing, absolutely. General marketing (like your website) gets spread across all dishes. But photography for your winter menu should only be factored into those winter dishes.
What if my guests don't accept the higher price?
Test first with a small portion of your seasonal menu. If one dish sells well at the higher price, you can adjust the rest. Communicate the value: fresh ingredients, special preparation.
How long can I maintain these higher prices?
Until your investment is recovered. If you've earned back your €4,300 after 2 months, you can lower prices for extra volume or keep them high for better margin.
Can I use this method for new dishes too?
Yes, you can recover all development costs for new dishes this way. Price higher for the first 6 months, then lower once the dish is established.
What if I sell much less than expected?
Stop the promotion early or raise the price. If after 4 weeks you've only sold 25% of expected sales, it becomes a loss. Better to stop than continue losing money.
Should I include staff training time in seasonal investment costs?
Yes, if you're training staff on new preparation methods or presentation techniques specific to seasonal dishes. Calculate training hours at your average hourly wage and add to total investment costs.
📚 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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