A seasonal menu requires a good overview of your cost prices and margins. Many restaurant owners work with Excel or loose notes, which causes them to lose track when seasons change. In this article you'll learn how to create a simple spreadsheet where you can keep all your seasonal dishes with cost price and selling price organized.
Why a seasonal overview is essential
Seasonal dishes have fluctuating ingredient prices. Asparagus costs €8 per kilo in May, €25 in September. Without an overview, you lose control of your margins and earn less on dishes you thought were profitable.
⚠️ Note:
Many entrepreneurs update their menu, but not their cost price calculation. This means they don't know if seasonal dishes are still profitable.
The basics of your seasonal spreadsheet
A good seasonal spreadsheet contains at least these 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
Use these Excel formulas to calculate 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
Create a separate tab "Ingredient prices" with columns for each season. This way you can directly see how prices fluctuate and adjust your menu price 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.
When you need to adjust your prices
Check your seasonal dishes monthly for these signals:
- Food cost above 35%: Raise your selling price or adjust the recipe
- Ingredient 20% more expensive: Update your cost price
- Competitor raises price: Check if you can raise yours too
- Season ends in 2 weeks: Plan your new dishes
⚠️ Note:
Update your cost prices before you print your menu. Adjusting afterwards means weeks with incorrect margins.
Digital vs. Excel
Excel works fine for an overview, but has limitations. You have to update manually and formulas can break. An app like KitchenNmbrs automatically tracks your seasonal dishes and alerts you when your food cost gets too high.
💡 Advantage of digital system:
- Automatic food cost calculation
- Alert when margins are high
- 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
Check your 3 most popular seasonal dishes every month for food cost. If those are good, you have 80% of your seasonal margin under control.
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 is more convenient. This way you can directly see which dishes are active when and easily compare between seasons.
How often should I update my ingredient prices?
At least once a month, or when your supplier raises prices. With seasonal products it's best to check weekly, because prices can rise quickly at the end of a season.
What if my food cost goes above 35%?
Then you have three options: raise your selling price, adjust your recipe with cheaper ingredients, or temporarily accept lower margin if the dish attracts many guests.
Can I also add expected sales numbers?
Absolutely! Add a column "Expected per month" and calculate your total margin with =Margin_per_portion*Expected_number. This way you see 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 a backup every month and test your formulas after major changes.
⚠️ EU Regulation 1169/2011 — Allergen Information — https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2011/1169/oj
The allergen information on this page is based on EU Regulation 1169/2011. Recipes and ingredients may vary by supplier. Always verify current allergen information with your supplier and communicate this correctly to your guests. KitchenNmbrs is not liable for allergic reactions.
In the UK, the FSA enforces allergen regulations under the Food Information Regulations 2014.
📚 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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