A KitchenNmbrs subscription costs €24.99 per month, but saving just 2% on food costs often pays that back within weeks. Your payback period depends entirely on annual turnover - higher volume means faster returns. The math is straightforward once you know your numbers.
How do you calculate the payback period?
The calculation is straightforward: Annual app costs / Annual savings from food cost reduction. The subscription runs €299.88 yearly (€24.99 × 12 months). Your savings depend on current turnover and existing food costs.
? Example restaurant with €300,000 annual turnover:
- Current food cost: 35%
- After optimization: 33% (2% savings)
- Annual savings: €300,000 × 0.02 = €6,000
- Payback period: €299.88 / €6,000 = 18 days
The app pays for itself in less than 3 weeks.
At what turnover does the app pay for itself?
Here's the payback timeline at different turnover levels with 2% food cost savings:
- €150,000 annual turnover: €3,000 savings = 37 days payback period
- €250,000 annual turnover: €5,000 savings = 22 days payback period
- €400,000 annual turnover: €8,000 savings = 14 days payback period
- €600,000 annual turnover: €12,000 savings = 9 days payback period
⚠️ Note:
This calculation assumes 2% food cost savings. In practice, results vary depending on how well you're currently tracking costs.
Where does that 2% savings come from?
Food cost calculators reveal improvement opportunities that are often invisible:
- Hidden ingredients: Oil, butter, spices you're not currently counting
- Portion control: You see exactly how much each plate should cost
- Price adjustments: Alerts when suppliers get more expensive
- Recipe consistency: Every chef uses the same quantities
? Real-world example:
A bistro discovered they were spending €1.20 too much per steak on garnish and sauces. At 40 steaks per week, this saved them €2,496 per year - more than 8× the cost of the app.
Calculate the break-even point for your situation
To determine if the investment makes sense for you, use this formula:
Minimum annual turnover = €299.88 / (Expected food cost savings in %)
- At 1% savings: minimum €29,988 annual turnover
- At 2% savings: minimum €14,994 annual turnover
- At 3% savings: minimum €9,996 annual turnover
Almost every food service business with more than €100,000 annual turnover can recover the investment within 2 months.
Realistic expectations
Not every business saves 2% on food cost immediately. One of the most common blind spots in kitchen management is overestimating how well you're already tracking costs. It depends on your starting situation:
- Large savings (3-5%): You're not tracking costs at all right now
- Average savings (1-3%): You estimate costs, but don't calculate exactly
- Small savings (0.5-1%): You already have a good system, but miss details
? Honest assessment:
If you're currently using Excel for costs, you can realistically expect 1-2% savings. If you have no system at all, it could be 3% or more.
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Start free trial →Calculate your own payback period (step by step)
Determine your annual turnover
Add up your total turnover from the past year. Use turnover excluding VAT for the most accurate calculation.
Estimate your food cost savings
Look at your current system: no system = 3% savings possible, Excel = 1-2% savings, other system = 0.5-1% savings.
Calculate your annual savings
Multiply your annual turnover by your estimated food cost savings percentage. This is the amount you can save per year.
Divide the annual costs by your savings
KitchenNmbrs costs €299.88 per year. Divide this by your annual savings to see how many days until you break even.
✨ Pro tip
For a restaurant with €200,000 annual turnover saving 2% on food costs, the €4,000 yearly savings means your subscription pays for itself in just 27 days. That's a 1,234% annual return on investment.
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Frequently asked questions
What if I save less than 2%?
Are there any costs besides the subscription?
Can I try the app first before I pay?
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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
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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