You calculate the cost price of a falafel wrap by adding up all ingredients: falafel, wrap, hummus, vegetables and garnish. Picture this: you're selling falafel wraps for €12, thinking you're making solid profit, only to discover your actual food costs are devouring 40% of revenue. Most vegetarian restaurants drastically underestimate hummus and fresh vegetable expenses.
Gather all ingredients and prices
Start with purchase prices for every single component. Those 'invisible' ingredients like cooking oil and spices? They add up fast - one of the most common blind spots in kitchen management that I see repeatedly across restaurants.
💡 Example ingredient breakdown:
- Falafel (6 pieces): €1.20
- Wrap tortilla: €0.45
- Hummus (50g): €0.65
- Tomato, cucumber, lettuce: €0.80
- Red onion (15g): €0.15
- Olive oil, spices: €0.25
Total cost price: €3.50
Calculate the quantity per portion
Measure exactly how much goes into each wrap. Weigh that hummus, count those falafel pieces, measure every vegetable. Don't guess - 10 extra grams of hummus per wrap costs you €500 annually at 100 wraps weekly.
⚠️ Watch out:
Use your actual portions, not recipe portions. If your chef serves 60g hummus instead of 50g, you're staring at 20% higher costs.
Add cutting waste and loss to the costs
Fresh vegetables always create waste. Tomatoes, cucumbers and lettuce lose 15-25% to peels, seeds and outer leaves. Factor this into your calculations or watch your margins evaporate.
- Tomato: 20% loss (stem, seeds)
- Cucumber: 15% loss (ends, bad spots)
- Lettuce: 25% loss (outer leaves, stem)
- Red onion: 10% loss (skin, ends)
💡 Cutting waste calculation:
Tomatoes cost €3.00/kg. With 20% cutting waste you actually pay:
€3.00 ÷ 0.80 = €3.75/kg usable product
Determine your desired food cost percentage
Vegetarian wraps typically run 25-32% food cost. Sure, vegetarian ingredients cost less than meat, but quality hummus and fresh vegetables can shock you with their price tags.
With €3.50 cost price and 30% target food cost, your minimum selling price becomes:
€3.50 ÷ 0.30 = €11.67 excl. VAT
€11.67 × 1.09 = €12.72 incl. 9% VAT
Monitor your prices regularly
Vegetable prices swing wildly by season. Winter tomatoes can cost 50% more than summer ones. Check monthly if your cost prices still align with purchase prices.
⚠️ Watch out for seasons:
Fresh vegetables often cost 30-50% more in winter. Adjust menu prices or switch vegetables to maintain margins.
How do you calculate the cost price of a falafel wrap? (step by step)
Make a complete ingredient list
Write down all ingredients with exact quantities: falafel, wrap, hummus, all vegetables, oil and spices. Don't forget anything, not even small amounts of oil or spices.
Calculate the costs per ingredient
Work out what each quantity costs based on your purchase prices. Add cutting waste to vegetables (usually 15-25% extra costs).
Add up all costs for the total cost price
Sum all ingredient costs. This is your cost price per wrap. Divide by your desired food cost percentage to calculate your minimum selling price.
✨ Pro tip
Track your actual hummus usage for 2 weeks straight - many kitchens use 15-20% more than recipes call for, which can destroy your €3.50 cost calculation without you realizing it.
Calculate this yourself?
In the KitchenNmbrs app you can do this in just a few clicks. 7 days free, no credit card.
Was this article helpful?
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to calculate homemade hummus costs differently?
Absolutely - add up all hummus ingredients: chickpeas, tahini, lemon juice, garlic, olive oil and spices. Include labor time for preparation, though that's usually covered in your hourly rate.
How do I account for seasonal vegetables that fluctuate heavily in price?
Calculate using winter prices as your baseline since they're typically highest. Summer gives you extra margin, or you can temporarily reduce prices.
What if I use organic ingredients?
Organic ingredients typically cost 30-50% more than conventional. Use your actual purchase prices and highlight the organic quality to justify higher menu prices.
Do I need to include packaging if I also deliver?
Yes, delivery requires packaging costs: container, napkin, bag, stickers. This usually adds €0.50-€1.00 per wrap to your total cost.
How often should I update my cost prices?
Check purchase prices monthly minimum, especially for fresh vegetables. Major price increases over 10% need immediate menu adjustments to protect margins.
Should I calculate different costs for lunch vs dinner portions?
If portion sizes differ, absolutely calculate separately. Many places serve 20% larger dinner portions but forget to adjust their cost calculations accordingly.
📚 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.
Food cost calculation for every type of kitchen
Sushi, pizzeria, steakhouse or vegan concept — every kitchen type has its own challenges. KitchenNmbrs adapts to your concept. Try it free for 14 days.
Start free trial →