The cost price of soup of the day is difficult to calculate because you often work with leftovers and estimate portions. Yet many lunch room owners calculate too low, which means they lose money on every bowl. But with the right method, you can determine the real cost price, including all hidden costs.
Why soup cost price often goes wrong
Soup seems cheap. Water, vegetables, some bouillon. But the real costs hide in details you easily forget:
- Portion size: Is it 250ml or 350ml per bowl?
- Garnish: Bread, crackers, herbs, cream
- Energy costs: Hours of cooking costs gas/electricity
- Labor time: Chopping, stirring, keeping warm
⚠️ Watch out:
Many lunch room owners only calculate with the main ingredients and forget bread, butter, herbs and energy costs. This makes your food cost look like 20% but it's actually 35%.
All costs that count
For a complete cost price you add up:
- Main ingredients: Vegetables, meat, fish, legumes
- Base: Bouillon, water, oil, butter
- Flavorings: Herbs, spices, salt, pepper
- Garnish: Cream, fresh herbs, nuts
- Side dishes: Bread, crackers, butter
- Energy costs: Gas/electricity for cooking
💡 Example: Tomato soup (10 portions of 300ml)
Ingredients per 10 portions:
- Tomatoes (2kg): €4.00
- Onion, carrot, celery: €1.50
- Bouillon cubes (4 pieces): €0.80
- Cream (200ml): €1.20
- Herbs, oil, butter: €1.00
- Bread per portion: €0.75
Total: €9.25 for 10 portions = €0.93 per portion
Include energy costs
Cooking soup costs energy. Calculate with this rule of thumb:
- Large pan on gas: €0.15 per hour
- Keeping warm: €0.05 per hour
- Average: 2 hours cooking + 4 hours keeping warm = €0.50 per pan
For a pan of 10 portions: €0.05 extra per portion.
💡 Example: Complete cost price tomato soup
Per portion of 300ml:
- Ingredients: €0.93
- Energy: €0.05
- Total: €0.98 per portion
At selling price €4.50 incl. VAT (€4.13 excl.):
Food cost: €0.98 / €4.13 = 23.7%
Control portion size
The biggest mistake: different portion size per bowl. This oversight is a mistake that costs the average restaurant EUR 200-400 per month. Measure for a week:
- Use a measuring cup for the first 10 bowls
- Train your team on fixed portion size
- Regularly check if everyone scoops the same
The difference between 250ml and 350ml per portion can mean €0.30 in costs.
Leftovers and waste
Soup of the day often means: what's left from yesterday. Calculate this fairly:
💡 Example: Processing leftovers
You have leftovers from yesterday:
- Grilled vegetables (value €6.00)
- Cooked chicken (value €4.00)
- You add: bouillon €2.00, herbs €1.00
Cost price: €13.00 / 10 portions = €1.30 per portion
Season and purchasing
Soup prices fluctuate with the season:
- Winter: Carrot, onion, potato cheap
- Summer: Tomato, courgette, bell pepper more expensive
- Update monthly: Check your purchasing prices
A tomato soup in December can be €0.40 per portion more expensive than in August.
⚠️ Watch out:
Update your selling price if ingredients become 20% more expensive. Otherwise your margin disappears without you noticing.
Keep track digitally
Calculating soup cost prices manually takes a lot of time. With tools like KitchenNmbrs:
- Record your basic recipes
- Update your purchasing prices per season
- Automatically calculate your cost price per portion
- See your food cost percentage directly
Especially useful if you make a different soup every day.
How do you calculate soup cost price? (step by step)
Weigh all ingredients
Make your soup and weigh every ingredient that goes into it. Also the bouillon cubes, oil, herbs and cream. Note the exact quantities and calculate the costs per ingredient.
Measure the total amount of soup
Measure how many liters of soup you've made. Divide this by your standard portion size (for example 300ml) to calculate the number of portions. This is crucial for an accurate cost price per portion.
Add garnish and side dishes
Add the costs of bread, crackers, cream, fresh herbs and other garnish. Also include €0.05 energy costs per portion for cooking and keeping warm.
Calculate cost price per portion
Divide the total costs by the number of portions. Check if your food cost stays under 30% by dividing by your selling price excluding VAT.
✨ Pro tip
Test each staff member's ladle technique for 3 consecutive days - inconsistent scooping between 280ml and 350ml portions can inflate your daily soup costs by €12-18 without warning signs.
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
Should I include labor time in the soup cost price?
No, labor time is part of your personnel costs, not food cost. Food cost is only the percentage of your revenue that goes to ingredients. You calculate labor separately.
How do I calculate with leftovers from yesterday?
Calculate what the leftovers would cost if you bought them today. A leftover grilled chicken still has value. Include this value in your soup cost price.
What food cost is normal for soup?
For lunch room soup, 25-30% food cost is standard. Under 25% is good, over 35% you're probably losing money. Always calculate with your selling price excluding VAT.
Should I calculate energy costs separately?
For accurate cost price, yes. Calculate approximately €0.05 per portion for gas/electricity. With large volumes you can ignore this, but with small lunch room portions it counts.
📚 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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