Every week, restaurant owners discover they're losing money on their most popular wraps. The problem isn't obvious - it's those forgotten ingredients like spices, oils, and garnishes that quietly eat into profits. Most entrepreneurs underestimate their true food costs by 15-20% on multi-ingredient items.
Why cost calculation for wraps is complex
A wrap consists of dozens of ingredients. From the tortilla to the last drop of sauce. Each ingredient has a different price per kilo, and you use different quantities.
⚠️ Heads up:
Many entrepreneurs forget the small ingredients: spices, oil, sauces. They seem insignificant, but quickly add up to €1-2 extra per wrap.
Gather all ingredients and prices
Make a list of EVERYTHING that goes into the wrap. Really everything. Including the things you normally forget:
- Base (tortilla, pita, lavash)
- Main ingredients (meat, chicken, fish, vegan option)
- Vegetables (lettuce, tomato, onion, bell pepper, etc.)
- Cheese or other dairy
- Sauces (all sauces you use)
- Spices and seasonings
- Oil for cooking/grilling
- Garnish or topping
Look up the purchase price per kilo for each ingredient. Check your latest supplier invoices.
Measure the exact quantities
This is where precision matters. You need to know how many grams of each ingredient you use. Don't estimate - weigh it.
💡 Example burrito:
Ingredients and quantities:
- Tortilla (1 piece): 80 grams
- Grilled chicken: 120 grams
- Rice: 80 grams (cooked)
- Beans: 60 grams
- Cheese: 30 grams
- Lettuce: 20 grams
- Tomato: 40 grams
- Onion: 15 grams
- Guacamole: 25 grams
- Sour cream: 20 grams
- Salsa: 15 grams
Weigh this several times with different staff members. Everyone portions slightly differently. Take the average.
Calculate the costs per ingredient
Now you calculate what each ingredient costs per portion. The formula is straightforward:
Cost per portion = (Quantity in grams / 1000) × Price per kilo
💡 Example calculation:
Chicken costs €12.50 per kilo. You use 120 grams per burrito:
(120 / 1000) × €12.50 = €1.50 per portion
Do this for each ingredient. Add everything up for the total cost price.
Don't forget processing and trim loss
With wraps you often have trim loss and processing costs - a pattern we see repeatedly in restaurant financials:
- Vegetables: 15-25% trim loss from peeling/cutting
- Meat: 10-20% loss from trimming
- Cooking/grilling: 20-30% weight loss
- Making guacamole: time and extra ingredients
⚠️ Heads up:
Raw chicken loses 25% weight during grilling. So you buy 160 grams of raw chicken for 120 grams of grilled chicken. Calculate with the price of 160 grams.
Calculate your food cost percentage
Now that you have the total cost price, calculate your food cost percentage:
Food cost % = (Total ingredient costs / Selling price excl. VAT) × 100
💡 Example burrito:
Total ingredient costs: €4.80
Selling price: €12.50 incl. VAT = €11.47 excl. VAT
Food cost: (€4.80 / €11.47) × 100 = 41.8%
For wraps, a food cost of 30-38% is standard. Above 40% it becomes difficult to make a profit.
Optimize your cost price
If your food cost is too high, you can take several actions:
- Reduce portions: 10 grams less meat saves €0.13 per wrap
- Cheaper alternatives: Chicken instead of beef can save €2-3 per kilo
- Seasonal vegetables: Tomatoes are 3× more expensive in winter
- Cut more efficiently: Less waste = lower costs
- Raise price: €1 extra on menu = 8-9 percentage point lower food cost
How do you calculate the cost price of a wrap? (step by step)
Make a complete ingredient list
Write down ALL ingredients that go into your wrap. Also spices, sauces, oil and garnish. Look up the purchase price per kilo for each ingredient.
Weigh all quantities exactly
Measure how many grams of each ingredient you use per wrap. Do this multiple times and take the average. Don't forget to account for trim loss and cooking loss.
Calculate and add up all costs
For each ingredient calculate: (grams / 1000) × price per kilo. Add up all ingredient costs for the total cost price. Calculate your food cost percentage by dividing by your selling price excl. VAT.
✨ Pro tip
Weigh your 3 most popular wraps every 2 weeks and track ingredient costs. Small portion creep of just 5 grams per ingredient can increase your food cost by 3-4 percentage points.
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 VAT in my cost price calculation?
No, always calculate with the selling price EXCLUDING VAT. For restaurant food that's 9% VAT. A wrap of €12.50 incl. VAT is €11.47 excl. VAT.
How do I account for trim loss with vegetables?
With vegetables you have 15-25% trim loss. If you put 100 grams of tomato on the wrap, you buy 125 grams. Calculate the cost price with 125 grams, not with 100 grams.
What is a normal food cost for wraps and burritos?
For wraps a standard food cost is between 30-38%. Above 40% it becomes difficult to make sufficient profit after deducting staff and other 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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