Children's restaurants and family businesses have a unique cost structure. Smaller portions, play areas, and child-friendly ingredients affect your margin differently than regular restaurants. In this article, you'll learn step-by-step how to calculate the margin on a concept aimed at children and families.
What makes children's concepts different?
At children's restaurants, it's not just about food. You're selling an experience: play facilities, children's parties, and an environment where parents can relax. This has consequences for your cost structure and margin calculation.
💡 Example cost structure children's concept:
Children's pasta bolognese menu for €8.50 (incl. 9% VAT):
- Pasta + sauce: €1.20
- Toy/surprise: €0.80
- Child-friendly packaging: €0.25
- Drink (apple juice): €0.45
Total ingredient costs: €2.70
Calculate your food cost including extras
With children's concepts, you need to account for more than just the food. Toys, packaging, and drinks are part of your cost price. Don't forget these in your calculation.
Food cost formula:
Food cost % = (Total costs per portion / Selling price excl. VAT) × 100
💡 Calculation example:
Children's menu €8.50 incl. VAT:
- Selling price excl. VAT: €8.50 / 1.09 = €7.80
- Total costs: €2.70
- Food cost: (€2.70 / €7.80) × 100 = 34.6%
Account for smaller portions
Children eat smaller portions, but preparation costs often remain the same. A children's pasta takes just as much time to prepare as an adult portion, but you sell it for less money.
⚠️ Watch out:
Don't automatically calculate 50% of the adult portion. Preparation time and fixed costs remain the same, so your margin will be lower.
Extra costs of children's concepts
Beyond the food, you have additional costs that affect your margin:
- Play area maintenance: Cleaning, repairs, toy replacement
- Extra staff: Someone needs to supervise the play area
- Insurance: Liability for playing children costs extra
- Packaging: Child-friendly containers and cups are more expensive
- Marketing materials: Coloring pages, stickers, balloons
Total margin calculation
For a complete picture, you should look at the total margin per family, not just per children's menu. Parents often also order adult dishes and drinks.
💡 Example family bill:
Family with 2 adults + 2 children:
- 2x adult main course: 2 × €18.50 = €37.00
- 2x children's menu: 2 × €8.50 = €17.00
- 4x drinks: 4 × €3.50 = €14.00
- Total bill: €68.00 (incl. VAT)
Average spending per person: €17.00
Benchmarks for children's concepts
Standard margins for children's restaurants differ from regular restaurants due to extra costs and lower prices on children's menus:
- Children's menus: 30-40% food cost (higher due to extras)
- Adult dishes: 28-35% food cost
- Total restaurant food cost: 32-38%
- Play area costs: 2-5% of turnover
⚠️ Watch out:
A higher food cost on children's menus is normal. Compensate for this by increasing the total family spending with attractive adult dishes and drinks.
Optimization tips for better margins
Increase your margin by smartly steering the total family spending:
- Bundle offers: Family menus with fixed packages for parents and children
- Focus on drinks: Fresh juices and smoothies have higher margins
- Parties and events: Children's party packages often have 50-60% margin
- Merchandise: Sell toys and gadgets with high margin
How do you calculate the margin on a children's concept? (step by step)
Gather all costs per children's menu
Add up: food, drink, toy/surprise, special packaging, and any extras like coloring pages. Don't forget any component that belongs to the children's menu.
Calculate food cost percentage
Divide the total costs by the selling price excluding VAT and multiply by 100. For children's menus, 30-40% food cost is normal due to the extra costs.
Analyze total family spending
Look at the average bill per family, not just the children's menu. Parents often also order adult dishes and drinks that compensate for your margin.
Include extra operational costs
Add play area maintenance, extra insurance, and staff to your fixed costs. These costs are specific to children's concepts and affect your total margin.
✨ Pro tip
Check your average family spending per week. If families spend less than €50-60, then optimize your adult dishes and drinks - that's where your real margin is.
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
Why is my food cost on children's menus so high?
Children's menus have extra costs like toys, special packaging, and drinks. A food cost of 30-40% is normal. Compensate for this by increasing the total family spending.
Should I include toys in my cost price calculation?
Yes, everything that belongs to the children's menu counts in your cost price. Toys, stickers, balloons - they're all costs that affect your margin.
How do I calculate the costs of my play area?
Add up maintenance, cleaning, repairs, and toy replacement. Divide this by your annual turnover. Standard is 2-5% of your total turnover.
Are smaller portions automatically more profitable?
No, the preparation time often remains the same. A children's pasta takes just as much time to prepare as an adult portion, but you sell it for less money.
How can I improve my margin on children's concepts?
Focus on total family spending. Offer attractive adult dishes, fresh juices with high margins, and organize children's parties that generate good returns.
📚 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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