With tight margins, one extra gram of meat or a splash too much sauce can wipe out your profit. Many teams don't realize that a steak of 220 grams instead of 200 grams per portion costs thousands of euros per year. In this article, you'll learn which dishes are so sensitive that exact portioning is crucial.
Identify your most sensitive dishes
Not every dish has the same margin sensitivity. A salad tolerates some variation, but with expensive ingredients like meat, fish, or truffles, every gram counts.
💡 Example: Steak portioning
You sell steak for €32.00 (excl. VAT €29.36) with a planned portion of 200 grams:
- Beef: €24/kg = €4.80 per 200g portion
- Garnish: €1.20
- Total food cost: €6.00 = 20.4%
But if your chef gives 220 grams:
- Beef: €5.28 per portion
- New food cost: €6.48 = 22.1%
- Extra costs: €0.48 per portion
At 100 portions per week: €2,496 extra costs per year
Calculate the impact of portion variation
For each dish, you can calculate how much every extra gram costs. This helps you prioritize which dishes need the most attention.
💡 Example: Salmon impact calculation
Grilled salmon fillet, purchase price €18/kg:
- Cost per gram: €0.018
- 10 grams extra per portion = €0.18
- At 80 portions per week = €748 per year
- 20 grams extra per portion = €0.36
- At 80 portions per week = €1,497 per year
The formula is simple: Extra costs per year = (Extra grams × Price per gram) × Portions per week × 52
Set tolerance limits per dish
Not every dish deserves the same precision. Make a distinction between critical and less critical items.
- Critical (±5 grams): Meat, fish, foie gras, truffles
- Important (±10 grams): Cheese, nuts, premium vegetables
- Normal (±20 grams): Pasta, rice, potatoes, basic vegetables
⚠️ Watch out:
Sauces are often the biggest pitfall. An extra splash of truffle sauce or butter can cost more than you think. Use spoons and measuring cups, not your gut feeling.
Communicate the numbers to your team
Your team better understands why precision matters if they see the numbers. Make it concrete and personal.
💡 Example: Team briefing
"With our steak, every extra 20 grams costs us €2,500 per year. That's:
- An extra monthly salary
- The profit margin on 250 extra covers
- The difference between profit and loss in a bad month"
Use concrete examples that resonate with what your team understands. Talk about monthly salaries, not percentages.
Implement control systems
Good intentions aren't enough. You need systems to ensure consistency.
- Scales at every station: No guessing, always weigh
- Portion guides: Visual aids next to each scale
- Random checks: Weigh 5 random plates per shift
- Feedback without judgment: Focus on learning, not punishing
A system like KitchenNmbrs helps by showing the exact cost per gram, so everyone sees what deviations cost.
How do you determine which dishes need exact portioning?
Calculate cost per gram of each main ingredient
Divide the purchase price per kilo by 1000. A steak at €24/kg costs €0.024 per gram. Do this for all expensive ingredients in your recipes.
Calculate the annual impact of 20 grams extra
Multiply cost per gram × 20 × portions per week × 52. This gives you the annual cost of inaccurate portioning per dish.
Rank dishes by financial impact
Create a list from high to low impact. Dishes with more than €1,000 annual impact at 20 grams extra deserve strict portion control.
Set tolerance limits per category
Critical dishes (meat, fish): ±5 grams. Important dishes (cheese, premium): ±10 grams. Normal dishes: ±20 grams. Communicate this clearly to your team.
✨ Pro tip
Focus first on your 3 best-selling dishes with expensive ingredients. If you get those right, you've already solved 70% of your portioning problem.
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
How do I explain to my team why exact portioning is so important?
Use concrete examples in euros per year. Don't say "the margin gets worse", say "20 grams extra steak costs us €2,500 per year - that's an extra monthly salary". Numbers make it tangible.
Which dishes have the highest priority for exact portioning?
All dishes with ingredients above €15/kg: meat, fish, premium cheeses, nuts, truffles. Calculate per dish what 20 grams extra costs per year. Above €1,000 impact = high priority.
How do I check if my team is sticking to portion sizes?
Weigh random 5 plates per shift without warning. Note deviations and discuss them in team meetings. Focus on learning, not punishing - everyone makes mistakes.
What if my chef says exact weighing takes too much time?
Calculate the time-cost ratio. 30 seconds extra weighing vs. €0.50 loss per plate. At 100 plates per day you lose €18,250 per year for 50 hours of extra weighing work.
Should I also portion garnishes and sauces exactly?
Yes, especially expensive sauces and garnishes. An extra splash of truffle sauce or an extra slice of cheese can cost more than you think. Use spoons and measuring cups for consistency.
📚 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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