Within your first week of hiring, new staff must grasp why food cost matters. Too many chefs discover later that 5 grams of extra butter per plate drains thousands from annual profits. Here's how to explain it clearly so your team gets why precision counts.
What is food cost? (explained in 1 minute)
Food cost shows what percentage of your selling price goes toward ingredients. It's how you know if a dish actually makes money.
💡 Simple example:
Pasta carbonara sells for €18.50
- Ingredient costs: €5.10
- Selling price excl. VAT: €16.97
- Food cost: €5.10 ÷ €16.97 = 30%
For every euro we earn, 30 cents goes to ingredients.
Why this matters for kitchen staff
Every oversized portion hits your bottom line directly. Not because anyone's cooking poorly – the math just stops working.
💡 Impact of 25 grams extra meat:
Steak recipe: 200 grams, but you serve 225 grams
- Beef: €28 per kilo
- Extra per portion: 25g × €0.028 = €0.70
- At 50 portions per week: €1,820 per year
One extra slice of meat costs €1,820 per year.
What does this mean in daily practice?
For kitchen staff, food cost translates to three concrete actions:
- Portions: Follow recipes exactly. 200 grams means 200 grams, not 250.
- Waste reduction: Work cleanly. Excessive waste drives costs up fast.
- Spoilage control: Don't over-prep. Thrown-out food is thrown-out money.
I've seen this mistake cost the average restaurant EUR 200-400 per month – new cooks eyeballing portions instead of weighing them. After two weeks, those "generous" servings add up to serious losses.
⚠️ Note:
This isn't about being cheap or shortchanging guests. It's about consistency – every portion identical, exactly as the recipe specifies.
Food cost ranges by dish type
So your team knows what's normal:
- Meat main courses: 28-35%
- Fish main courses: 30-35%
- Pasta dishes: 22-28%
- Salads: 25-30%
- Appetizers: 20-30%
If a dish hits above 35% food cost, we're probably not earning enough on it.
How do you explain this to your team?
Use this straightforward message:
💡 Script for new employees:
"For every euro we earn, roughly 30 cents pays for ingredients. The rest covers your salary, rent, and profit."
"If you add 50 grams extra with every portion, 35 cents goes to ingredients. That leaves less for everything else."
"That's why recipes matter. Not to be stingy, but to keep the business healthy."
Practical tools to keep track
A system like KitchenNmbrs automatically calculates food cost per dish. That way you see directly if a recipe stays profitable, without doing the math yourself.
You can share recipes with the team, so everyone uses identical portions. And if ingredient prices rise, you'll immediately see which dishes become more expensive.
How do you explain food cost to a new employee? (step by step)
Start with one concrete dish
Take your best-selling dish and show what the ingredients cost. Add it all up: meat, vegetables, sauce, garnish. Divide this by the selling price excl. VAT.
Show the impact of extra portions
Calculate: if you give 25 grams extra meat at 50 portions per week, what does that cost per year? Use real numbers from your supplier.
Make it part of the daily routine
Post the most important recipes with portion sizes in the kitchen. Regularly check that everyone sticks to the agreed amounts.
✨ Pro tip
Create a laminated card showing your 8 signature dishes with exact portion weights and target food cost percentages. Post it at each station so cooks can reference it during every service.
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
What if an employee says guests want more?
Explain that consistency trumps oversized portions. All guests should receive the same thing, exactly as the recipe specifies.
Do I need to share all ingredient prices with the team?
No, that's unnecessary. Just share the food cost percentages and explain why portions matter.
How do I check if employees are sticking to portions?
Spot-check during service to verify portions are correct. Review weekly whether your food cost stays within range.
What if food cost suddenly spikes?
First verify portions remain accurate. Then check if suppliers raised prices and adjust your menu pricing 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.
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