Ever wonder why your chef seems overwhelmed by daily reports while your servers ignore the numbers entirely? Different roles need different data to excel. Share the right figures with each team member, and you'll see better performance across the board.
Why sharing figures per role matters
Information overload kills productivity. Your chef doesn't need VAT filing details cluttering their daily focus. And your dishwasher won't benefit from complex food cost breakdowns. Give each person exactly what they need to excel at their specific job.
⚠️ Heads up:
Never share personal salary data or complete P&L statements with the whole team. This can lead to conflicts and demotivation.
Figures per role: what to share and what not to
Chef / Head Chef
Your chef needs data that directly impacts kitchen operations:
- Food cost per dish - to optimize portions and ingredients
- Daily revenue from last week - for planning mise-en-place
- Expected number of covers - for purchasing and prep
- Waste costs per week - to be more mindful with ingredients
- Most popular dishes - to focus on what's working well
💡 Example:
Weekly figures for your chef:
- Steak food cost: 32% (was 28% last month)
- Waste this week: €127 (mostly lettuce and fish)
- Best-selling dishes: carbonara (23x), steak (19x), salmon (15x)
Your chef can now take targeted action: buy smaller portions of lettuce and focus on the popular dishes.
Service / Servers
Service staff need numbers that enhance guest experience and boost sales:
- Average bill per table - to encourage up-selling
- Most popular dishes/wines - for better recommendations
- Kitchen wait times - to inform guests realistically
- Number of covers yesterday vs. last week - to gauge busyness
Do NOT share: food cost percentages, purchasing prices, labor costs, total profit.
Bartender
Your bartender needs drink-focused metrics:
- Pour cost per drink - to keep portions consistent
- Drink sales per day - to plan inventory
- Most popular cocktails - to have ingredients ready
- Average drink bill - for up-selling opportunities
💡 Example:
Daily figures for your bartender:
- Yesterday: 47 drinks sold, average €6.20 per drink
- Top 3: Aperol Spritz (12x), Gin Tonic (8x), White wine (7x)
- Cocktail pour cost: 22% (within norm of 18-25%)
Dishwashing / Kitchen Support Staff
Support staff need operational basics:
- Expected number of covers - to prepare
- Busiest times - for break scheduling
- Cleaning tasks per day - for HACCP compliance
Do NOT share: financial figures, food cost, revenue, labor costs.
How often to share figures
Timing matters as much as content. Most kitchen managers discover too late that daily data dumps create stress, but weekly gaps leave teams guessing and making poor decisions.
- Daily: operational figures (covers, yesterday's revenue, popular dishes)
- Weekly: food cost, waste, trends
- Monthly: goals, benchmarks, improvement points
⚠️ Heads up:
Share figures at a set time, for example during the pre-service briefing. Not in between during service - everyone will be distracted.
Present figures in a motivating way
How you frame numbers determines if your team feels energized or defeated:
Focus on improvement, not mistakes
- Good: "Our food cost went from 35% to 32%, great work!"
- Wrong: "We're still losing too much money on the steak."
Make it personally relevant
💡 Example:
Instead of: "The average bill was €24.50"
Say: "Thanks to your great recommendations, we brought in €24.50 per table yesterday. That's €2 more than last week!"
Digital dashboards vs. verbal sharing
You've got options for delivering these numbers:
Digital dashboard
- Advantage: everyone can check figures whenever they want
- Advantage: always up-to-date information
- Disadvantage: less personal explanation and context
Pre-service briefing
- Advantage: you can provide context and explanation
- Advantage: everyone hears it at the same time
- Disadvantage: people forget figures quickly
The sweet spot? Combine both approaches - key metrics in your dashboard, highlights during briefings.
How do you determine which figures are relevant? (step by step)
Make a list of all available figures
Write down which figures you have: revenue, food cost, number of covers, waste, popular dishes, average bill, etc. This gives you an overview of what you can share.
Determine per role: what do they need to perform better?
Ask yourself: which figures help my chef make better decisions in the kitchen? Which figures help servers advise guests better? Focus on actionable information.
Test and adjust based on feedback
Start with a selection of figures and ask for feedback after a week. Is your team missing important information? Are they getting too many details? Adjust until you find the right balance.
✨ Pro tip
Start with exactly 3 role-specific metrics during your first 30 days of data sharing. More than that overwhelms your team and reduces buy-in completely.
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 share food cost percentages with my chef?
Absolutely, but be selective. Share food costs for dishes they actually prepare, not your entire P&L breakdown. This helps them optimize recipes and portions without overwhelming them with irrelevant business metrics.
Can servers see revenue figures?
Daily revenue and average bills work great for motivation and up-selling goals. Skip the monthly P&L statements and labor cost details though - those aren't actionable for service staff.
How do I prevent figures from being demotivating?
Frame everything as progress, not problems. Instead of "waste is too high," try "we've cut waste by 15% this month." Always explain why the numbers matter and how they can help improve them.
What if my team isn't interested in figures?
Connect the dots between data and their daily reality. Show servers how higher average bills mean better tips, or help your chef see how food cost control means smoother inventory days. Make it personal and practical.
📚 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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