Many restaurant owners believe that small extras won't hurt their bottom line - but that's wrong. An extra slice of tomato here, a bit more sauce there seems harmless, yet can push your food cost up by 5-10%. You can stop this drain without creating friction with your team.
Why this eats into your profit
Every extra that service adds without charging disrupts your cost price. Your chef weighs portions perfectly for 30% food cost, then a guest asks for extra cheese and service just adds it. From tracking this across dozens of restaurants, I've seen how these "small" gestures compound into serious profit erosion.
💡 Example:
Pasta carbonara, cost price €8.50 at selling price €28.50 (excl. VAT €26.15):
- Normal food cost: 32.5%
- Extra Parmesan (20g at €24/kg): +€0.48
- New food cost: 34.4%
Impact at 100 portions/week: €2,496 per year
Which extras cost the most
Not all extras hurt equally. Here are the biggest cost culprits:
- Cheese and meat: €0.30-€1.50 per extra portion
- Fish and seafood: €0.50-€2.00 per extra piece
- Sauces with cream/butter: €0.15-€0.40 per extra spoonful
- Vegetables: €0.10-€0.30 per extra portion
⚠️ Note:
Extras on popular dishes create the biggest damage. Target your top sellers first.
How to handle this without hassle
This isn't about micromanaging your team - it's about clear agreements:
- Create a list of which extras stay free (bread, butter)
- Set limits per dish (max 1 extra spoonful of sauce)
- Train service to consult kitchen for bigger requests
- Calculate surcharges for expensive extras and charge them
💡 Example agreement:
For the steak (€32):
- Extra sauce: free (max 1 spoonful)
- Extra vegetables: free (max handful)
- Extra meat: €4.50 surcharge
- If unsure: check with kitchen
How to track the costs
You don't need to weigh every extra, but monitor the expensive ones:
- Count weekly how many extras you're giving away
- Compare with your normal ingredient purchases
- Calculate annual cost impact
- Adjust prices if it gets excessive
💡 Practical example:
Restaurant with 500 covers/week notices:
- 15% of guests ask for extra cheese
- Cost: €0.40 per extra portion
- Impact: 75 × €0.40 × 52 = €1,560/year
Solution: €1.50 surcharge for extra cheese → break-even
Communication with your team
Explain why this matters without blame:
- Focus on outcomes: "We want happy guests and sustainable profits"
- Offer alternatives: "If unsure, offer it with a small surcharge"
- Reward smart thinking: Praise service staff who handle this well
- Discuss regularly: Make it part of team meetings
How do you tackle extras systematically? (step by step)
Assess the current situation
Track for 1 week which extras service staff add and how often. Count literally: extra sauce, extra cheese, extra meat. Also note which dishes this happens with most.
Calculate the actual costs
Work out what each extra costs per portion. Multiply by the number of times per week and then by 52 for annual costs. Focus on the most expensive extras first.
Make clear agreements
Decide per dish what can be free (up to a limit) and what requires a surcharge. Communicate this clearly to service staff and train them to check with the kitchen if unsure instead of just adding things.
✨ Pro tip
Track your pasta and pizza extras for 2 weeks - these dishes get the most add-on requests and small extras here compound fastest across high volumes.
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 prevent service staff from getting upset about these rules?
Explain that it's about keeping the restaurant healthy, not control. Offer alternatives like charging for extras, so they can still help guests. Frame it as protecting everyone's jobs.
Which extras should I keep free?
Cheap items that cost little but build goodwill: extra bread, a bit more sauce (up to a spoonful), extra salad. Avoid free extras of expensive ingredients like meat, fish, or cheese.
How do I calculate what an extra costs?
Divide the purchase price per kilo by 1000 for the price per gram. An extra spoonful of sauce (30ml) from €8/liter costs €0.24. Add this to your normal cost price to see the impact.
What if a regular customer expects free extras every time?
Set boundaries politely but firmly. Explain that while you value their loyalty, free extras aren't sustainable. Consider offering a loyalty discount instead of free ingredients.
Should I track extras differently for expensive dishes versus cheap ones?
Yes, focus tracking efforts on high-ticket items where extras hurt most. A €2 extra on a €45 steak matters less than €0.50 extra on a €12 pasta dish.
What if guests complain about surcharges for extras?
Explain that you deliver quality at fair prices. The standard portion is already generous, extras genuinely cost money. Most guests understand if you explain it respectfully.
📚 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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