Nearly 70% of restaurant staff avoid asking financial questions because they fear looking incompetent. This silence costs restaurants money through poor decision-making and missed opportunities. But create an environment where number questions feel normal, and you'll build a team that thinks strategically instead of just following orders.
Why employees feel insecure about numbers
Most kitchen staff are passionate about cooking, not math. They worry that asking about numbers exposes their knowledge gaps. This anxiety gets worse when:
- Numbers are only discussed with the owner
- No explanation is given for decisions
- Mistakes are punished immediately instead of explained
- Financial information is treated as 'secret'
⚠️ Watch out:
If employees are afraid to ask questions, they make decisions without understanding the financial impact. This leads to waste, oversized portions, and wrong ingredient choices.
Make numbers accessible and relevant
Start by explaining why numbers matter for their daily work. Connect financial concepts to their hands-on experience:
- Food cost: 'If we spend more than €8 on ingredients for this pasta, we lose money'
- Portion sizes: '20 grams extra meat per plate costs us €2,400 a year'
- Waste: 'That half onion that gets thrown away costs 30 cents. At 50 portions a day...'
💡 Example:
Your chef asks: 'Why can't we buy better quality salmon?'
Instead of 'Too expensive', explain:
- Current salmon: €24/kg, food cost 28%
- Better salmon: €36/kg, food cost becomes 42%
- We'd have to charge €6 more per portion
Now your chef understands the impact and can think along about solutions.
Create a safe learning environment
Make it clear that asking questions gets rewarded, not punished. Here are practical ways to do this:
- Weekly numbers check: Discuss food cost of popular dishes with the team
- Open books: Show what ingredients cost and how that translates to menu price
- Mistakes as learning moments: 'We over-ordered this week, how can we prevent this?'
- Reward thinking along: Acknowledge suggestions that save money or increase revenue
💡 Example session:
'Let's look at our steak together. What do you think this costs?'
- Meat: €8.50
- Potatoes: €0.80
- Vegetables: €1.20
- Sauce and butter: €0.50
'Total €11, selling for €32. Food cost 34%. What do you think about that?'
Use simple tools and visualizations
Make numbers visual and digestible. From analyzing actual purchasing data across different restaurant types, I've seen that complex spreadsheets scare people off while simple overviews encourage engagement:
- Use colors: green for good margins, red for problematic
- Show trends: 'Food cost this week vs. last week'
- Compare to concrete amounts: '5% higher food cost = €200 less profit this month'
- Make it personal: 'If we solve this, we can buy a new fryer sooner'
Involve the team in solutions
Once you identify a problem, ask the team to brainstorm solutions. This creates ownership and lowers the barrier to asking questions:
💡 Example approach:
Problem: Salad food cost too high (38%)
Ask the team: 'How can we fix this?'
- Use cheaper nuts?
- Adjust portion size?
- Raise price to €16?
- Find cheaper cheese?
Discuss pros and cons together. The team feels heard and learns about the trade-offs.
Regular check-ins and feedback
Make discussing numbers routine, not exceptional. Short weekly sessions of 10 minutes work better than monthly marathons:
- Monday: Review last week's numbers together
- Wednesday: Check if targets are being met
- Friday: Evaluate and plan for next week
By making numbers part of daily routine, fear disappears and understanding grows naturally.
How do you create a numbers-friendly culture? (step by step)
Start with transparency
Share basic information about costs and margins with your team. Start with one dish per week and explain how the cost price is determined. Make clear that this information helps make better decisions, not to control.
Create safe moments for questions
Schedule 15 minutes weekly where team members can ask questions about numbers freely. Always respond positively to questions, even if they seem simple. Reward curiosity and show appreciation for engagement.
Connect numbers to daily decisions
Show how financial choices impact daily work. Discuss why certain ingredients are chosen, how portion sizes are determined, and what the impact of waste is. Make it relevant to their work.
✨ Pro tip
Pick your top-selling appetizer and ask your team to guess its total ingredient cost during next week's prep meeting. Most will underestimate by 30-40%, creating a natural teaching moment about hidden costs like oils, seasonings, and garnishes.
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Frequently asked questions
What if employees find the numbers too complicated?
Start with the basics: what does a dish cost and what do we earn from it? Use round numbers and simple examples. Build complexity gradually as the team gets comfortable.
How do I respond if someone asks a 'dumb' question?
There are no dumb questions, only different backgrounds. Always thank them for asking and explain calmly. A question means someone wants to learn and improve.
Do I have to share all financial information with my team?
Share information that's relevant to their work: cost prices, food cost percentages, and the impact of their decisions. You don't need to open your complete books, but enough so they understand why certain choices are made.
How often should I discuss numbers with the team?
Short and regular works better than long and sporadic. A weekly check of 10-15 minutes keeps numbers current and accessible without being overwhelming.
What if my sous chef consistently avoids cost discussions during prep planning?
Address it privately first - they might feel embarrassed about their math skills. Offer to walk through costing together during slower periods. Make it about improving the kitchen, not exposing weaknesses.
Should I include part-time staff in financial discussions?
Yes, especially if they handle prep or plating. Part-timers often become full-time, and understanding costs from day one prevents bad habits from forming.
How do I handle pushback about 'not being hired to do math'?
Explain that understanding costs makes their job easier, not harder. Show how knowing portion costs prevents waste and reduces stress during busy service.
📚 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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