I used to throw around food cost percentages until I realized my team's eyes glazed over every time. Then I started showing them what yesterday's extra spoon of sauce actually cost us. Now every kitchen decision carries real weight because the numbers tell stories they can touch.
Gather concrete examples from your own kitchen
Start with situations that actually happened in your business. Not theoretical examples, but real moments from the past week. Think about: oversized portions, wasted ingredients, price adjustments, or successes that saved money.
💡 Example:
Tuesday you noticed the new cook gave 300 grams of steak instead of 250 grams:
- Steak: €32/kg
- Extra per portion: 50 grams = €1.60
- Number of portions that evening: 28
Total loss that evening: €44.80
Calculate the financial impact for each situation
Make each example concrete by calculating the costs. Use real prices from your suppliers and actual numbers from your register. Your team immediately sees what each choice means in euros and cents.
- Add ingredient costs based on your actual purchase prices
- Multiply by the number of portions that day
- Calculate through to weekly or monthly amounts if it's structural
- Compare with alternative choices that could have been made
💡 Waste example:
Wednesday an entire container of marinated chicken was thrown away (shelf life expired):
- Chicken breast: 2.5 kg at €8.50/kg = €21.25
- Marinade (oil, spices): €3.50
- Labor time marinating: 15 min at €20/hour = €5.00
Total loss: €29.75
Make positive examples visible too
Don't just show what goes wrong. Highlight what goes right. From tracking this across dozens of restaurants, I've seen that celebrating smart portion control and clever purchasing decisions motivates teams far more than dwelling on mistakes.
💡 Positive example:
Friday your chef made a smart purchase when salmon was on sale:
- Regular price: €24/kg
- Sale price: €18/kg
- Purchased: 8 kg for the weekend
Savings: €48 in one weekend
Present examples at the right time
Timing matters. Don't discuss them during rush periods, but during quiet moments or team meetings. Make it a learning opportunity, not a blame session.
- Discuss positive examples right when they happen
- Save costly mistakes for a quiet moment
- Use team meetings for structural patterns
- Frame it as shared learning, not personal failure
⚠️ Note:
Use examples to teach, not to punish. The goal is for everyone to learn, not for someone to feel bad.
Keep a log of important moments
Note striking situations throughout the week with numbers attached. This gives you an arsenal of concrete examples to work with. Tools like KitchenNmbrs help track these numbers automatically without creating extra paperwork.
How do you use concrete examples effectively?
Document situations immediately
Note every striking situation right away with date, what happened and who was involved. Calculate the costs based on your actual purchase prices and numbers from your register.
Calculate the financial impact
Add up all costs: ingredients, labor time, waste. Multiply by the number of portions and calculate through to weekly or monthly amounts if it's structural.
Share at the right time
Discuss examples during quiet moments or team meetings. Make it a learning moment, not a complaint. Use positive examples to motivate and negative ones to teach.
✨ Pro tip
Compare Tuesday's portion sizes to Friday's portions using actual plate photos from your past week. Show your team the €127 difference those 15 extra grams of protein made across 47 covers.
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 often should I discuss examples with my team?
Discuss 2-3 concrete examples weekly during team meetings. You can mention positive examples right away, but save negative ones for a quiet moment.
What if my team takes the examples as criticism?
Always start with positive examples and frame it as learning, not as a mistake. Say: 'Look what this teaches us' instead of 'This went wrong'.
Should I mention names in examples?
Only mention names for positive examples. For costly situations, focus on the situation itself, not on who did it.
How do I factor in labor time in the costs?
Calculate with your actual hourly labor costs including employer contributions. For a cook at €15/hour gross, you calculate approximately €20/hour total costs.
What if the amounts seem very small?
Calculate through to monthly or annual amounts. €2 extra per portion at 100 portions per day is €6,000 per month. That suddenly makes it much more concrete.
How do I track prep waste versus service waste separately?
Log prep mistakes during quiet prep hours with ingredient costs only. Service waste includes both ingredients and the labor time already invested in preparation. This distinction helps you target training more effectively.
📚 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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