Those tiny extras on each plate drain thousands from your profits yearly. An extra dollop of sauce, another scoop of rice - your kitchen staff thinks they're being generous. Your bottom line tells a different story.
Why 'a little extra' devastates your margins
Your team has good intentions. They want happy customers. But nobody connects those generous portions to your shrinking profits.
💡 Example: Extra steak
Recipe calls for 200 grams. Chef serves 250 grams instead.
- Beef: €24/kg
- Overage per portion: 50 grams = €1.20
- 50 portions weekly × 52 weeks = €3,120 annually
One dish alone bleeds €3,120 yearly
Every component multiplies the damage
It's never just the protein. Every element compounds:
- Sides: Extra potatoes, vegetables, grains
- Sauces: Heavy-handed pours of jus, aioli, dressings
- Garnish: Double herbs, excessive microgreens
- Bread service: Multiple rolls instead of one
💡 Example: Pasta carbonara
Standard vs. 'generous' portions:
- Pasta: 120g → 150g = €0.12 extra
- Bacon: 40g → 55g = €0.45 extra
- Cream: 50ml → 70ml = €0.18 extra
- Cheese: 20g → 30g = €0.35 extra
Total overage: €1.10 per plate
80 weekly portions: €4,576 lost annually
Calculate your actual losses
The math is straightforward. The results? Often devastating:
Annual waste = Excess per portion × Weekly portions × 52
⚠️ Note:
Don't ignore the small stuff. An extra teaspoon of olive oil (€0.08) across 100 daily plates costs €1,456 yearly.
Why kitchens over-portion
Most excess happens for these reasons:
- Misguided hospitality: 'More food equals happier guests'
- Eyeball estimating: No standardized measuring tools
- Waste avoidance: 'Better on the plate than in the bin'
- Rush periods: Speed over precision
I've seen this mistake cost the average restaurant EUR 200-400 per month - money that could fund equipment upgrades or staff bonuses instead.
💡 Example: Five-dish restaurant
Average €0.75 excess per dish:
- 150 daily covers
- 6 service days weekly
- €0.75 × 150 × 6 × 52 = €35,100 annually
That's a full-time salary disappearing into over-portioning!
Training your team without blame
Address the issue constructively:
- Show the numbers: 'Each extra 50g costs us €1.20'
- Emphasize consistency: 'Every guest deserves identical portions'
- Provide proper tools: Digital scales, portion ladles, measuring cups
- Connect to bigger picture: 'Controlling portions helps fund raises'
Standardize without sacrificing quality
Precision doesn't mean stinginess:
- Exact specifications: 200g means exactly 200g
- Proper equipment: Portion controls for every station
- Detailed recipes: Precise measurements, not approximations
- Spot checks: Monitor during peak service
Food cost tracking tools like KitchenNmbrs reveal exactly what each dish should cost. Sudden spikes in food costs immediately flag over-portioning issues.
How do you calculate the impact of extra portions?
Measure actual portions
Weigh what your team actually serves for a week. Compare it with what's in your recipes. Note the difference per dish.
Calculate the extra costs per portion
Multiply the extra weight by the purchase price per kilo. Add up all extra ingredients for the total additional costs per plate.
Calculate what this costs per year
Use the formula: Extra per portion × Number of portions per week × 52 weeks. This gives you the total amount you're 'giving away' annually.
✨ Pro tip
Track your sauce usage for exactly 7 days - you'll be shocked how an extra tablespoon per plate adds €2,800 yearly to your costs.
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 my team from serving too much without lowering quality?
Explain why portions matter and give them the right tools. A portion spoon for sauce or a scale for meat helps more than just saying 'do less'. Connect portion control to the restaurant's financial health.
What if guests complain that portions get smaller?
Standardizing doesn't mean making portions smaller, but making them consistent. If your portions are currently too large, you can raise the price instead of reducing the portion.
Can I track this automatically without constantly weighing?
Train your team on fixed portion sizes and check regularly. Food cost tracking helps by monitoring your expenses - if costs spike, you know over-portioning is happening.
📚 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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