Most restaurants run their bar and kitchen like completely separate businesses. Your bartender celebrates those €0.80 beer costs while your chef stresses over €11.20 steak expenses. Nobody's tracking what guests actually spend—and profit—across both.
Why bar and kitchen need to complement each other
Walk into most restaurants and you'll find two islands. The bartender knows a beer costs €3.50 with €0.80 in goods. The chef knows his steak runs €32.00 with €11.20 in costs. But ask either one what Table 12 generated in total profit? Blank stares.
💡 Example:
Table 12 orders:
- 2x steak at €32.00 = €64.00 (food cost: €22.40)
- 1 bottle of wine €45.00 (cost: €12.00)
- 2x coffee at €3.50 = €7.00 (cost: €1.40)
Total: €116.00 revenue | €35.80 cost | Margin: 69.1%
That table's incredibly profitable because of the wine. Yet if you're only watching kitchen numbers, you see 35% food cost and panic. It's the kind of thing you only learn after closing your first month at a loss—those individual percentages lie.
The danger of separate margins
Split accounting creates expensive blind spots:
- Inflated menu prices: You bump dish prices because food costs look scary
- Missed goldmines: You can't spot which combinations print money
- Wasteful purchasing: You stress about ingredient costs when total margins are fine
- Misplaced energy: You're solving the wrong problems
⚠️ Watch out:
Low food cost doesn't equal higher profit. A table ordering just water with that €32 steak generates less than guests getting cheaper pasta with expensive wine.
What you miss by calculating separately
Operating in silos means you're blind to these patterns:
- Lunch crowds: Minimal drink spending means you need tighter food costs
- Happy hour regulars: Heavy drink spending lets you accept higher food costs
- Seasonal shifts: Summer terrace drinking vs. cozy winter meals
- Time variations: Dinner service vs. late-night crowds are different animals
💡 Example of difference:
Two tables, same party size:
- Table A: €80 food (30% cost) + €20 drinks (€5 cost) = €29 cost on €100
- Table B: €60 food (35% cost) + €60 drinks (€18 cost) = €39 cost on €120
Table A: 29% total cost | Table B: 32.5% total cost
Table B delivers €20 more revenue AND €12 more profit!
The cost of wrong decisions
Separate tracking leads to expensive mistakes:
- Overpriced menus: Guests order less food and skip drinks entirely
- Axing profitable dishes: That 40% food cost dish might be profitable if it sells wine
- Backwards staff scheduling: You can't identify your most profitable service periods
- Misguided promotions: You're pushing the wrong items
💡 Calculation example:
Restaurant serving 100 covers daily, 6 days weekly:
- Average check: €45 per person
- Separate accounting drives menu prices 15% too high
- Result: 20% fewer guests, dramatically fewer drinks
- Annual loss: €140,400 in revenue
How to look at total margin instead
The fix is straightforward: track everything a table orders together.
- Monitor per table: Food + drinks + combined costs
- Calculate patterns: By time slots, seasons, and guest demographics
- Study combinations: Which dishes trigger higher drink sales?
- Set unified targets: Total margin per guest, not per product category
Systems that merge bar and kitchen data show real table profitability instead of misleading individual percentages.
How do you calculate total margin per table?
Collect all bill data
Note for each table: all dishes, all drinks, and the total bill. Track every bill for a week to see patterns.
Calculate total cost of goods per table
Add up the cost of goods for all dishes and all drinks. Don't forget to include garnishes, sauces, and coffee.
Calculate total margin percentage
Formula: (Total cost of goods / Total revenue excl. VAT) × 100. A good total margin is between 25-35%, depending on your concept.
✨ Pro tip
Track your top 15 revenue tables weekly and analyze exactly what they ordered. You'll discover which food-drink combinations generate the most profit—patterns that separate accounting completely misses.
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
What's a realistic total margin for bar and kitchen combined?
Most restaurants should target 25-35% total margin. Drink-heavy establishments like cafés can run lower, while fine dining with premium wine programs often achieve higher margins.
How do I handle lunch periods with minimal drink sales?
Accept higher total cost percentages during lunch service since guests drink less. Focus on attractive drink packages or adjust food cost targets for low-beverage periods. Dinner service with wine and cocktails will balance the numbers.
Which menu items actually drive more beverage sales?
Spicy dishes, grilled meats, and seafood typically boost drink orders significantly. Salads and lighter vegetarian options usually don't. Track this data by dish to identify your profit drivers.
Should I use different margin targets for lunch versus dinner?
Absolutely—lunch often generates less beverage revenue, so accept higher total cost percentages. Dinner compensates through wine pairings and cocktails, allowing for different profitability expectations.
📚 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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