Picture this: your kitchen runs like clockwork, but your profit disappears like snow in the sun. The culprit? Your mise en place has quietly become more expensive while menu prices stayed frozen. Here's where your money's leaking and how to plug those holes.
How your mise en place secretly became more expensive
Mise en place seems harmless. A little extra butter here, some more herbs there, a fancier garnish because it looks nicer. Every adjustment feels small, but together they make your dishes unprofitable.
💡 Example:
Your pasta carbonara from last year vs. now:
- Then: regular bacon (€12/kg), 80g per portion = €0.96
- Now: pancetta (€28/kg), 100g per portion = €2.80
- Difference per portion: €1.84
At 200 portions per month: €368 less profit
The creeping cost increase
It always starts innocently. Your chef wants the dish to look "a bit nicer". Your supplier has a "premium" variant. Guests these days are "more demanding". Before you know it, you're using luxury ingredients at regular prices.
- Better oil: From sunflower (€3/liter) to olive oil (€12/liter)
- Fancier fish: From pangasius (€8/kg) to sea bass (€24/kg)
- More expensive vegetables: From regular tomato to cherry tomato (+60%)
- More garnish: "For presentation" costs €0.50 extra per plate
Why your menu doesn't keep up
While your ingredients get more expensive, your prices stay the same. Why? Because raising prices feels scary. You think guests will leave. So you absorb the extra costs in your margin.
⚠️ Watch out:
€1 extra ingredient cost means €3-4 less profit due to the impact on your total margin.
The real impact on your food cost
Small adjustments have big consequences. A dish that previously had 28% food cost now sits at 38%. That 10 percentage point difference goes straight from your profit. And here's one of the most common blind spots in kitchen management: owners focus on labor costs while ingredient creep silently destroys their margins.
💡 Example calculation:
Steak €32 (incl. 9% VAT) = €29.36 excl. VAT
- Then: €8.20 ingredients = 27.9% food cost
- Now: €11.40 ingredients = 38.8% food cost
- Difference: 10.9 percentage points
On €500,000 annual revenue: €54,500 less profit
How this happens unnoticed
The problem creeps in because nobody keeps track of the numbers. Changes happen gradually. Today a bit more butter, next week a fancier garnish, next month a more expensive supplier.
- Seasonal change: "Winter menu can be a bit richer"
- New chef: "I always work with this quality"
- Supplier switch: "This one is a bit more expensive but much better"
- Guest feedback: "Could the portions be a bit bigger?"
The solution: back to basics
Stop guessing. Calculate exactly what each dish costs. Compare with last year. Adjust your menu prices or go back to your original mise en place.
💡 Action plan:
- Take your 5 top-selling dishes
- Calculate the current ingredient costs
- Check: is the food cost still under 33%?
- If not: raise the price or simplify the recipe
With a system you can see directly what each dish costs and adjust quickly before your profit disappears.
How do you stop cost increases in your mise en place?
Inventory your current recipes
Write down exactly which ingredients go into your 5 best-selling dishes and in what quantities. Also include garnish, sauces and oil.
Calculate the actual costs
Look up the current purchase prices of all ingredients. Calculate what one portion costs. Divide this by your selling price excl. VAT to get your food cost percentage.
Compare with your target
Is your food cost above 33%? Then you're losing money. Choose: raise your menu price or simplify your recipe by replacing expensive ingredients with cheaper alternatives.
✨ Pro tip
Audit your ingredient costs for the same 5 dishes every quarter - don't just check food cost percentages. Track actual gram weights and supplier prices to catch creep before it kills your margins.
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 know if my mise en place has become too expensive?
Calculate your current food cost and compare it with last year. If your food cost has increased more than 2-3 percentage points without a price increase, you've probably become too luxurious. Track this monthly for your top dishes.
Which ingredients make the biggest difference in costs?
Meat, fish and cheese are usually the most expensive components. An upgrade of €2/kg on your main ingredient has more impact than more expensive herbs. Focus on these protein costs first.
Will guests notice if I simplify ingredients?
Often not, if you substitute smartly. From entrecote to bavette, from sea bass to dorade, from fresh herbs to dried herbs in sauces. Most diners can't tell the difference if you maintain flavor.
📚 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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