Beverage Cost Percentage Calculator
Track beverage cost percentage — the cost of drinks poured as a share of beverage sales — the way bar and restaurant managers benchmark a bar program.
How it works
Cost of beverage sold = beginning inventory + purchases − ending inventory · Beverage cost % = cost of beverage sold ÷ beverage sales × 100
Beverage cost percentage answers the core bar question: for every dollar of drinks sold, how many cents went into what was poured. You compute the cost of beverage sold from inventory movement — what you started with, plus what you bought, minus what is left — then divide by beverage sales. Most bar programs target the low-to-mid 20s; spirits run leaner than that, wine and draft beer higher, so the blended target depends on your mix.
Worked example
A bar opens the month with $4,200 of stock, buys $5,600 more and ends with $3,900, so the cost of beverage sold is 4,200 + 5,600 − 3,900 = $5,900. On $24,000 of beverage sales that is a 24.6% beverage cost — a healthy figure for a mixed bar.
Frequently asked questions
What is a good beverage cost percentage?
Spirits/cocktails often run 15–20%, bottled and draft beer 24–28%, and wine 30–40%, so a blended bar program typically targets the low-to-mid 20s. Your right number depends on the mix — a wine-led restaurant will sit higher than a cocktail bar.
How is it different from pour cost?
They measure the same thing at different scopes. Beverage cost percentage covers the whole program over a period using inventory; pour cost is usually the cost of a single drink divided by its price. A consistently high pour cost per drink shows up as a high beverage cost overall.
Why did my beverage cost jump this month?
Common causes are over-pouring, unrecorded comps and spillage, theft, supplier price increases, or a shift toward lower-margin categories like wine. Comparing category by category usually isolates the culprit faster than the blended number.
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Educational estimate, not financial advice.