Restaurant Food Cost Per Dish Calculator
Add up the ingredient cost of a single plated dish, then see its food cost percentage and gross profit at your menu price.
How it works
Food cost = Σ ingredient costs · Food cost % = food cost ÷ menu price × 100 · Gross profit = menu price − food cost
The plate cost is simply the sum of every ingredient that goes onto the dish — protein, sides, sauces and garnish. Dividing that by the menu price gives the food cost percentage, the single most watched number in a kitchen. Most full-service restaurants aim for a food cost between 28% and 35%, so a plate that lands much higher either needs a price bump or a cheaper build.
Worked example
A plate with $3.20 of protein, $1.10 of sides and $0.70 of sauce and garnish costs $5.00 in ingredients. On an $18 menu price that is a 27.8% food cost and $13.00 of gross profit; to hit a 30% target you could price it at about $16.67.
Frequently asked questions
What food cost percentage should a dish target?
Most full-service restaurants aim for 28–35% food cost across the menu, though individual dishes vary — cheap high-margin items like pasta or fries subsidize pricier proteins that run a higher percentage.
Does this include labor or overhead?
No. This is the raw ingredient (food) cost only. Labor, rent, utilities and other overhead are separate — combine food cost with labor cost to get prime cost, the metric that drives most menu-pricing decisions.
Why price to a target food cost?
Working backwards from a target percentage keeps pricing consistent and protects margin as ingredient costs move. If beef rises, repricing to hold 30% food cost preserves the profit the menu was designed around.
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Educational estimate, not financial advice.