What is food cost percentage?

Food cost percentage is the ratio of ingredient cost to selling price, expressed as a percentage. For example, if a dish costs $4.00 to make and sells for $16.00, the food cost percentage is 25%. Most full-service restaurants target 28–35%.

What is a good target food cost percentage?

Fine dining typically targets 28–32%. Casual dining targets 30–35%. Fast food and quick service often targets 25–30%. Catering varies but typically aims for 28–38%. Lower percentages leave more room for labor, overhead, and profit.

How do I calculate the ideal selling price?

Divide the ingredient cost per serving by your target food cost percentage as a decimal. For example: $5.00 cost / 0.30 target = $16.67 selling price. This calculator performs that math automatically.

Does this include labor or overhead?

No. This calculator covers only direct ingredient (food) cost. Labor, utilities, and rent are separate. Many operators target a combined prime cost (food + labor) of 60–70% of revenue.

What unit should I use for ingredients?

Any unit that is consistent — grams, ounces, cups, liters, pieces, etc. The quantity and unit cost must use the same unit. If you enter 200 grams, the unit cost must be cost per gram.

What does the food cost percentage bar show?

It shows your actual food cost percentage (based on the menu price you enter) compared to your target. Green means on or under target; amber means slightly over; red means significantly over and the dish may not be profitable.

Food Cost Calculator

Name: Food Cost Calculator
Availability: InStock
Author: Nham Vu

Add ingredients with quantities and unit costs to calculate your dish food cost percentage and ideal selling price based on your target margin.

Dish Details

Dish Name

Servings

Target Food Cost %

Currency

Ingredients 0 added

Add at least one ingredient to see your food cost analysis.

Total Food Cost

—

per serving

Food Cost %

—

enter menu price

Gross Profit

—

per serving

Recommended Selling Price

—

based on 30% food cost target

Your Menu Price

Compare vs. target

Ingredient Breakdown

Ingredient	Qty	Unit Cost	Line Cost	% of Total
Total Cost			—	100%

Summary

Add ingredients with quantities and unit costs to calculate your dish food cost percentage and ideal selling price based on your target margin.

How it works

Enter the name and number of servings for your dish.
Click "Add Ingredient" to add each ingredient with quantity, unit, and cost per unit.
Set your target food cost percentage (25–35% is typical for restaurants).
The recommended selling price updates automatically as you add ingredients.
Enter your actual menu price to see if you are on target and get a pricing analysis.
Use the currency selector to match your local currency symbol.

Use cases

Calculating the food cost percentage of a new menu item before launch.
Setting menu prices that meet your target profit margin.
Comparing cost efficiency across different recipes or portion sizes.
Training kitchen staff on the financial impact of waste and over-portioning.
Estimating catering job ingredient costs by scaling to serving count.
Auditing existing menu prices to identify underpriced or overpriced items.
Budgeting ingredient purchases for weekly or monthly kitchen operations.
Teaching culinary or hospitality students real-world food cost management.

Frequently Asked Questions

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Last updated: 2026-05-29 · Reviewed by Nham Vu