Food cost
Example: A neighborhood bistro tracks its food cost at 36% for the quarter, four points over its 32% target, and traces most of the gap to oversized steak portions and unlogged prep waste.
cost of goods sold, as a % of sales
The cost of ingredients, alcohol, and consumables (paper goods, to-go packaging) expressed as a percentage of sales. Target 28–32% for most formats; pizzerias and cafés often run lower, steakhouses and sushi higher.
Why it matters
Every point over target is margin walking out the kitchen door — and it's typically the fastest lever to fix, through portion specs, waste logs, supplier audits, and menu engineering. Most operators know their number to the tenth of a percent; many don't know what their peers' number is. The Plate Cost Calculator builds the per-dish food cost from a recipe in five minutes — the missing input behind a defensible aggregate number.
Frequently asked
What is food cost?
Food cost is the cost of ingredients, alcohol, and consumables (paper goods, to-go packaging) expressed as a percentage of sales. Target 28–32% for most formats; pizzerias and cafés often run lower, steakhouses and sushi higher.
Why does food cost matter for a restaurant?
Every point over target is margin walking out the kitchen door — and it's typically the fastest lever to fix, through portion specs, waste logs, supplier audits, and menu engineering. Most operators know their number to the tenth of a percent; many don't know what their peers' number is. The Plate Cost Calculator builds the per-dish food cost from a recipe in five minutes — the missing input behind a defensible aggregate number.
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