Yield percent
Example: A bistro buys whole halibut that yields only about 50% after trimming bone and skin, so the chef prices the dish off the true cost of a usable ounce instead of the raw invoice weight, which would have under-priced it by a third.
the share of what you bought that ends up on a plate
For a given ingredient: the percentage of as-purchased weight that survives trim, peel, bone, fat, and cooking shrinkage. Romaine yields about 75%; a whole halibut closer to 50%; a whole chicken 60%. Sourced from culinary-school standard yield tables; varies ±5% by handler skill and product specification.
Why it matters
The most-skipped concept in independent restaurant cost accounting. An owner who divides invoice cost by purchase weight under-prices most produce by 20–30%, and the loss compounds across every plate the recipe runs. Yield is the multiplier that turns AP cost into the real cost of a usable ounce — without it, every downstream number lies a little, in the same direction.
Frequently asked
What is yield percent?
Yield percent is for a given ingredient: the percentage of as-purchased weight that survives trim, peel, bone, fat, and cooking shrinkage. Romaine yields about 75%; a whole halibut closer to 50%; a whole chicken 60%. Sourced from culinary-school standard yield tables; varies ±5% by handler skill and product specification.
Why does yield percent matter for a restaurant?
The most-skipped concept in independent restaurant cost accounting. An owner who divides invoice cost by purchase weight under-prices most produce by 20–30%, and the loss compounds across every plate the recipe runs. Yield is the multiplier that turns AP cost into the real cost of a usable ounce — without it, every downstream number lies a little, in the same direction.
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