Academy
Costing basics 3 min readJanuary 17, 2026by Dishboard
Why packaging belongs in menu costing
If it leaves your kitchen, it's a cost of the sale.
Cafes, bakeries, takeaway, and delivery kitchens all sell packaging with every order, knowingly or not.
Treat boxes, cups, lids, sleeves, bags, and labels as first-class costs. The cost per piece is small, but it is real, and across thousands of orders it changes margin meaningfully.
A 16oz iced cup at $0.16 sounds harmless. Across 200 cups a day, that is ~$960/month, usually missing from gut-feel pricing.
Add the box and see what changes.
Cost the dish with the packaging in it, the way the customer actually receives it.
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