Free Food Cost Calculator
for Restaurants
Enter your cost per portion and selling price. Instantly see food cost percentage, gross profit, and the exact price you should charge at any margin target. No signup required.
Your dish
Result
Enter cost and price above to see your food cost percentage
Want to cost your entire menu?
Dishboard tracks every ingredient, prep recipe, and delivery channel — all in one place.
How to use this food cost calculator
- 1
Enter your cost per portion
This is the total of every ingredient, prep recipe component (sauces, marinated proteins), and packaging item that goes into one serving. If you are costing a batch recipe, divide the total batch cost by the number of portions it yields.
- 2
Enter your selling price
The price you charge the customer on your menu. For delivery, use your delivery menu price if it differs from dine-in.
- 3
Read your food cost percentage
The calculator instantly shows your food cost %, gross profit, and gross margin. Green means you are at or below a 30% target — a common benchmark for restaurants. Amber means you are between 30 and 38%. Red means above 38%, which is high for most concepts.
- 4
Use the suggested price table
The table shows what you would need to charge to hit food cost targets from 20% to 35%. The cell closest to your current food cost is highlighted. If your current price falls below your target, use the suggested price as your new floor.
- 5
Optionally calculate delivery margin
Open the delivery section and select your platform (DoorDash, Uber Eats, Grubhub) or enter a custom commission rate. Add your packaging cost per order. The calculator shows your delivery profit and delivery margin — which is almost always lower than dine-in due to platform fees.
Understanding your results
Food cost percentage
The fraction of your selling price consumed by ingredients and packaging. A 30% food cost on a $10 dish means $3.00 in ingredient cost. The remaining $7.00 covers labor, rent, utilities, and — ideally — profit. Industry averages run 28 to 35% for most restaurant concepts, with cafes running 22 to 30% blended across food and beverages.
Gross profit
The dollar amount remaining after ingredient and packaging cost. This is the pool from which you pay labor, rent, and every other operating expense. A higher-priced dish can carry a higher food cost percentage and still generate more gross profit per sale than a cheaper dish at a lower percentage. A $25 entree at 38% food cost earns $15.50 gross profit. A $9 bowl at 28% food cost earns $6.48.
Gross margin percentage
The flip side of food cost percentage. Food cost 30% = gross margin 70%. They always add to 100%. Some operators and investors speak in gross margin rather than food cost — the math is identical, just inverted. Use whichever your team finds more natural.
Suggested price table
Shows what price you would need to charge to hit each food cost target, given your current cost per portion. The formula is: suggested price = cost per portion divided by target food cost %. This is a pricing floor, not a ceiling. If the market supports a higher price, charge more — your margin will be better.
Food cost percentage benchmarks by restaurant type
Use these as a starting point. Your actual target should be calculated from your own overhead structure — not just matched to an industry average.
How delivery changes your food cost math
Platform commissions from DoorDash, Uber Eats, and Grubhub do not increase your food cost percentage — but they dramatically reduce the revenue you keep from each sale. A dish can be on-target for dine-in and unprofitable on delivery at the same price.
Example: a chicken bowl costs $3.80 and sells for $13.00. Food cost is 29.2% — healthy. On DoorDash at 27% commission, the platform takes $3.51, leaving $9.49 in revenue. After food cost, delivery profit is $9.49 minus $3.80 = $5.69 — a 43.8% delivery margin before packaging. Add $0.85 in packaging and delivery profit falls to $4.84 (37.2% margin). Add a 10% weekend promotion funded by the restaurant and delivery profit drops further.
Use the delivery section of this calculator (expand it after entering your cost and price) to see your actual delivery profit and margin with your platform's commission rate.
Full guide: how to calculate delivery menu marginsFrequently asked questions
- What is a good food cost percentage for a restaurant?
- Most restaurants target 28 to 35%. Quick service aims for 25 to 32%. Cafes run 22 to 30% blended across food and beverages. The right target depends on your concept — a steakhouse with premium proteins will run higher than a grain bowl counter, but both can be profitable if priced to reflect their costs.
- How do I calculate food cost percentage for a batch recipe?
- Cost the entire batch (every ingredient, every packaging item), divide by the number of portions the batch yields, and enter that cost-per-portion figure in the calculator above. For example, a pot of soup costing $24.00 that yields 16 portions has a cost per portion of $1.50.
- Should I include packaging in food cost?
- Yes. Any packaging that leaves the kitchen with the food is a cost of the sale. Boxes, cups, lids, bags, labels — include all of them. Delivery kitchens and cafes that omit packaging consistently overstate their margins.
- What is the difference between food cost percentage and gross margin?
- They are two views of the same math. Food cost 30% means gross margin 70%. They always add to 100%. Restaurants traditionally speak in food cost; retail and CPG businesses speak in margin. Use whichever your team finds more natural.
- My food cost is over 35%. What should I do?
- Check that your cost per portion accounts for yield loss on proteins and produce. If the cost is accurate, use the suggested price table to find the price that would bring you to your target. If repricing is not viable, investigate portion size, ingredient sourcing, or recipe redesign. Some high-cost ingredients can be substituted or reduced without changing the customer's experience meaningfully.
- Does food cost include labor?
- No. Food cost percentage covers ingredients and packaging only. Labor cost is tracked separately. The combination of food cost and labor cost is called prime cost, and it typically accounts for 55 to 65% of a restaurant's total revenue.
- How does delivery affect food cost percentage?
- Platform commissions (DoorDash, Uber Eats, Grubhub) do not change your food cost percentage — they reduce the revenue you keep from each sale. Use the delivery margin section of this calculator to see what you actually earn per delivery order after commission and packaging.
- How often should I recalculate food cost?
- Every time a key ingredient price changes meaningfully, and at minimum monthly. In high-inflation periods, quarterly is too slow. If your main protein, dairy, or produce costs shift by 10% or more, every dish using that ingredient needs to be recalculated.
Dig deeper
Cost your full menu in Dishboard
Track every ingredient, prep recipe, and delivery partner. See food cost, gross profit, and margin on every dish — automatically recalculated when prices change.