InsightChef ProFind the usable unit cost
Divide the pack price by the total purchased quantity × usable yield. Convert purchase and recipe units to the same measure first.
$40 ÷ (10 lb × 80%) = $5 / usable lb
FREE KITCHEN TOOL · NO SIGNUP
Food cost calculator
Cost the whole plate.
Know what every portion costs.
Add your ingredients, invoice prices and usable yields. See total recipe cost, cost per portion, food cost percentage and a menu price based on your target.
Small price changes.
Real menu decisions.
YOUR RECIPE, AT A GLANCE
From the invoice to the plate
Loading an illustrative recipe…
Your recipe inputs stay in this browser tab. They are not saved or sent by the calculator. Reloading clears them; print before leaving if you need a copy. Optional website analytics do not collect these field values.
THE METHOD
How to calculate food cost
Cost every ingredient
Multiply usable unit cost by the usable amount in the recipe. Add every ingredient, including sauces, sides and garnish, plus any separate food allowance.
$5 / lb × 2 lb = $10 chicken cost
Divide into portions
Divide the total recipe cost by the actual number of portions. Divide cost per portion by the pre-tax selling price, then multiply by 100 for food cost percentage.
$18.75 ÷ 8 = $2.34375 / portion
WORKED EXAMPLE
A chicken bowl, without the guesswork.
The illustrative batch above contains $10 chicken, $1 dry rice, $3.75 trimmed vegetables and $4 sauce. At eight portions and a $12 selling price:
- $18.75 total recipe cost
- $2.34 cost per portion (rounded for display)
- 19.5% food cost at the entered selling price
- $7.81 unrounded-target calculation displayed to cents, at 30% food cost
At a 10% increase in all four pack prices, food cost rises to $2.58 per portion. Calculations use unrounded amounts; displayed line totals can differ by a cent when added.
CHEF'S NOTES
A few details that matter
Is this actual food cost or recipe food cost?
This calculates theoretical recipe food cost from entered quantities and prices. Period actual food cost generally uses opening inventory + purchases − closing inventory, adjusted for transfers and other relevant movements, compared with food sales. Counts, waste and portion differences can make actual results differ.
How do I enter a case with several bags?
Enter the price for the full case and its total quantity. For a case of six 5 lb bags, enter 30 lb. For a 12-bottle case of 750 mL bottles, enter 9 L. Do not enter one bag's weight with the entire case's price.
What usable yield should I enter?
Use the measured usable output divided by purchased input, multiplied by 100. Ten pounds purchased and eight pounds usable is 80%. Use 100% when there is no loss in the priced quantity. If your price already represents the usable product, do not apply the same loss again. For foods that gain weight during cooking, cost the dry/raw amount used, or cost the prepared batch separately; this loss-yield field supports up to 100%.
Can I mix pounds, grams, liters and cups?
You can convert within a measurement type, such as pounds to grams or liters to US fluid ounces. This calculator does not convert weight to volume without an ingredient-specific density. A fluid ounce is not an ounce of weight; weigh your ingredient when needed.
What is a good target food cost percentage?
There is no universal target. Menu mix, service style, labor, portion size and pricing strategy all matter. Enter a target that fits your operation. Target menu price = food cost per portion ÷ (target percentage ÷ 100).