Food cost percentage calculator
Two modes in one tool. Period mode tells you what your food cost percentage actually was last month — opening stock plus purchases minus closing stock, divided by food revenue. Recipe mode tells you whether a single dish is priced right. Pick your format below to see the target band that applies to your venue. Free, no signup.
Answers: what was my food cost percentage across the whole period?
Format changes the target band shown on the right. Cloud kitchens run tighter (packaging is loaded in); fine dining runs higher (lower covers, premium ingredients); bar-led shows the food-side target since beverage carries the margin.
Inputs
The formula
# Period mode
cogs = opening_stock + purchases − closing_stock
food_cost_pct = cogs / food_revenue × 100
# Recipe mode
food_cost_pct = ingredient_cost_per_plate / menu_price_excl_gst × 100Why this number matters
Food cost is the largest controllable line on a restaurant P&L and the single biggest swing factor in whether a venue clears breakeven. A two-point shift — from 33% to 35% — on a ₹40L monthly food revenue is ₹80,000 of profit moved off the bottom line. Most operators we work with track it monthly when they should track it weekly, and almost nobody runs a recipe-level check until margin has already slipped. Full food cost target guide.
Where this fits
- Food cost percentage targets — India — the format-by-format benchmarks behind the bands above
- Restaurant unit economics — India guide — where food cost sits in the full P&L
- Prime cost calculator — combines food cost with labour to test the bigger operating-cost band
- Breakeven analysis calculator — once food cost is in band, this tells you the cover count you must hit