How do you calculate plate cost?
Plate cost is the cost of every ingredient in the batch divided by the portions it makes. Each ingredient line is priced from the case you buy:
Line cost = pack price ÷ pack size × amount used ÷ yield %
Plate cost = sum of line costs ÷ portions per batch
Example: a 40 lb case of chicken thighs costs 89.50 dollars, so 2.24 dollars a pound. The soup uses 6 lb at an 85% yield after trim, so the line costs 15.79 dollars. If the whole batch costs 51.64 dollars and makes 20 bowls, each bowl costs 2.58 dollars.
How do you calculate food cost percentage?
Food cost percentage is the plate cost divided by the menu price.
Food cost % = plate cost ÷ menu price × 100
Example: a bowl that costs 2.58 dollars and sells for 8.50 dollars runs at a 30.4% food cost. The other 5.92 dollars covers labor, rent and profit.
How do you set a menu price from food cost?
Divide the plate cost by the food cost percentage you are aiming for.
Menu price = plate cost ÷ target food cost %
Example: at a 30% target, the 2.58 dollar bowl needs a menu price of 8.61 dollars. The calculator starts at 30%; set the target you use for that category.
How do you account for trim and cooking loss?
Enter the yield: the share of what you buy that ends up in the dish. The tool divides the cost by it, so you pay for the trim too.
Example: USDA’s Food Buying Guide says 1 lb of untrimmed fresh broccoli gives 0.81 lb ready to cook. Enter 81% and 1 lb used costs as much as 1.23 lb bought.
Weigh it yourself for your own cuts and cooks: trim one case, weigh what is left, and divide by what you started with.
Can I use it with my recipe costing spreadsheet?
Yes. Copy the rows from Excel or Google Sheets and paste them in, or save the sheet as CSV and drop it in.
- Columns: ingredient, pack price, pack size, pack unit, amount used, unit used, yield %.
- Units: lb, oz, g, kg, gal, qt, pt, cup, fl oz, tbsp, tsp, L, mL, each and dozen.
- Case packs: a pack size written as 6/5 lb, 4 x 5 lb or 12/16 oz is read as 30 lb, 20 lb or 192 oz.
The download is a CSV you can open in either one. Saved recipes stay in this browser, so you can open one, change a price and re-cost it. For a full menu re-costed from every invoice, see Reports & answers.
Questions
Does oz mean weight or liquid?
Here oz is weight (16 oz to the pound) and fl oz is liquid volume (8 fl oz to the cup). NIST lists them as separate units, so pick the one your recipe means.
What if I buy by the pound and measure in cups?
The row asks what one recipe unit weighs, in ounces (or grams for a pack bought in kg). Weigh one level cup once and enter it.
Are my recipes uploaded anywhere?
They stay on your device. The math runs in your browser and saved recipes are kept in this browser only. Clearing browser data removes them, so download the CSV for a copy.
Does it include labor or packaging?
It costs ingredients. Add to-go containers or napkins as an ingredient line, priced by the case, to include them in the plate cost.
Sources
- NIST Handbook 44 (2026), Appendix C: General Tables of Units of Measurement, National Institute of Standards and Technology,
- Culinary measurement tips, National Institute of Standards and Technology,
- Food Buying Guide for Child Nutrition Programs, Appendix B: How to use the yield information, USDA Food and Nutrition Service,
