Dish Profitability Checker
Enter one dish. See exactly what it costs you — and what it's actually worth.
- Break down ingredient costs by weight, volume, or unit
- Outputs: food cost %, gross margin, and your biggest cost driver
- No signup required — results are instant
Food cost %
Gross margin
Gross margin %
Selling price is entered excl. VAT. Food cost % = total ingredient cost ÷ selling price excl. VAT. Labour, waste, and overhead are not included — they apply at the business level.
Want a free dish cost breakdown template?
A spreadsheet to map ingredient costs, food cost %, and margin for any dish — with benchmarks built in.
Get a free dish cost breakdown template
A spreadsheet to map out ingredient costs, food cost %, and margin for any dish — with benchmarks built in.
Book a free 20-min dish review call
Walk through your numbers with a fractional CFO. We'll look at which dishes are dragging your margins and what to do about it.
FAQ
Your total ingredient cost per portion divided by the selling price (excl. VAT), as a percentage. A 30% food cost means €0.30 of every euro of revenue goes on ingredients.
Most restaurants target 25–35%. Fine dining can go lower; high-volume casual often runs higher. The right number depends on your labour model, waste levels, and overhead.
VAT is collected on behalf of the tax authority — it's not your revenue. Measuring food cost against your excl. VAT price gives a cleaner view of your actual margin.
They compare your dish's food cost % to your target. Healthy = below target. Tight = within 5pp above. Risk = more than 5pp above — that dish is eroding your margin.
No. This tool focuses on ingredient cost vs. selling price. Labour, rent, and energy apply at the business level. Use this to flag whether a dish is worth investigating further.
No. All calculations run in your browser. Nothing is saved or transmitted unless you choose to submit your email.