Food cost calculator
Work out the food cost % of any dish.
Add up what goes into one portion, put in the price, and see what share of it goes on ingredients.
Food cost per dish
Takes 2 minutes. No sign-up.
Example dish, invented figures — change to yours.
What goes into one portion
Chicken wrap
VAT registered
Why it’s worked out on the price after VAT
If you’re VAT registered, a sixth of what the customer pays goes to HMRC, not to you. Work out food cost on the full price and every dish looks better than it is. On this wrap, the full price says 24.9%; the money you actually keep says 29.9%.
How we work it out
- Ingredients: the cost of everything in one portion, added up.
- Left after VAT: the price ÷ 1.2 if you’re VAT registered; the whole price if you’re not.
- Food cost: ingredients ÷ what’s left after VAT.
- Left after ingredients: what’s left after VAT, minus the ingredients.
- Price for your target: ingredients ÷ your target %, × 1.2 if you’re VAT registered, rounded up to the next penny.
To see what the same dish leaves you on Uber Eats, Deliveroo and Just Eat, try the menu item profit calculator.
Before you ask
Questions owners ask
What food cost % should I aim for?
There isn’t one number for every dish. A can of drink and a mixed grill will never sit at the same %, so look at each dish and decide what you’re happy with for it.
Where do I get the cost of each ingredient?
From your supplier invoices: the price of the pack divided by how many portions it makes.
Should packaging count?
Your call. Add it as a line if you want it in the food cost; leave it out if you track it separately.
Is anything I type saved or sent?
No. The sums run in your browser. Nothing is stored, nothing is sent, and closing the page clears it.
Telvo works out what every dish keeps you on each app, from your own recipes and the fees you enter. 7 days free, no card.
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