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What should you charge for a dish?

Enter what a plate costs you and the food cost percentage you are aiming for. See a suggested menu price, the gross profit per dish, and how a price you already charge really stacks up.

Your numbers · USD

Your recipe costs, not benchmarks. Use the real ingredient cost of one serving.

Total ingredient cost of one served portion, including sides and garnish.

The share of the menu price you want ingredients to be. Many full-service kitchens aim for 28–35%.

Enter a number from 0 to 100,000.

Suggested menu price

To hit a 30% food cost

$15.00

Gross profit of $10.50 per dish before labor and overhead.

Food cost percentage is one lens on price. It excludes labor, overhead, waste, and portion variance, and it does not tell you what guests will pay. Treat the result as a starting point.

Use these numbers in my brief

The builder starts with your entered assumptions.

The formula

How menu pricing from food cost works.

The core formula is simple: menu price = plate cost / (target food cost % / 100). If a dish costs you $4.50 in ingredients and you want food to be 30% of the price, you charge $4.50 / 0.30 = $15.00. Turned around, the food cost percentage of any price is the plate cost divided by the price, so a $15 dish with a $4.50 plate cost runs a 30% food cost.

Food cost percentage is a useful lens, but it is only one. It ignores labor, which is why many operators watch prime cost (food plus labor together, often targeted under 60% of sales). It also ignores waste, over-portioning, and the price guests are actually willing to pay. Use the suggested price as a starting point, then check real recipe yields and your local market before you change the menu. This calculator prices a single dish forward from a target; to check what your food cost actually came out to across a whole period, use the food cost calculator. To cost recipes accurately in the first place, the food cost and inventory guide covers where plate costs come from, and the POS guide covers managing menus and prices day to day.

Not sure what a plate costs you? Add each ingredient with what you paid and how much the dish uses in the recipe cost calculator, then bring the plate cost back here.

Once you have checked your prices, put them into the free restaurant menu template. Add your dishes and descriptions, preview the layout, and print or save a PDF.

FAQ

Understand your result.

How do I price a menu item?
Start from the plate cost, the full ingredient cost of one served portion (the recipe cost calculator works it out from your invoices), then divide it by your target food cost percentage written as a decimal. A $4.50 plate cost at a 30% target gives $4.50 / 0.30 = $15.00. Then sanity-check that price against labor, overhead, and what guests in your area will actually pay.
What is a good food cost percentage for a restaurant?
There is no single right number. Many full-service kitchens aim for roughly 28 to 35%, quick-service and pizza often run lower, and a high-cost protein dish may run higher on purpose if its volume and margin justify it. The percentage is a target you set, not a law, and it should reflect your concept and local prices.
What is the menu pricing formula?
Menu price = plate cost / (target food cost % / 100). Rearranged, food cost % = plate cost / menu price × 100. This calculator does both: it suggests a price from your target, and if you enter a price it shows that price's real food cost percentage and gross profit per dish.
Does this include labor and overhead?
No. Food cost percentage covers ingredients only. Your real profit also depends on prime cost (food plus labor) and on rent, utilities, and other overhead. A dish can hit a good food cost percentage and still lose money once labor is counted, so treat the suggested price as a starting point, not a final decision.
Can I build from this calculation?
Yes. Use the button beside the result to carry your inputs into a focused brief. Describe your menu and the outcome you need, and review real recipe yields, prep loss, and guest expectations before publishing new prices. See the food cost and inventory guide.

Your next service / Ready when you are

Put your menu online, priced right.

Cost your recipes, set prices against a sensible target, and show them clearly to guests. Review every change before it goes live.

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Describe it. Review it. Keep improving it. Check connections and costs before going live.

Menu pricing calculator | TableMagic