The simple food cost calculator that actually saves your work. Enter your ingredients, see your costs, set profitable prices.
Why MenuMargin
Enter your real ingredient prices. See exactly what each recipe costs you to make.
Set your target margins. Get instant menu price recommendations that protect your profits.
Recipes and ingredients are saved to your account. Update prices anytime costs change.
Built for food businesses
FAQ
Food cost percentage is the ratio of your ingredient costs to your menu price, expressed as a percentage. For example, if a dish costs $3 in ingredients and sells for $12, your food cost percentage is 25%. Most restaurants aim for 28-35% food cost.
To calculate food cost per serving, add up the cost of all ingredients in your recipe, then divide by the number of servings. For example, if your ingredients total $20 and the recipe makes 8 servings, your cost per serving is $2.50.
Most restaurants target 28-35% food cost, though this varies by concept. Fast casual typically aims for 28-32%, casual dining 30-35%, and fine dining can go up to 38%. Your target depends on your other costs like labor and rent.
To price menu items, divide your food cost per serving by your target food cost percentage. For example, if a dish costs $4 to make and you want a 30% food cost, price it at $4 ÷ 0.30 = $13.33. Round to a customer-friendly price like $13.95.
Yes! MenuMargin offers a free plan that includes up to 5 saved recipes and unlimited ingredients. For unlimited recipes and additional features, the Pro plan is $15/month.
Absolutely. When you update an ingredient price in MenuMargin, all recipes using that ingredient automatically recalculate. This makes it easy to see how supplier price changes affect your menu pricing.