Food Cost & Recipe Calculator

Why food cost % matters

Food cost % = cost of ingredients per plate ÷ menu price × 100. Most restaurants aim for 28–35%; fast food and cafés can run lower, premium dining higher. If food cost creeps up — because prices rose or portions grew — profit disappears quietly.

How to cost a recipe

1. List every ingredient with the price you pay and the pack size (for example ৳220 per kg of chicken).
2. Enter how much the recipe uses — in any unit; grams, kilograms, ml, litres, pieces and dozens convert automatically.
3. Add a waste % for trimming, bones, peeling and cooking loss.
4. Enter how many portions the recipe makes, and packaging and overhead per plate.

Setting the menu price

Menu price = cost per plate ÷ target food cost %. A ৳95 plate at a 30% target needs a price of about ৳320. VAT is added on top of the menu price on the customer's bill.

Keep it updated

Rice, oil, onion and chicken prices change every month in Bangladesh. Re-check your best sellers whenever a big ingredient moves — the saved recipe book makes that a one-minute job. A restaurant POS with recipe-based inventory does it on every sale.