Food Cost Percentage Calculator

Divide your ingredient cost per dish by the selling price, then multiply by 100. For example, a dish that costs $4.50 to make and sells for $15 has a food cost of ($4.50 ÷ $15) × 100 = 30%.

Most restaurants target 25%–35%. Fine dining with premium ingredients may run higher, while drinks and sides often run lower. If you are consistently above 40%, review prices, portions, or supplier costs.

Food cost percentage is the share of the price spent on ingredients. Gross margin is the share left after ingredients. If food cost is 30%, gross margin is 70%. Together they always total 100%.

Markup is added to cost (cost × markup = price). Margin is taken from price (price − cost) ÷ price. A 30% food cost equals a 233% markup, so the two are not interchangeable.

Divide your food cost by your target as a decimal. For a $4.50 dish at a 30% target: $4.50 ÷ 0.30 = $15.00. Enter your target in the calculator to get this instantly.

Common causes are rising supplier prices, inconsistent portions, waste and shrinkage, uncounted small ingredients like oil and garnish, or menu prices that have not kept up with costs.

Standardize portions, track waste, renegotiate or re-shop suppliers, reduce shrinkage with better prep and storage, and reprice underperforming dishes. Small moves on high-volume items matter most.

This tool answers one question fast: what is my food cost % on this price? For full pricing work, use our menu pricing calculator to find selling prices and compare gross versus net profit, or our recipe cost calculator to cost a full ingredient list first.

Yes. The formula is the same for restaurants, cafes, bakeries, food trucks, cloud kitchens, bubble tea shops, and dessert shops.

No. Everything runs locally in your browser. Your numbers are not stored, uploaded, or shared, and closing the page clears them.