Food Cost Calculator
Enter your recipe ingredients, selling price and target margin. All figures update in real time.
Recipe details
Ingredients — Yield % = usable % after trimming/cooking loss. Enter 100 if no loss.
| Ingredient | Qty | Unit | Unit cost ($) per unit selected |
Yield % | Line cost |
|---|
Pricing & target
Results
For context on what a good food cost percentage looks like for your concept type: What Is a Good Food Cost Percentage for Restaurants in Australia?.
Need to cost an entire menu?
The Pro Toolkit extends this calculator across 50+ recipes with batch scaling, yield-adjusted costing, supplier price comparison and a weekly food cost dashboard — built for operators running real venues.
Enquire about the Pro Toolkit →Once you have your food cost percentage, the next step is understanding what to do with it. A 30-minute strategy call can turn these numbers into an operating plan.
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Frequently asked questions
What counts as "food cost" in this calculator?
The direct ingredient cost of the dish as purchased and prepared — before labour, packaging or overheads. This matches the basis used across our food cost benchmark guides, so the numbers are comparable.
What's a realistic target food cost percentage?
It depends heavily on concept type — quick service typically runs 25–32%, cafés 24–30%, casual dining 28–34%, and premium dining 32–42%. See our guide to good food cost percentage in Australia for the full breakdown by concept.
Does this calculator account for yield loss from trimming or cooking?
Not directly — enter your unit cost as the true cost after yield loss for the most accurate result. Our recipe yield & portion cost calculator works out that true cost, which you can then use as the unit cost input here.