Cost every dish. Price every menu.
Free kitchen calculators for food cost percentage, menu pricing, recipe costing and plate cost. No sign-up - just the formulas, worked examples and instant numbers you can act on.
Why it matters
A point or two of food cost is your whole profit
In a business that often runs on single-digit margins, letting food cost drift from 30% to 34% can wipe out the profit on a dish. The trouble is most kitchens only find out at the end of the month, from the accountant.
These calculators put the number in front of you before you set a price - per dish, per recipe, or across a whole week of inventory - so you price deliberately instead of hoping.
The calculators
Four tools, from one ingredient to a whole week
Each is free, works on a phone in the kitchen, and shows the formula.
Food Cost Calculator
Food cost % for a single dish or a whole week using inventory - with the formula and a live example.
Menu Price Calculator
Turn plate cost and a target % into a menu price, with .99 or 50¢ rounding.
Recipe Cost Calculator
Cost a recipe by the ingredient, with cost per serving and a suggested price. Handles yield.
Plate Cost Calculator
Add up the components on a plate to get plate cost and food cost % at your menu price.
How it works
The food cost formula in three moves
Cost the plate
Add up what the ingredients on one dish actually cost you.
Divide by price
Plate cost ÷ menu price = food cost %. Aim for a target that fits your concept.
Set the price
Work backwards from a target % to a clean, roundable menu price.
What you get
Numbers you can act on today
Enter your own costs and prices and every tool updates live - food cost percentage, a suggested menu price, cost per serving, or a plate breakdown - with the arithmetic shown, not hidden in a spreadsheet.
The results reflect your kitchen, not an industry average. Where we mention a target range (a food cost around 28-35%), we call it what it is: a rule of thumb, not a rule.
Guide
The number behind every pricing decision
Why trust these numbers
Just arithmetic - worked in front of you
These are the food cost, menu price, recipe cost and plate cost formulas kitchens have used for decades, calculated live rather than buried in a spreadsheet. You enter your own costs, so the results are yours - no black box, no invented benchmarks.
Any target range we mention is a widely used rule of thumb, not a statistic about your restaurant. Use these tools to price deliberately, then check the result against your real invoices.
Ready?
Price your next dish in seconds
Free and instant - cost a plate, hit your target margin, and round the price cleanly.
Open the calculator