Free food cost calculator for chefs, cafés, restaurants and caterers. Add your ingredients and PrepSheet works out your cost per portion, gross profit %, food cost % and a suggested menu price — instantly. No signup, and your numbers stay in your browser.
| Ingredient | Pack price (£) | Pack size | Used in recipe | Unit | Cost |
|---|
Tip: enter the pack you buy (e.g. price £8.50 for a 1000 g pack) and how much the recipe uses (e.g. 250 g). Keep pack size and amount used in the same unit.
Rule of thumb: many kitchens aim for ~30% food cost (≈70% GP). Drinks and sides usually run lower; premium proteins higher.
The free PrepSheet recipe tool saves every recipe and scales it to any batch — with a printable prep sheet. Try it now, no signup. The full PrepSheet (in the works) adds a shared supplier price book so a price rise updates every dish automatically, and syncs across your team. Join the early list for first access.
1. Cost every ingredient. For each one, take the price of the pack you buy and the pack size, then enter how much the recipe uses. PrepSheet works out the proportional cost.
2. Divide by portions. Total recipe cost ÷ portions = your true cost per plate.
3. Set your price from a target. Food cost % = ingredient cost ÷ sell price. To hit 30% food cost, price = cost ÷ 0.30. Gross profit % is the mirror image (GP% = 100 − food cost %).
4. Don't forget: this is food cost only. Labour, rent, packaging, waste and VAT come on top — that's why a healthy food cost % matters. Add a few % to ingredient costs to cover trim and waste.
Food cost % = ingredient cost ÷ selling price × 100. If a dish costs £3.00 in ingredients and sells for £10, that's a 30% food cost (and a 70% gross profit). Enter your ingredients above and the calculator works it out for you.
Most UK restaurants and cafés aim for a food cost of roughly 28–35% (a gross profit of about 65–72%). Pubs and high-volume sites often run a little higher; labour-heavy fine dining can run lower. Treat it as a target, not a rule — your rent, labour and waste decide what you actually need.
Gross profit = selling price − ingredient cost, and GP % = gross profit ÷ selling price × 100. It's the mirror of food cost %: GP % = 100 − food cost %. So a 30% food cost is a 70% GP.
No — these figures are ingredient (food) cost only and exclude VAT. In the UK most restaurant food sales carry 20% VAT, so your menu price has to cover VAT, labour, rent and waste on top of food cost. Price from your target GP first, then add VAT to the menu price.
Margin (gross profit %) is profit as a share of the selling price; markup is profit as a share of the cost. A dish marked up 100% (cost £3 → price £6) is only a 50% margin, not 100%. Menu pricing works in margin/GP %, which is what this calculator uses.
Yes — completely free, no signup and nothing to install. Your numbers are worked out in your browser and never leave it. If you want to save and reuse costings, there's a £9 spreadsheet template in the shop.