GP calculator (UK) — gross profit on food & drinks

Works the way UK hospitality measures it: VAT comes off the selling price first, then GP% = (net price − cost) ÷ net price. Use it for dishes, beer, wine, coffee — anything with a cost and a price.

What GP should I be aiming for?

UK survey data (UKHospitality/Christie & Co, ~4,800 outlets) puts food GP at 65–70% across every segment — that's a food cost of 30–35% of the net selling price. Wet GP averaged 66%, with tied pubs down at 61.2% against 68.9% free-of-tie. Full segment-by-segment numbers are on the UK GP benchmarks page.

The two mistakes this calculator exists to catch

Forgetting the VAT. GP is measured on the ex-VAT price. A £6.50 pint with £1.80 of stock in it is 67% GP on the net £5.42 — not the 72% you get dividing into £6.50.

Costing drinks loosely. The serve isn't just the liquid: the milk, syrup, garnish, cup and lid all belong in the cost line. For a full drinks board costed properly, the Coffee Shop Drinks Margin calculator does every drink at once — and the food cost calculator prices whole dishes the same way. To go from a cost to a rounded menu price, use the menu price calculator; for cakes sold both to take away and to eat in, the cake pricing calculator handles the two VAT rates.