Plate Cost Calculator and Menu Item Margin Tool for Restaurants
A plate cost calculator tells you what one plate of a dish costs you to make, so you can see what's left of the menu price. Most owners know the big ingredients. The trim, the garnish and the packaging are where a plate cost quietly drifts.
This free Menu Item Margin & Plate Cost Calculator from LiveFixPro Bookkeeping builds a plate cost from your ingredients and portions, shows food cost percent and contribution margin, and then groups your dishes by how well they sell and how much they earn.
It runs in your browser. Nothing you enter is uploaded, sent or stored, and it works offline once the page is open.
Step 1: build a plate cost
Enter the dish name and its menu price ($). Then add one row for each ingredient:
Pack cost ($). What the pack costs you.
Units in pack. For example, 10 for a 10 lb case.
Amount per plate. How much goes on one plate, in the same unit.
Usable yield %. What's left after trim or cooking loss. Leave it blank for 100.
You can also add garnish, packaging and other per-plate costs, and your target food cost %, which is your own goal. Want a quick look? Tap Load a sample. The sample data is made up.
What you get for each dish
Plate cost.
Food cost % of the menu price.
Contribution margin per plate. The menu price minus the plate cost.
The price for your target food cost %, if you entered a target.
Step 2: compare your dishes
Enter how many of the dish you sold in a period, then add it to the menu list. Repeat for each dish, using the same period for all of them. The list shows each dish's price, plate cost, food cost %, margin per plate and units sold, and puts it in one of four groups:
Strong seller, strong margin
Strong seller, lower margin
Lower seller, strong margin
Lower seller, lower margin
The groups compare each dish with the averages of your own menu list, not with any industry figure. Print the list or download it as a CSV. In the CSV, a dish name that starts with =, +, - or @ gets an apostrophe in front so a spreadsheet shows it as plain text.
How it's worked out
Cost of an ingredient on the plate = pack cost divided by units in the pack, times the amount per plate, divided by the usable yield.
Plate cost = all ingredient costs plus any garnish, packaging and other costs.
Contribution margin = menu price minus plate cost.
Food cost % = plate cost divided by menu price.
What to look at before anything else
Strong sellers with lower margin. Small price or portion changes here add up, because so many plates go out.
Lower sellers with strong margin. Consider whether they deserve a better spot on the menu.
Dishes whose cost changed. When a vendor changes a price, update the pack cost and look again.
Keep the costs current
A plate cost is only as good as the pack costs behind it. Pull them from recent vendor bills in QuickBooks®, and update them when your vendor prices change.
What this tool is not
It's a calculator for your own numbers. It gives no target food cost for your type of restaurant, and it covers cost only, not nutrition, allergens or food safety. Plate cost covers a single dish. If you also want to track the week as a whole, our Restaurant Prime Cost calculator does that.
Want vendor bills and food costs tracked cleanly each month?
LiveFixPro Bookkeeping's published price for monthly bookkeeping is $499/mo. What it includes is confirmed on the free consult. Book a free consult and we'll talk through where your books stand.
FAQ
What is a plate cost calculator?
A tool that adds up what the ingredients, portions and extras on one plate cost, then compares that with the menu price. This one also shows food cost percent and contribution margin.
How do I calculate plate cost for a dish?
For each ingredient, divide the pack cost by the units in the pack, multiply by the amount on one plate, and divide by the usable yield. Add the results, plus any garnish and packaging. The calculator does this for you.
What is usable yield?
The share of an ingredient that is left after trim or cooking loss. If you leave it blank, the calculator uses 100%.
How are dishes grouped as strong or lower?
Each dish is compared with the averages of your own menu list, for units sold and for margin per plate. No industry figure is used.
Does the calculator keep my recipes and prices?
No. It runs in your browser, and nothing you enter is uploaded, sent or stored.
Cost a dish now
Use the calculator above to cost a dish, and book a free consult if you'd like help keeping vendor bills and food costs tracked in your books.
QuickBooks® is a registered trademark of Intuit Inc. LiveFixPro is independent and not endorsed by Intuit.
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