Food Costing & Restaurant Guides
Practical articles on food cost percentage, menu pricing, recipe costing, and kitchen profitability, for restaurant owners, caterers, and home cooks who want to understand the numbers behind their food.
How to Price Menu Items: The Food Cost Formula
Learn the food cost formula restaurants use to price menu items profitably. Step-by-step guide with real examples and a 30% food cost target breakdown.
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Food Cost Percentage: What It Is and How to Hit 30%
Food cost percentage is the ratio of ingredient cost to menu price. Learn what the target is, how to calculate it, and tactics to reduce it without cutting quality.
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How to Calculate Recipe Cost for Catering Events
Catering recipe costing is different from restaurant pricing. Learn how to calculate per-person food costs, add labor and overhead, and quote profitable catering events.
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Food Waste in Restaurants: The Real Cost and How to Cut It
The average restaurant wastes 4-10% of purchased food. Learn how to track, measure, and reduce food waste to recover thousands of dollars in margin each month.
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Ingredient Cost Breakdown: How to Cost a Dish Accurately
Accurate ingredient costing requires more than adding up grocery prices. Learn how to calculate as-purchased vs. edible portion cost, yield percentage, and build precise recipe cost cards.
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Batch Cooking Cost Savings: Meal Prep Math for Home Cooks
Batch cooking can cut your weekly food spend by 30-40%. Learn how to calculate cost per meal, plan your prep sessions, and make the numbers work for any household size.
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Seasonal Menu Planning: Reducing Food Costs Year-Round
Seasonal ingredients can be 40-60% cheaper than out-of-season produce. Learn how to build a seasonal menu rotation that cuts food costs while improving dish quality.
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Restaurant Menu Engineering: Using Cost Data to Boost Profit
Menu engineering uses profitability and popularity data to optimize every item on your menu. Learn the Stars, Puzzles, Plowhorses, Dogs framework and how to use it.
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DIY vs. Restaurant Meals: The Real Cost Comparison
Cooking at home costs 3-5x less per meal than dining out or ordering takeout. See the actual numbers for common dishes and learn how to make home cooking pay off.
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How Much Does It Cost to Open a Restaurant? 2026 Breakdown
Opening a restaurant costs $95,000–$3 million+ depending on concept and location. This breakdown covers real costs for equipment, buildout, staffing, and working capital.
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