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Food Cost % Calculator
For cafes, restaurants, food trucks and caterers. Get your real food cost percentage on the price without tax, and the menu price that hits your target.
| Price without tax | – |
| Food cost if you divide by the price with tax (wrong) | – |
| Gross profit per plate (before labor and rent) | – |
| Menu price for your target food cost | – |
Why the tax matters
VAT or sales tax is money you collect for the government, not revenue. Food cost % must be measured against what you keep:
Food cost % = plate cost ÷ menu price without tax
With 23% VAT, a 12.30 dish is really 10.00 to you. A 3.00 plate looks like 24% food cost, but the real figure is 30%. That gap is the difference between "on target" and "where did the money go". The full explanation, with yield and theoretical vs actual food cost, is in Food cost percentage: divide by the price without tax.
Cost your whole menu at once
Our restaurant workbook costs every dish from your real pack prices, handles prep recipes like sauces and doughs, yield %, VAT-aware menu prices, menu engineering and a weekly food cost tracker. Google Sheets and Excel.
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