Restaurant Food Cost Calculator, Menu Pricing & Menu Engineering Spreadsheet (Google Sheets, Excel)

Know what every plate costs and price your menu with confidence. This workbook costs every dish from what you actually pay, suggests menu prices at your target food cost %, sorts your menu into Stars, Plowhorses, Puzzles and Dogs, and tracks your real food cost week by week.

Made for restaurants, cafés, bistros, food trucks and caterers. Works in Google Sheets and Excel.

WHAT'S INSIDE (8 tabs)
• Settings: target food cost %, tax included in your menu prices, Q-factor for small extras and price rounding
• Ingredients: pack size, pack price, supplier and usable yield % after trimming, peeling or boning
• Recipes: plate cost, suggested menu price, food cost % and profit per plate for every dish, with a check that flags dishes above target
• Recipe Lines: ingredients in any unit (g, kg, oz, lb, ml, l, cups, spoons, pieces). Prep recipes like sauces, dressings and doughs are costed once and reused
• Menu Mix: enter portions sold and every dish is classed as a Star, Plowhorse, Puzzle or Dog, with what to do next and your theoretical food cost %
• Food Cost Tracker: opening inventory + purchases − closing inventory ÷ food sales = your actual food cost %, with a chart against your target
• Inventory Count: count stock in packs; the total becomes your closing inventory
• Start Here: a step-by-step guide

WHY IT'S DIFFERENT
• Food cost % is calculated on the price without VAT or sales tax, even if your menu prices include it
• Compare theoretical and actual food cost to spot waste, over-portioning or missing recipes
• Built by a professional cook, the way real kitchens cost their menus

WHAT YOU GET
• A PDF with your "Make a copy" link for Google Sheets
• The Excel file (.xlsx) in a ZIP
Works in Google Sheets (free), Excel 2010+ (Windows and Mac) and LibreOffice. Example bistro menu included. Use any currency.

GOOD TO KNOW
• Digital download. Nothing is shipped.
• Results are estimates to support your pricing and purchasing decisions, not financial, tax or legal advice.
• Prep recipes can't contain other prep recipes. Up to 300 ingredients, 150 recipes and 1,000 recipe lines.
• For use in your own restaurant, café or food business. Please don't resell or share the file.

Questions? Send me a message and I'll help you get set up.

This template was created with the help of AI tools. Every formula and example was tested before release.