Free tool · Strapture
What’s the real profit on your dishes?
Enter a recipe’s ingredients and get cost per portion, food cost %, and the exact price to hit your target gross profit, VAT handled for you. The costing every kitchen should run before it prints a menu.
Your dish
Ingredients
4 items
Recipe cost £2.19
The levers
Salmon Tartare
1 portion · cost per portion incl. wastage
£2.41
£2.19 before 10% wastage
Price for 75% GP
£11.56
incl. VAT
Your actual GP
70%
30% food cost
Close, but under target
70% GP is 5 points under your 75% target. Price it at £11.56 to hit 75% GP.
Costed to the penny. But does it look like £12?
We make the dishes on your menu look as profitable as they are: photography, reels and social that fill more tables.
How the maths works
Each ingredient line is quantity × cost per unit. Enter the quantity in the same unit you buy in (0.12 kg of salmon at £12/kg = £1.44). The lines add up to your recipe cost, divided by portions to get cost per portion.
Wastage is added on top, then the suggested price is cost ÷ (1 − target GP) × (1 + VAT). Your actual GP works backwards from the price you charge with VAT removed first, so the margin is the real, ex-VAT figure HMRC and your accountant care about.
Nothing is stored. Change a number and everything recalculates in your browser. For a rule of thumb, most UK kitchens aim for 65–72% GP on food and 75–80% on drinks.
Menu pricing, answered
Food cost & GP questions, straight answers
What is a good GP percentage for a restaurant?
Most UK restaurants aim for 65–72% gross profit on food and 75–80% on drinks. Below that and rising ingredient costs eat your margin fast; the exact target depends on your concept, location and labour model.
How do you calculate the gross profit of a dish?
Add up the cost of every ingredient in the recipe, divide by the number of portions, then add a wastage allowance. Take your menu price, remove VAT, subtract the portion cost, and divide by the ex-VAT price. That percentage is your gross profit (GP).
What is the difference between GP and food cost percentage?
They are two sides of the same coin. Food cost % is your ingredient cost as a share of the ex-VAT selling price; GP % is what is left after that cost. A 30% food cost is a 70% GP. This calculator shows both.
Should menu prices include VAT in the GP calculation?
Yes. Your menu price is VAT-inclusive, but GP is always calculated on the ex-VAT (net) price, because the VAT isn't yours to keep. This tool removes VAT automatically before working out your margin, using whatever VAT rate you set.
How much wastage should I build into a dish cost?
Most kitchens budget 5–15% for trim, spillage, spoilage and over-portioning. Tighter prep and good portion control sit at the low end; high-waste proteins and produce push it higher. Adjust the wastage lever to match your own numbers.