- What is a good FL ratio for a restaurant?
- Industry consensus targets an FL ratio below 55% for full-service restaurants. That leaves roughly 45% of revenue to cover rent, utilities, packaging, insurance, and profit. Quick-service (QSR) operators often target FL below 50% because of lower front-of-house labor. Fine dining can tolerate up to 58–60% if average check size is high enough to generate absolute dollar margin. Anything consistently above 65% signals the business model needs repricing or portion adjustment.
- What is a good food cost percentage?
- A food cost (FC%) between 28% and 32% is considered ideal for most restaurant concepts. Fast-casual concepts may run 25–30%, while ingredient-heavy dishes (steaks, seafood) can push 35–40% — which is acceptable only if those dishes drive high ticket averages and labor per dish is low. The target isn't universal; it depends on your price point and labor structure.
- How do I calculate labor cost per dish?
- Take your total kitchen labor cost for a period (e.g., a shift or a week), divide by the number of covers served in that period to get a per-cover average. For a more accurate per-dish figure, track prep time per item and multiply by the cook's hourly rate including taxes and benefits. Example: a dish requiring 4 minutes of skilled labor at $25/hr fully loaded = 4/60 × $25 = $1.67 labor per serving.
- Why enter ingredients as unit price × quantity rather than a lump sum?
- Entering each ingredient separately lets you spot which components drive cost most. When beef prices rise, you can quickly see how it affects every dish that uses beef. It also makes it easier to evaluate portion adjustments — reduce the salmon from 200 g to 180 g and see the new FC% instantly without re-doing mental math.
- Does this tool store my data?
- No. All calculations happen in your browser. Nothing is sent to a server, saved to a database, or shared with anyone. If you close the tab, the data is gone — use the Export CSV button to save your work before closing.