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Menu pricing calculator.
Price any menu item against a target food cost percentage. Enter the dish cost and your target — get the menu price, gross margin, and markup instantly. Used by restaurant operators repricing menus quarterly.
What the plate costs you to make
Most FSRs target 28–32%
Menu price
$0.00
Gross margin
—
Margin %
—
Markup: —
In typical FSR range
Formula: Menu Price = Ingredient Cost ÷ Target Food Cost %. Adjust the target to reflect your concept — cafés often run 22–28%, full-service 25–32%, premium dining 30–35%.
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Try Stockcount freeBy Jeremy Dudet, founder of Stockcount · Last updated 2026-05-19
How to use a menu pricing calculator
Menu pricing is two questions and one division. What does this plate cost me to make? What food cost percentage do I want it to hit? Divide cost by target. The answer is the menu price that will produce your target margin if guests pay it.
Menu Price = Ingredient Cost ÷ Target Food Cost %
Worked example: pricing a burger
6 oz ground beef ($1.80), brioche bun ($0.65), cheese slice ($0.45), lettuce + tomato + onion + pickle ($0.40), sauce + seasoning ($0.20), fries side ($0.85), to-go box and napkin ($0.25). Total plate cost $4.60. Your concept targets 28% food cost.
Menu Price = 4.60 ÷ 0.28 = $16.43
Round up to $16.95 → effective food cost = 27.1%
The rounded price beats your target slightly, which is the right direction. If the rounded price had pushed effective food cost to 29% or 30%, you would re-evaluate either the portion, the vendor, or the price round.
What target food cost percentage to use
Cafés & coffee shops: 22–28%. High-margin beverages (espresso drinks especially) pull the average down. Pastry tends to run 35–40% and gets cross-funded by the drink.
Full-service restaurants: 28–32%. Most profitable FSRs sit at 28–30%. Above 32% and labor has to be lean to hit prime cost targets.
Fine dining & premium: 30–35%. Higher food cost is acceptable because the dollar margin per cover is much larger.
Quick-service & fast-casual: 25–30%. Throughput economics demand the lower end.
Bar / beverage: 18–22% on liquor, 22–28% on beer, 28–35% on wine. Use the pour cost calculator for beverage-specific pricing.
Menu price vs menu pricing — same calculation
“Menu price calculator” and “menu pricing calculator” are the same tool — both calculate a sell price from an ingredient cost and a target margin. Whichever phrase you searched, you found the right page. The calculator above handles both directions: enter cost and target percentage to get the price.
Markup vs margin
A common point of confusion. Markup is the increase over cost as a percent of cost. Margin is the gross profit as a percent of price. A $5 cost sold for $15 has a 200% markup and a 67% margin — same money, different denominators. Restaurants generally talk in margin or food cost percent because those tie directly to the income statement. Use the food markup view of the calculator to translate between the two if you’re working with a vendor or distributor who quotes in markup.
Common menu pricing mistakes
- Pricing off a stale recipe cost. If you haven’t updated ingredient costs in 6 months, your calculated menu price is probably 5–10% too low. Vendor prices creep — your menu has to keep up.
- Ignoring portion drift. A line cook’s “6 oz” portion often becomes 7 oz over time. Your cost-per-plate creeps up with it. Spot-weigh portions quarterly.
- Forgetting the side, sauce, and packaging. The protein gets all the attention. The fries, the dipping sauce, the to-go clamshell, and the napkin add up to 15–20% of the plate cost and routinely get left out of the math.
- Pricing in isolation. The right price also fits the menu’s price ladder. A $24 dish next to two $14 dishes will under-sell unless you reframe the whole section.
- Not repricing on vendor moves. When dairy or protein swings 15%, the affected dishes need a fresh look the same week — not at the next quarterly review.
Restaurant menu pricing calculator
This calculator is built for restaurant operators, not generic retail. The defaults (28-32% target food cost) reflect what works in full-service kitchens. Cafés should start at 25%, fine-dining at 32%. The status indicator flags when your target moves into a range that’s aggressive or unprofitable for the concept.
Frequently asked questions
- How do I price a menu item?
- Divide the ingredient cost of the dish by your target food cost percentage (expressed as a decimal). A $4 plate cost at a 30% target equals a $13.33 menu price. Round up to a psychologically appealing price ($13.95 or $14) and verify the rounded price still hits your margin target.
- What is the menu pricing formula?
- Menu Price = Ingredient Cost ÷ Target Food Cost %. So a dish that costs $5.40 to make at a 28% target food cost: $5.40 ÷ 0.28 = $19.29 menu price. This gives the dish a gross margin of $13.89 (72% margin).
- What target food cost percentage should I use?
- It depends on your concept. Cafés and high-margin beverage concepts often target 22–28%. Full-service restaurants typically target 28–32%. Premium and fine-dining can run 30–35% because absolute margin per ticket is high. Bars and beverage programs usually target 18–22% on liquor.
- What is the difference between markup and margin?
- Markup is the price increase as a percentage of cost (a $5 cost sold for $15 has a 200% markup). Margin is the gross profit as a percentage of price (the same dish has a 67% margin). Restaurants generally talk in margin or food-cost percent because those connect directly to P&L lines.
- Does this menu pricing calculator work for catering?
- Yes — but catering pricing usually needs higher gross margin because labor and overhead per cover are different. Use a lower target food cost (often 22–25%) for catered events to absorb the additional service costs.
- How often should I reprice my menu?
- Reprice when any major input moves: vendor cost up 10%+, recipe yield drops, portion size changes, or your target margin shifts. Most operators do a full menu reprice quarterly and spot-check specials weekly.
- Should I round prices up or use a "charm" price like $14.95?
- Industry research is mixed. Charm pricing ($14.95) tests well in quick-service and casual dining. Whole-number pricing ($14, $15) tests better in fine dining where the round number signals confidence. Pick a convention and apply it consistently across the menu.
Related calculators
Reprice every menu item automatically.
Stockcount tracks ingredient cost from invoices and re-prices every dish the moment a vendor cost moves. No quarterly spreadsheet review.