Who it's for
Restaurant owners and chefs who want to know a dish's real profitability before it goes on the menu, or need to re-check margins after ingredient prices change.
Key features
- Food cost and labor cost fields per dish
- Total cost per dish calculated automatically
- Gross profit calculated at your actual menu price
- Food cost percentage and profit margin calculated automatically — the two numbers that actually tell you if a price is working
- Exports to a real .xlsx file
How to use it
- Click "Use this template" to open it in FLYNT Sheets
- Enter the real food cost for the dish's ingredients
- Enter the labor cost allocated to preparing it
- Enter the menu price you're charging (or considering)
- Review the food cost percentage and margin — then duplicate the sheet for every other dish on the menu
What's included
- Food cost, labor cost, and menu price fields with example numbers
- Total cost, gross profit, food cost percentage, and profit margin formulas already wired up
Common use cases
- Pricing a new menu item before it launches
- Re-checking a dish's margin after an ingredient price increase
- Comparing two menu items to see which one is actually more profitable, not just which sells more
Frequently asked questions
- What's a good food cost percentage?
- It varies by restaurant type and item, but many full-service restaurants target roughly 28-35% food cost overall. This template shows you the real number for a specific dish so you can decide against your own target, not a generic industry average.
- Can I track more than one dish at a time?
- Yes — it's a real spreadsheet. Duplicate the sheet per dish, or extend it into rows for your full menu.
- Is this free to use?
- Yes, on FLYNT's free plan — no credit card required.