Menu Price Calculator: Set Selling Prices from Your Target Food Cost %
A menu price calculator turns your cost per portion and your target food cost percentage into a selling price. It divides the cost by the target, then adds VAT if your menu prices include it. Enter both numbers and the tool shows the price before VAT, the price with VAT and your contribution per portion.
How to read your result
- Price before VAT: cost per portion divided by your target food cost %. A dish costing KSh 150 with a 30% target needs a price of KSh 500.
- Menu price with VAT: the price before VAT plus VAT at the rate you enter. At 16%, KSh 500 becomes KSh 580.
- Rounded up to the nearest 10: a tidy menu price that never falls below your target.
- Contribution per portion: the money left from each plate after ingredients, which has to cover labour, rent and profit.
Download the matching form
The Kitchen Control Workbook puts recipe costing, menu mix and prep in one Excel file, so the price you set here can be checked against what actually sells.
Related reading
- All kitchen management tools
- Printable kitchen forms and Excel worksheets
- Mastering Restaurant Food Costing: A Comprehensive Guide to Profitability
- The Chef’s Guide to Conquering the Forty Thieves of Food Cost
Frequently asked questions
Should every dish have the same food cost percentage?
Not necessarily. Some dishes, such as a soup or a rice dish, can carry a lower food cost and others a higher one. What matters is that the menu as a whole reaches your target, so check the mix with the menu engineering tool.
Which VAT rate should I enter?
The rate is editable. Check the current VAT rules for your menu items with your accountant or the tax authority, because treatment can differ by item and by how you sell it.
Should I price on cost alone?
No. Cost sets a floor, but guests also judge price against the local market, the portion and the setting. Use the calculated price as a starting point, then adjust with care.
How to use this tool
- Choose your currency at the top of the tool.
- Enter the cost per portion. Get it from the Recipe Cost Calculator or your Standard Recipe Card.
- Enter your target food cost %. Start with the figure your business plan needs, not a number copied from another kitchen.
- Check the VAT rate. Change it if your menu items are treated differently.
- Read the price before VAT, the price with VAT and the rounded menu price.
- Compare the price with nearby competitors and adjust the portion, the recipe or the price if it does not fit.
