A dish is only priced well if something is left after ingredients, staff and rent. Enter the ingredients with their purchase prices, choose your target food cost and see the matching menu price right away, including VAT and neatly rounded.
How the calculation works
The basis is the food cost per portion: the purchase cost of everything that ends up on the plate, including sides, sauce, garnish and frying fat. If a recipe makes several portions, such as a cake or a pot of goulash, enter the cost of the whole recipe and the number of portions.
The target food cost says how many percent of the net price may go to ingredients. €3 food cost at a 30 % target gives a net price of €10. VAT is added on top, then the calculator rounds up to a menu price, never down, so your margin does not shrink.
What food cost percentage is usual?
As a rule of thumb, kitchens work with 25 to 35 % food cost and drinks with 15 to 25 %. Fine dining with expensive produce is often higher, pizza, pasta and coffee clearly lower. What counts is the average across the whole menu: a cheap lunch special may carry a higher food cost if drinks and desserts balance it out.
The markup factor is the same seen from the other side: net price divided by food cost. 30 % food cost equals a factor of 3.33. Many venues calculate with a factor of 3 to 4 in the kitchen and 4 to 6 at the bar.
VAT in Austria and Germany
In Austrian restaurants, food is taxed at 10 % and drinks at 20 %. In Germany, food served in restaurants has been taxed at 7 % permanently since 1 January 2026, drinks still at 19 %. Some products are exceptions, such as milk drinks, so you can change the rate freely in the calculator.
For set menus or combo deals with food and a drink, the price has to be split between the tax rates. Agree on the split with your tax advisor before you set flat prices.
What the calculation does not cover
Food cost is only part of your costs. Staff, rent, energy, cleaning and depreciation have to be paid from the gross profit, the difference between net price and food cost. Check once a year whether your target food cost still matches your actual costs.
Do not forget waste and spoilage: if you throw away 10 % of your goods, set the purchase prices higher accordingly. And compare your prices with the venues around you. The best calculation helps little if the price does not feel right to your guests.