Most cafe owners price by gut feel — then wonder why margins shrink. BudgetTools calculates food cost %, gross profit per item, and your break-even covers — so you price with confidence.
3–5%
average restaurant profit margin
35%
restaurants fail because food costs spiral unnoticed
28–32%
ideal food cost % (most cafes don't know theirs)
42%
of cafe owners NOT profitable in 2025
Industry data from the National Restaurant Association and hospitality research firms shows three patterns that repeat across every failing food business.
Without recipe costing, you set a price that "seems right." But when ingredient costs rise 10%, that price might now lose you money on every sale.
A busy brunch item with $18 ticket price and 38% food cost earns less GP than a $12 item at 22% food cost. Most owners never know.
Suppliers raise prices. Your recipe cost quietly increases. Your margin quietly disappears. Without a living cost calculator, you're the last to find out.
Built for specialty coffee shops, brunch cafes, bistros, bakeries, and any food business that wants to stop guessing at margins.
Enter ingredients and selling price. Instantly see food cost % and whether it's in the ideal 28–32% range.
See GP in dollars and % per item. Know your best and worst earners at a glance.
Add ingredients with quantity and unit cost. Auto-calculate recipe cost with yield adjustments.
Organise items by Coffee, Food, Drinks, Desserts. See average FC% and GP per category.
Set your fixed costs and see how many covers you need per day to break even.
Items are automatically flagged: ★ Star (low FC, popular), ⚠ Watch (high FC), 🔒 Dog (high FC + low GP).
Enter name, category, selling price, and ingredients with costs. Each item gets its food cost % and GP calculated instantly.
Instantly know if each item is profitable and how it compares to industry benchmarks. Items above 35% FC are flagged automatically.
Use the pricing calculator to find the optimal price for your target food cost %. Stop guessing — start pricing with confidence.
Start free and stay free for a single venue. Upgrade when you need multi-site dashboards, exports, and scenario planning.
Free
Pro
Industry benchmark is 28–32% for food, and 20–25% for beverages. Coffee typically has the lowest food cost (15–22%), making it the highest GP item in most cafes. If you're above 35%, you likely need to re-price or find cheaper suppliers.
Food cost % only covers ingredient costs. Labor (typically 28–35% of revenue) is tracked separately. Your "prime cost" (food + labor) should ideally be under 60–65% of revenue. We show this in the break-even tab alongside your fixed costs.
In the free version, update ingredient costs manually and see item costs recalculate instantly. The Pro version (coming soon) includes supplier price sync and change alerts.
Enter your fixed costs (rent, utilities, subscriptions) and variable costs. We calculate the minimum covers (customers served) per day needed to cover all costs at your average spend per cover.
Menu engineering classifies items as: Stars (high margin, popular — promote these), Plough Horses (popular but low margin — re-price or find cheaper ingredients), Puzzles (high margin, low popularity — promote more), Dogs (low margin, low popularity — consider removing).
Join cafe and restaurant owners who cost their menu properly — not after the supplier invoice arrives.
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Menu Items
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across all categories
Avg Food Cost %
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Ideal: 28–32%
Avg GP Margin
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gross profit %
Best Earner
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No menu items yet.
No items yet.
No items above 34% FC.
Add menu items to start tracking your food costs and margins.