What we publish
Tools and guides for the kitchen math operators search for.
The site focuses on practical food business math: recipe cost, food cost percentage, menu price, cost per portion, catering price per person, recipe scaling, food yield, unit conversions, and menu engineering.
How a calculator page is built
Define the kitchen question
A calculator starts with a clear operator task, such as pricing one menu item, checking food cost percentage, estimating catering cost per guest, or converting kitchen units.
Keep inputs realistic
Inputs are chosen around numbers a chef or operator is likely to have: ingredient cost, selling price, guest count, yield, package cost, recipe quantity, or target food cost percentage.
Show results with interpretation
Results are not treated as final answers by themselves. Tool pages explain what to check next, such as portion size, supplier cost, labor, packaging, waste, or market fit.
Support the calculator with content
Calculator pages include formulas, worked examples, common mistakes, related tools, related guides, and FAQs when those sections help users understand the calculation.
Calculator review checklist
Before a calculator is treated as part of the main library, we check whether the page is useful beyond a simple input-output form.
| Area | What we check | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Inputs | Labels, defaults, validation, examples, and realistic kitchen numbers. | Users should know what to enter without guessing at every field. |
| Formulas | Whether the displayed formula matches the calculator output. | Transparent math builds trust and lets users verify the result. |
| Examples | Whether examples fit restaurants, caterers, food trucks, or small food businesses. | Examples make the calculator easier to understand and less generic. |
| Limitations | Where labor, overhead, service style, waste, yield loss, or market pricing may affect the final decision. | Kitchen decisions need context, not only a percentage or dollar amount. |
| Related steps | Whether the page links to the next useful tool or guide. | Users often need more than one calculation to price or plan correctly. |
How guides are maintained
Search intent first
Guide pages are written around questions operators actually search for, such as food cost formula or catering cost per person.
Useful support sections
Guides use formulas, tables, checklists, examples, FAQs, and related calculator links where they improve the answer.
Reviewed over time
Guides and tool pages show review or updated dates so readers can see the library is maintained.
What users should verify
Food Cost Tools gives planning estimates. Final pricing and production decisions should be checked against your own supplier invoices, recipes, portion specs, labor model, overhead, service style, tax rules, and market position.
- Use actual invoice prices when possible.
- Include garnish, sauce, sides, packaging, waste, and yield loss.
- Compare percentage results with gross-profit dollars.
- Review catering prices separately for labor, delivery, rentals, disposables, and minimums.
- Test scaled recipes before using them in production.