How to work out food cost per head
- Cost each dish on the menu as a recipe, with the number of portions it makes.
- Note the cost per portion of each one.
- Add up one portion of everything a guest gets: starter, main, sides, dessert. That is the food cost per head.
- Multiply by the guest count, and add a margin for extra portions. Many caterers plan a little over the confirmed number.
For example, if one guest gets a $0.85 starter, a $2.40 main, $0.60 of sides and a $0.90 dessert, the food cost per head is $4.75. For 80 guests that is $380 of food before staff, transport and equipment.
Pricing a catering quote
Food is only one part of a quote. On top of the cost per head, account for:
- Staff hours for prep, cooking, serving and clearing.
- Transport, and the time spent travelling.
- Hire of chafing dishes, crockery or linen.
- Leftovers and over-production you cannot resell.
The recipe price calculator turns a cost per head into a price at the food cost percentage you aim for.
When ingredient prices change
Quote today and cook in three months, and the price of oil or meat may have moved. Update a price once in Recipe Cost Calculator and every recipe you are working on is re-costed, so a new quote starts from current figures. Submitted recipes keep the prices they were costed at, so you can see what the last quote was based on.