---
title: "Plate cost and food cost % · BuiltByEstrada"
description: "Add each ingredient of one dish and see what the plate costs you, your food cost %, the profit per plate and the price for your target."
url: "https://builtbyestrada.ai/tools/plate-cost-calculator/"
lang: "en"
---

# Plate cost and food cost %

Free tool · Restaurants

Add each ingredient of one dish and see what the plate costs you. The food cost % tells you how much of the menu price goes to food.

Food cost %

33.6%

Plate cost

$1.51

Profit per plate

$2.99

Price for your target

$5.25

Cost per unit, by ingredient row

1: $0.0600 · 2: $0.6240 · 3: $0.0389 · 4: $0.1905 · 5: $0.1600 · 6: $0.0560

An estimate for planning. Check the numbers with your accountant before you decide.

## How the math works

Cost per unit = pack price ÷ (units per pack × yield %). Line cost = quantity on the plate × cost per unit. Plate cost = the sum of every line.

Food cost % = plate cost ÷ menu price. Profit per plate = menu price − plate cost, and that profit still pays labor, rent and everything else. The example uses a 30% target. Price for your target = plate cost ÷ target %, rounded up to the next $0.25.

The example is a beef fajita taco at $4.50: 2 corn tortillas, 2 oz of fajita at 65% yield, onion, cilantro, a quarter lime and a foil sheet. Every price is an example, so type the ones on your invoices.

The same sheet comes as a free Excel workbook you can keep: builtbyestrada.ai/downloads/plate-cost-calculator-free.xlsx