Glossary
Plate cost
Plate cost is the full ingredient cost of one finished dish, including the protein, sides, garnish, sauce, and oil that reach the guest.
How to build a plate cost
Cost every component of the dish at its as-purchased price, adjust for yield and trim, then add the small items operators routinely miss — garnish, butter, oil, and the bread on the side. The total is the plate cost, the floor every menu price must clear.
A standardized build sheet is what makes plate cost repeatable from cook to cook and shift to shift.
Example
A salmon entree carries $5.80 of fish, $1.20 of vegetables, $0.70 of starch, and $0.45 of sauce and garnish. Its plate cost is $8.15, so a $32 menu price holds the food cost near 25 percent.
Operational limitations
Plate cost changes with supplier price, purchasing unit, edible yield, portion control, substitutions, and waste. Recalculate from current invoices and standardized recipes instead of treating an example as a pricing target.
See also
Related
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