Once a week, 10 minutes
Weekly Food Cost Check
Week of 26 Oct
How the weekly food cost check works
Good to know
Why this number matters
Recipe costing tells you what food cost should be. The stock count tells you what it really was. The gap is waste, bigger portions, staff food, theft or a price rise you haven't passed on.
Make it a 10-minute habit
- Same time every week: Sunday night after closing works for most kitchens.
- Count the costly items first: meat, oil, cheese, rice — estimate small spices.
- Log waste as it happens: a burnt batch or spoiled stock takes 10 seconds to note.
Weekly Food Cost Check — FAQs
How do I calculate actual food cost for a week?
Count the value of food in stock at the start of the week (opening stock), add everything you bought during the week, and subtract the value in stock on the last night (closing stock). That is the food you actually used. Divide it by your food sales for the same week (without GST) and multiply by 100.
Why is my real food cost higher than my recipe cost?
Recipe costing assumes every gram goes on a plate. The stock count catches everything else: waste, bigger portions than the recipe, staff meals, theft, wrong bills and prices that went up since you costed the dish. A gap of 2–3 points is normal; more than that is worth chasing.
How do I value my stock quickly?
Count the expensive items first — meat, fish, oil, cheese, rice — at their last purchase price. Small items like spices can be estimated. Do it at the same time each week, after closing.
What counts as food sales?
All food and drink sales that use these purchases: dine-in, takeaway and the amount Swiggy/Zomato orders were billed at, without GST. Leave out items you buy ready-made and sell as they are, unless you also count them as purchases.
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