How do you cost a recipe accurately down to the true plate cost?
Build a plate cost that reflects real ingredient prices and yields.
Food cost and menu margin
Know The True Cost Of Every Plate
PlateCostr costs recipes by ingredient, shows plate cost and margin, and helps you price the menu with confidence.
No credit card required to start. Cancel anytime.
2 pts
typical food cost improvement
1screen for cost and margin
5 minto cost a new recipe
Built for owner-operatorsNo accounting degree neededWorks with your vendor pricesCosted menu in a day
The problem
You cannot price what you have not costed
When ingredient prices creep up, a plate that used to make money quietly turns into a loss. Without current costs, the menu prices drift out of line with reality.
Costing recipes by hand in a spreadsheet is slow, and it goes stale the moment a vendor price changes. Most owners simply guess and hope the average works out.
- Prices grounded in real costs
- A clear view of your worst and best margins
- Fast reaction when vendor prices move
- A blended food cost you actually manage
Features
Built for menu costing and margin
PlateCostr stays focused and does this one job extremely well.
Ingredient costing
Enter vendor prices and pack sizes once, and PlateCostr converts them to a true cost per gram, ounce, or each.
Recipe builder
Build each recipe from ingredients and sub-recipes so a sauce made in bulk costs correctly in every plate that uses it.
Plate cost and margin
See the cost, the price, the margin in dollars, and the food cost percentage for every menu item on one line.
Price scenarios
Test a new price or a portion change and watch margin update instantly before you commit to a menu print.
Price change alerts
When a vendor cost changes, PlateCostr flags every affected recipe so nothing quietly slips underwater.
Menu summary
See blended food cost across the menu and spot the dishes dragging your average down.
How it works
Set up in minutes
Three steps from sign up to real value.
1
Add ingredients
Enter your ingredients with vendor pack price and size, so cost per unit is calculated for you.
2
Build recipes
Compose each plate and sub-recipe from those ingredients, with yields and portion counts.
3
Price with confidence
Read plate cost, margin, and food cost percentage, then set prices that hit your targets.
Pricing
Simple, honest pricing
Start small and grow when you are ready. No ads, no reselling your data, no surprises.
OwnerMost popular
$79 per month
Unlimited recipesSub-recipesPrice scenariosPrice change alerts
Start free trialGroup
$159 per month
Everything in OwnerMultiple menusCross-concept reportingPriority support
Talk to usEvery plan includes email support and a 14 day money back guarantee.
Built and maintained by
Julien Jimenez
Written for the owner doing costing at midnight after close. When you can see the margin, pricing stops being a guess.
FAQ
Questions, answered
Do I need to enter every vendor price?
You enter the price and pack size for each ingredient once, then update it when your vendor cost changes.
Can recipes include other recipes?
Yes. Sub-recipes like a house sauce cost once and flow into every plate that uses them.
Does it pull prices from my vendors?
This is an honest limit today. Prices are entered or imported by you, and automatic vendor price feeds are a roadmap item.
Does it account for waste and yield?
Yes. You can set yields and trim loss so the costed amount reflects what actually reaches the plate.
Will it tell me what to charge?
It shows cost, margin, and food cost percentage against your targets, and you set the final price with that context.
Can I manage more than one menu?
Yes, on the Group plan you can keep separate menus per concept and compare them side by side.
Know The True Cost Of Every Plate
Recipe food-cost and menu margin calculator. Start today and see the difference in your first week.
Start free trial