Free tool for US restaurants
Restaurant Prime Cost Calculator
Combine your food and labor costs to see how much of your sales are going toward your two biggest controllable expenses.
Your numbers
Use figures from the same period, such as one week or one month.
Sales
$
Enter total sales greater than $0.
Cost of goods sold
$
Use food COGS for the same period, not simply purchases if you track inventory.
Enter a food cost of $0 or more.
$
Leave at $0 if you do not track beverage cost separately.
Enter a beverage cost of $0 or more.
Labor
$
Include wages, salaries, payroll taxes, benefits and other direct labor costs you track.
Enter total labor cost of $0 or more.
Target
60% is a common planning point for many full-service restaurants. Your ideal target can vary by concept and market.
Enter a target between 0% and 100%.
Your results
Your results will appear after you calculate.
Prime cost percentage
0%
Prime cost
$0
Target prime cost
$0
Food + beverage cost %
0%
Labor cost %
0%
Total sales$0
Food cost$0
Beverage cost$0
Total labor$0
Variance to target$0
Prime cost = food + beverage + total labor. Prime cost % = prime cost ÷ total sales × 100.
YOUR COSTS ARE ONLY HALF THE PROBLEM
Low food cost won't save you if the seats are empty
Most restaurants we talk to have their costs under control. What they're missing is a steady stream of new customers. That's what we fix.
Prime cost is a management metric, not a measure of net profit. Benchmarks are general guidelines and can vary by restaurant concept, menu mix, labor market and operating model.