Food Cost Control

How To Control Food Cost In A Small Restaurant

Small kitchens can't afford big leaks. Use daily tracking, portion tools, and smart buying to keep food cost under 30% without cutting quality or portions.

RPS Guide • Built for operators who actually run the shift
Reading time: about 6 minutes
Food Cost & Menu Math

The short version

Aim for 28-32% food cost in small restaurants. Track daily with a simple log, portion everything, and update prices quarterly. Cut waste first—it's free money.

In small ops, food cost control is 80% habits, 20% tools. Start with what you have before buying software.

Why food cost runs high in small restaurants

Limited storage, inconsistent volume, and "eyeball" portions kill margins fast:

  • Waste from over-prep or spoilage (common in low-turnover spots).
  • Portion creep: Servers or cooks giving "a little extra" adds up.
  • Vendor price jumps without menu updates.
  • No daily tracking—problems show up too late in monthly P&L.

Fix these and you can drop 3-5 points off your cost without changing suppliers.

Step-by-step food cost control plan

Build habits that stick in a small team:

1. Track actual vs. theoretical daily

  • Use a simple COGS sheet: beginning inventory + purchases - ending = used.
  • Divide by sales for daily %—catch issues before end of week.
  • Our Food Cost Calculator Excel makes this automatic.

2. Standardize portions

  • Weigh/measure everything: 4 oz protein, 2 oz sauce, etc.
  • Print portion charts for kitchen walls from our templates.
  • Train once, spot-check weekly.

3. Cut waste with logs

  • Track spoilage, over-prep, and errors in a daily waste sheet.
  • Aim under 1% of sales—common leaks: produce, dairy, proteins.
  • Use our Restaurant Waste Log Template to categorize and fix.

4. Smart buying for small scale

  • Shop 2-3 vendors weekly for deals—don't lock into one.
  • Buy in smaller units to match your volume and reduce spoilage.
  • Build PAR levels based on 3-5 day turns.

5. Menu tweaks for control

  • Cost every recipe with our Recipe Cost Card.
  • Price to 30% target—use Menu Pricing Calculator.
  • Engineer menu: Push high-margin items, ditch low performers.

Daily check: Used inventory ÷ sales = food %. Over 35%? Check waste log first.

Tools for small restaurant food cost

No need for enterprise software—start simple:

  • Inventory sheets: Weekly counts in Excel or Google Sheets.
  • Waste trackers: Pin our template to the walk-in door.
  • Portion tools: Scales ($20), scoops, ladles for consistency.
  • Live Menu Engine: For when you grow—auto-updates costs and prices.

Link your order guide to recipes for auto-PARs in our Menu Automation Systems.

Where the RPS tools plug in

We built these for small ops tired of spreadsheets but not ready for $500/month software:

  • Food Cost Calculator Excel: Plug in your numbers for instant % and variance.
  • Restaurant Waste Log Template: Track and categorize to spot patterns.
  • Menu Engineering For Small Restaurants: Simple matrix to optimize your menu.
  • Live Menu Engine service: We set up auto-tracking that scales with you.

If you’re comparing us to the big all-in-one platforms, check our Us vs Them page.

New to this? Grab templates.html for beginner sheets. Pro? Hit calculators.html for advanced trackers.

Simple next step for this week

Do one daily inventory count and calculate your %. If over target, log waste for 3 days and fix the top leak.

Open Food Cost Calculator Get Waste Log Template See Menu Engine

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FAQs

What is food cost?

The percent of sales spent on ingredients.

Why does food cost increase?

Waste, portion creep, vendor price changes.

How do I control food cost?

Track recipes, portions, and update menu prices.