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Prime cost calculator for restaurants

Prime cost is your food and drink cost plus your total labor, as a percent of sales for the same period. Enter the period's numbers to see prime cost and where it stands. Free, runs in your browser, no sign-up.

A free calculator. It is not the Restaurant Edition, which is coming soon.

The period

Digits and one point for decimals. Use one period at a time, such as a week or a month. Rent and utilities are not part of prime cost.

Your prime cost

Prime cost

$0.00

Enter sales above $0

  • Prime cost as % of salesn/a
  • Food and drink as % of salesn/a
  • Labor as % of salesn/a

Typical range: 55 to 65 percent, depending on the type of restaurant. Set your own target, and compare the same period each year.

Estimates only, from the numbers you enter. Not tax, legal or accounting advice. Example numbers are fictional.

The formula

  • Prime cost = food and drink cost + total labor.
  • Prime cost % = prime cost divided by sales, times 100.

A worked example

Sales $22,000, food and drink cost $6,000, labor $7,000. Prime cost is $13,000, which is 59.09% of sales. A second period with sales $30,000, food and drink $9,900 and labor $8,400 gives 61.00%.

What to watch

  • Use the same labor definition every period: wages, payroll taxes and benefits.
  • A high percentage in a slow week is normal. Look at the trend across several weeks.
  • Labor is only part of the picture. For dish-level costs, use the food cost calculator.

Track prime cost every week in one app

The Restaurant Edition is planned to show food, drinks and labor against sales on one screen, every week. It is coming soon, with no release date yet.

Get notified at launch