Recipe Cost Examples

Pizza Margherita

Classic Neapolitan pizza with tomato, mozzarella, and basil. Average US restaurant food cost for a 12" pie.

Cost / serving: $4.21 FCP: 30.1%

Caesar Salad

Restaurant-style Caesar with romaine, parmesan, croutons, and anchovy dressing. Average food cost per serving.

Cost / serving: $3.16 FCP: 28.7%

Beef Burger with Fries

6 oz ground beef patty with brioche bun, cheese, lettuce, tomato, and side of fries. Typical casual-dining food cost.

Cost / serving: $5.26 FCP: 35.1%

Chicken Tikka Masala

Indian restaurant favorite - marinated grilled chicken in creamy tomato sauce. Food cost per entrée portion.

Cost / serving: $4.82 FCP: 26.8%

Chocolate Chip Cookies (batch of 24)

Classic bakery-style chocolate chip cookies. Ingredient cost for a full batch of 24 - per-unit cost + typical retail markup.

Cost / serving: $0.32 FCP: 16.0%

Pad Thai (Chicken)

Thai restaurant favorite with rice noodles, chicken, peanuts, and tamarind sauce. Food cost per entrée portion.

Cost / serving: $3.29 FCP: 21.9%

Sourdough Loaf (1 lb)

Artisan sourdough loaf, ~454g. Ingredient cost for home bakers selling at farmers markets - typical retail $7-10.

Cost / serving: $1.17 FCP: 14.6%

Chicken Wings (10-piece)

Bar-style chicken wings, 10 pieces with sauce and dip. Common pub/sports bar food cost.

Cost / serving: $4.53 FCP: 37.8%

Pasta Carbonara

Classic Roman pasta with guanciale, egg, pecorino, and pepper. Italian restaurant entrée food cost.

Cost / serving: $3.82 FCP: 22.5%

Fish Tacos (3 piece)

Three corn-tortilla fish tacos with cabbage slaw, crema, and lime. Coastal/Mexican food truck typical food cost.

Cost / serving: $4.79 FCP: 34.2%

Tonkotsu Ramen Bowl

Pork-bone broth ramen with chashu pork, soft egg, scallions, and noodles. Ramen shop entrée food cost.

Cost / serving: $7.18 FCP: 44.9%

Pulled Pork Sandwich

BBQ pulled pork on brioche bun with slaw and pickles. Food truck and BBQ joint typical food cost.

Cost / serving: $3.03 FCP: 23.3%

Blueberry Muffins (batch of 12)

Bakery-style blueberry muffins. Per-batch ingredient cost; typical bakery retail $3-4 each.

Cost / serving: $0.56 FCP: 16.0%

Butter Croissant (each)

Classic French laminated butter croissant. Per-unit cost from a batch yield; typical bakery retail $4-5.

Cost / serving: $1.98 FCP: 46.6%

Philly Cheesesteak

Sliced ribeye, melted cheese, sautéed onions on hoagie roll. Sandwich shop / food truck food cost.

Cost / serving: $7.22 FCP: 51.6%

Plain Bagel (each)

NYC-style boiled and baked bagel. Per-unit cost from batch yield; typical bakery retail $1.50-2.50.

Cost / serving: $0.37 FCP: 18.5%

8" Birthday Cake (single tier)

Two-layer 8" buttercream cake with decoration. Cottage food / home baker ingredient cost; typical retail $50-90.

Cost / serving: $11.86 FCP: 18.2%

Mac & Cheese (single serving)

Restaurant baked mac & cheese with three-cheese sauce and breadcrumb topping. Casual dining side or entrée food cost.

Cost / serving: $2.76 FCP: 27.6%

Pan-Seared Salmon Fillet

Restaurant entrée - 6 oz salmon with two sides. Mid-tier dining food cost.

Cost / serving: $8.38 FCP: 34.9%

12 oz Ribeye Steak

Steakhouse entrée - 12 oz USDA Choice ribeye with sides. Steakhouse food cost typically 35-40%.

Cost / serving: $18.27 FCP: 40.6%

California Sushi Roll (8 piece)

Standard sushi-bar California roll. Per-roll ingredient cost; typical retail $7-12.

Cost / serving: $2.80 FCP: 31.1%

Breakfast Burrito

Egg, cheese, potato, and protein burrito wrapped in flour tortilla. Food truck and brunch typical food cost.

Cost / serving: $3.06 FCP: 30.6%

Pho Bo (Beef Pho)

Vietnamese rice noodle soup with beef broth, rare beef, and herbs. Pho shop entrée food cost.

Cost / serving: $5.79 FCP: 44.5%

Falafel Pita Wrap

Mediterranean wrap with falafel, hummus, vegetables, and tahini sauce. Food truck / fast-casual food cost.

Cost / serving: $2.68 FCP: 24.4%

Maine Lobster Roll

Cold lobster meat tossed with mayo, served on butter-toasted split bun. Premium seafood sandwich food cost.

Cost / serving: $12.80 FCP: 45.7%

Smoothie (16 oz)

Fruit smoothie blend with banana, berries, yogurt, and juice. Smoothie bar / juice shop food cost.

Cost / serving: $3.46 FCP: 49.4%

Chicken Caesar Wrap

Grilled chicken, romaine, parmesan, and Caesar dressing in a flour tortilla. Lunch counter food cost.

Cost / serving: $3.23 FCP: 29.4%

Vegetable Stir Fry over Rice

Mixed vegetables in stir-fry sauce served over jasmine rice. Asian-inspired vegetarian entrée food cost.

Cost / serving: $2.10 FCP: 16.2%

Cinnamon Roll (each)

Bakery cinnamon roll with cream cheese frosting. Per-unit cost from a 12-roll batch; typical retail $4-5.

Cost / serving: $0.74 FCP: 17.4%

Iced Latte (16 oz)

Iced espresso drink with milk, no flavoring. Coffee shop drink food cost; typical retail $4.50-6.

Cost / serving: $1.42 FCP: 27.0%

Eggs Benedict (single)

Brunch classic - poached eggs and Canadian bacon on English muffin with hollandaise. Brunch service food cost.

Cost / serving: $3.52 FCP: 23.5%

Kombucha Bottle (12 oz)

Home-brewed flavored kombucha. Per-bottle ingredient cost; typical retail $3-4.50.

Cost / serving: $1.10 FCP: 31.4%

Cupcakes (12-pack)

Vanilla cupcakes with buttercream frosting, dozen pack. Cottage food / home baker batch cost.

Cost / serving: $0.58 FCP: 16.6%

Recipe cost examples