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Culinary Arts & Cooking vocabulary · Recipes, Measurements & Costing

Food cost

Meaning in culinary arts & cooking, with examples

/ˈfuːd kɒst/nounCommon term

In culinary arts & cooking, food cost means: The cost of the ingredients used to make a dish or menu, often shown as a percentage of the selling price.

In Turkish: gıda maliyeti, yemek maliyeti, food cost

How it is used

Head chefs are responsible for food cost and report it weekly or monthly. Food cost percentage = ingredient cost ÷ selling price × 100; many restaurants aim for roughly 25–35%, depending on the business. Waste, theft and large portions raise it.

Example sentences

  1. Our food cost went up to 38% last month because of the price of olive oil.

  2. Cost every new dish before it goes on the menu; I need the food cost per plate.

Common collocations

  • food cost percentage
  • control food cost
  • food cost per plate
  • reduce food cost
  • portionThe amount of a food served to one person. As a verb, to portion means to divide food into equal amounts for serving.
  • yieldThe amount or number of portions a recipe produces; also the usable weight of an ingredient left after trimming, boning or peeling.
  • recipeA set of instructions for making a dish, with a list of ingredients, their quantities and the steps, times and temperatures needed.
  • head chefThe person in charge of a kitchen, responsible for the menu, the team, food quality, ordering and costs. Also called chef de cuisine.

More terms: Recipes, Measurements & Costing

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