How to Price Restaurant Menu Items in Ireland

A restaurant menu pricing strategy can make or break your bottom line. This blog contains advice on how to price dishes smartly and profitably in today’s Irish dining market.

Whether you’re running a full-service bistro in Galway or a casual brunch spot in Dublin, pricing your menu is one of the most powerful tools you have to shape profits, reduce waste, and manage guest expectations.

The best pricing strategy blends hard data with insight: from ingredient costs and target margins to brand positioning and what local diners are willing to pay. And with Irish consumer behaviour changing rapidly — due to inflation, rising labour costs, and increased demand for transparency — a fresh look at your pricing model could unlock new growth.

Why menu pricing matters more than ever

Restaurant margins in Ireland have always been tight. But in 2025 and beyond, they’re being squeezed even more by fluctuating supplier prices, staffing shortages, and energy costs.

According to the Toast Consumer Preferences Survey 2025, where 200 Irish diners were surveyed about restaurant pricing and value, 72.5% have changed their dining habits in the past year due to rising prices. And 84% say they are now more selective about where they choose to eat out.

Meanwhile, transparency and fairness matter: 47% of respondents say price is quite influential on their restaurant choice, and over 60% say they “often” or “sometimes” notice price changes on menus.

For restaurant owners and managers, that means it’s time to rethink how you price your plates — not just to recover costs, but to demonstrate value.

Step 1: Understand your true costs

Before setting prices, understand your total costs — including food, labour, rent, and more. 

Here’s how to calculate your food cost percentage:

Food Cost % = (Opening Inventory + Purchases – Closing Inventory) ÷ Food Sales

And here’s the break-even formula:

Break-Even Point = Total Fixed Costs ÷ ((Total Sales – Total Variable Costs) ÷ Total Sales)

Step 2: Choose the right menu pricing model

Your pricing model should reflect your brand, customer base, and restaurant type. Common options in Ireland include:

• À la carte pricing: Every item is individually priced (favoured by 15.5% of diners)

• Prix Fixe / Set Menus: A fixed price for a set course meal (popular with 34% of Irish respondents)

• Promotions or Deal-Based Menus: Discounts or bundles — favoured by 42% of diners

• Farm-to-table or seasonal menus: Prices that fluctuate with produce availability

(source: Toast Consumer Preferences Survey 2025)

Step 3: Balance value with profitability

Good pricing doesn’t just cover costs — it signals value to your customers.

According to the same survey, 70% of diners say excellent food is the main reason they recommend a restaurant, but good value and friendly service still carry weight.

A strategic pricing plan accounts for:

• Portion size (the #1 marker of “value for money” among Irish consumers)

• Ingredient quality

• Staff wages and retention

• Competitor benchmarking (but not copying)

Step 4: Use technology to stay agile

Manual spreadsheets can’t keep up with real-time fluctuations in food prices or staff hours. A connected restaurant POS system like Toast lets you link menu performance with invoice data and costing formulas.

Case study: How Bewley’s Iconic Café Modernised Operations

Restaurant costing tools like Piecemeal or Nory allow Irish operators to:

• Automate recipe costing

• Track cost of goods sold (COGS)

• Benchmark dish performance across outlets

For example, if your cost per portion of a dish is €3.40 and your target food cost is 30%, then your menu price should be around €11.33. Simple, right?

Step 5: Build trust through pricing transparency

Irish consumers want honesty. According to the Toast Consumer Preferences survey:

• 63% prefer restaurants that show sourcing or cost info on the menu

• 28.5% say they’d be more understanding of higher prices if they saw cost breakdowns or wage support included

• 44% are more likely to support a venue that shares sustainability practices

This doesn’t mean printing cost breakdowns on the menu. A short note like "We proudly pay the Living Wage" or "Sourced from Irish family farms" can go a long way.

Final Thoughts

Menu pricing goes way beyond just making sure you don't lose money on each dish. When you get it right, you're actually building something bigger — a restaurant that can weather whatever comes next and earn the respect it deserves.

Done right, it helps you:

• Balance high-profit and high-quality items

• Reward and retain great staff

• Show customers the value you deliver

• Reinforce your brand identity