How to Cost a Plate of Food Based on Your Recipes in the UK

Understanding how much each dish costs to make is one of the most important financial skills any restaurateur can master. Whether you’re fine-tuning margins on your lunch menu or pricing a new seasonal special, knowing your plate cost helps you make better business decisions, boost profitability, and stay competitive.

And in today’s climate, where 78% of UK consumers say dining out has become too expensive to do regularly, nailing your pricing is more essential than ever (source: Toast Consumer Preferences Survey 2025).

What Is Plate Cost and Why Does It Matter?

Your plate cost is the total cost of the ingredients used to prepare a specific menu item. It’s the foundation for setting profitable prices — and getting it wrong could mean serving up bestsellers that barely break even.

Restaurants across the UK are feeling the pinch. According to the Toast Consumer Preferences Survey 2025, where 200 UK diners were surveyed about restaurant pricing and value, more than 60% say they want restaurants to offer more transparency around portion sizes and prices. Meanwhile, 84% believe that ingredient prices have affected menu pricing lately.

Getting your costings right isn’t just a back-office task — it’s a guest experience decision.

How to Calculate Plate Cost (With Formula)

Here’s a step-by-step formula you can apply to every item on your menu:

Plate Cost = Total Cost of Ingredients per Dish

Let’s break that down using a UK menu example:

Example: Classic British Cottage Pie

• 150g minced beef = £1.05

• 100g potatoes = £0.18

• 50g cheddar = £0.42

• 30g onions + carrots = £0.15

• Gravy, herbs, oil = £0.10

• Total = £1.90 per plate

Want to include labour in your costing? You might also calculate Prime Cost:

Prime Cost = Total Cost of Ingredients + Direct Labour Cost

This is especially useful for high-touch dishes or prep-heavy concepts.

Top Tips to Reduce Plate Cost Without Compromising Quality

1. Standardise recipes: Ensure consistency with portions, suppliers, and prep time.

2. Batch prep & cross-utilise: Turn surplus veg into soups or sides.

3. Review supplier costs regularly: With UK inflation hitting food ingredients hard, build renegotiation into your rota.

4. Invest in training: Teams who understand margin impact waste less.

Using Plate Cost to Price Your Menu Strategically

A smart pricing strategy doesn’t just cover your costs — it aligns with customer expectations, market trends, and your brand identity.

Use your plate cost to determine your menu price using a markup multiplier:

Menu Price = Plate Cost × Markup

A common multiplier in the UK is between 2.8–3.2, depending on your overheads, concept, and customer base. Just be sure to balance price with perceived value. 

According to the Toast Consumer Preferences Survey 2025, UK diners want menus that feel fairly priced, especially as 70% say they’re more likely to return to restaurants that are transparent with pricing. 

Final Thoughts

Your restaurant’s food cost isn’t just a number — it’s a story about how you run your kitchen, support your team, and deliver value to your guests. At a time when diners are savvier and more selective, the restaurants that understand and optimise their pricing strategies are the ones that thrive.

By combining real-time data, simple costing tools, and smart menu design, you can protect your margins and build a better guest experience — plate by plate.