About

Restaurant math, done right.

RestaurantCalcs is eight free calculators for the operations math every independent restaurant runs every week — food cost, recipe cost, labor cost, tip pool, menu pricing, liquor pour cost, break-even, inventory variance.

Why this site exists

Toast, Square, Restaurant365, MarginEdge, BinWise — every one of them has a free calculator behind an email gate. You sign up, get added to a marketing list, and three days later a sales rep emails you about their $400/month POS package. Or the calculator is buried inside a paid product you'd need to switch your whole back-office to use.

Independent operators don't need another sales funnel. They need a number, fast, on a phone, between rushes — with the formula visible underneath so the math can be trusted, taught to staff, and verified.

What we built

Eight calculators, every formula audited against authoritative sources (Toast, Restaurant365, MarginEdge, NRA, DOL, CIA, BinWise, BevSpot). Every result shows the math step-by-step. Every calculator runs entirely in your browser — nothing is stored, transmitted, or sent to a server. Close the tab and your data is gone.

The site is intentionally narrow: just calculators, no SaaS, no upsells, no sponsored content. Ad-supported via Google AdSense so the math stays free.

Methodology

Each calculator was built against the canonical industry formula:

  • Food Cost % = COGS ÷ Food Sales × 100. COGS = Beginning Inventory + Purchases + Transfers In − Transfers Out − Employee Meals − Comps − Ending Inventory.
  • Recipe / Plate Cost = Σ(quantity × unit cost) ÷ portions. Optional Q-factor for misc absorption.
  • Labor Cost % = (Wages + Salaries + Burden) ÷ Revenue × 100. Concept-aware thresholds (QSR, fast casual, casual, fine, pizza, cafe).
  • Tip Pool = pool distributed by hours, points-weighted, equal split, or tip-out by role %. FLSA §3(m)(2)(B) compliance flags built in.
  • Menu Pricing = Plate Cost ÷ Target Food Cost % (cost-plus / factor pricing). Charm rounding to nearest .95 or .99.
  • Liquor Pour Cost = aggregate (Cost ÷ Revenue × 100) or per-drink (bottle cost × pour size ÷ usable oz, with spillage adjustment).
  • Break-Even = Fixed Costs ÷ Contribution Margin. Optional Margin of Safety + capacity check.
  • Inventory Variance = (Actual − Theoretical) ÷ Sales. Sign-aware status (positive = waste/theft direction, negative = recipe stale or under-portioning).

Sources cited inline on each calculator page where industry benchmarks or thresholds appear.

Privacy

Every calculator runs in your browser using JavaScript. We never store, transmit, or persist your inputs. There's no account, no signup, no email capture. The only data we collect is aggregate visit counts (page URL, country, browser) for AdSense-funded operations. See Privacy Policy.

Contact

Questions, feedback, calculator suggestions, formula corrections — email hello@restaurantcalcs.com.