About

Restaurant math, done right.

RestaurantCalcs is a free suite of calculators for the operations math every independent restaurant runs every week, food cost, recipe cost, labor cost (with shift schedule mode + OT detection), tip pool, menu pricing, liquor pour cost, draft beer / keg cost, break-even, inventory variance, prime cost, no-show deposit, and menu engineering.

Why this site exists

Toast, Restaurant365, MarginEdge, BinWiseevery 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 I built

Every formula audited against authoritative sources (Toast, Restaurant365, MarginEdge, National Restaurant Association, U.S. DOL Wage & Hour, 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. I never store, transmit, or persist your inputs. There's no account, no signup, no email capture. The only data collected is aggregate visit counts (page URL, country, browser) for AdSense-funded operations. See Privacy Policy.

Contact

Questions, feedback, calculator suggestions, formula corrections, email me at hello@restaurantcalcs.com. I read every message.

Brock