Restaurant guides

The numbers and routines that run a restaurant.

Plain answers to the questions owners and managers ask most: how to work out labor and food cost, what prime cost tells you, how to close the night, how to keep comps and voids in check and how to build a schedule. Most include a worked example you can check against your own numbers.

Guide · 6 minHow to calculate restaurant labor costThe restaurant labor cost formula, what to include, a worked example, the ranges operators aim for, and how to track labor cost by the day.Read the guide Guide · 6 minHow to calculate food cost percentageThe food cost percentage formula with a worked example, plate cost for a single dish, ideal versus actual food cost, and how to close the gap.Read the guide Guide · 5 minWhat is restaurant prime cost, and how do you calculate it?What restaurant prime cost is, how to calculate it with a worked example, the range many operators aim for, and why it beats food or labor cost alone.Read the guide Guide · 5 minRestaurant closing checklist: the nightly close, step by stepA restaurant closing checklist for the floor, bar, kitchen and manager: cash and card settlement, comps and voids, food safety, cleaning and lock-up.Read the guide Guide · 6 minHow to reduce comps and voids in a restaurantComps versus voids versus discounts, how to measure them, the warning signs of misuse, and the controls that bring them down without punishing guests.Read the guide Guide · 6 minHow to build a restaurant staff scheduleBuild a restaurant schedule from a sales forecast and sales per labor hour, cover each station, avoid overtime, and publish it early enough for staff.Read the guide

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