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Food Cost
Divide total revenue by number of covers to get your average check per guest, then compare it to Italian restaurant benchmarks and simulate the impact of upselling strategies.
Average Check = Total Revenue / Number of Covers Revenue Impact of Upselling: Extra Revenue/Day = (Target Check − Current Check) × Daily Covers Example: Trattoria Daily revenue: €2,400 | Covers: 80 Average Check = €2,400 / 80 = €30.00 If average check rises to €33 (+€3 upsell per guest): Extra Revenue/Day = €3 × 80 = €240 Extra Revenue/Month (25 days) = €6,000
Average check (scontrino medio in Italian) is the average amount each customer spends per visit. It equals total revenue divided by the number of covers. It is one of the most important KPIs for Italian restaurateurs alongside table turns and food cost %.
Italian benchmarks by venue type: fast food / street food €8–14, pizzeria (sit-down) €14–22, trattoria / osteria €22–35, casual ristorante €35–55, fine dining ristorante €70–120, luxury / starred €130+. These figures typically include a beverage but exclude service charge.
Average Check = Total Revenue / Number of Covers. For example, if a trattoria takes €2,400 in a dinner service with 80 covers, the average check is €2,400 / 80 = €30 per guest. Track it daily to spot trends.
Proven tactics used in Italian restaurants: (1) Train staff in upselling — suggest a secondo after the primo, recommend a digestivo, offer bottled water instead of tap. (2) Promote wine by the bottle rather than the glass. (3) Add a 'signature' high-margin dish. (4) Offer a fixed-price menu (menù degustazione) at a premium. (5) Add a dessert trolley visible from tables.
Absolutely. Lunch and dinner services often have very different profiles. Italian lunch covers frequently spend €18–28 (business set menus, quick courses), while dinner covers spend €30–60+. Tracking them separately lets you target improvements in the weaker service.
Break-even covers = Fixed Costs / (Average Check × Contribution Margin %). Raising your average check by just €3–5 can meaningfully reduce the number of covers you need to break even each service, especially in venues with high fixed costs like rent in Italian city centers.