Turn costs into break-even, VAT, ROI, menu engineering and prices that protect profit.
Open Break-EvenCalculate the real product cost.
Food costSet margin and selling price.
Dish marginExtract VAT to reason on the net amount.
Restaurant VATOptimise the menu mix toward profitable dishes.
Menu engineeringUse these tools whenever you decide a price: a new dish, a menu revision, a delivery list, a wine list. They combine cost, margin, VAT, volume and final price so you never decide by feel. The right price covers food cost, staff and fixed costs while leaving the profit you want.
From ingredient cost to price: at a 30% food cost target a €4.50 dish sells at €15 net, VAT excluded.
You set the markup by price tier: premium bottles hold lower multipliers, entry bottles higher ones.
With menu engineering you shift the mix toward the dishes that actually make profit.
When supplier costs rise you re-check margin on best-sellers before the profit silently erodes.
Indicative industry figures: they vary by format, location and period. Use them as a reference, not an absolute rule.