🧮 Food Cost Calculator
Know your exact food cost percentage and find the right selling price for your home-based food business. Works for sushi bake, rice meals, kakanin, and any Filipino dish.
🛒 Ingredients
3 itemsQuick add:
How many servings does this recipe make?
Your planned selling price per portion
💡 Tips for Filipino Food Sellers
- •Target 28–35% food cost for most home-based food businesses. Street food can go higher (40%), while catering/restaurant should aim for 25–30%.
- •Buy in bulk from wet markets or wholesalers like Divisoria or Carbon Market to lower ingredient costs.
- •Don't forget overhead — packaging, gas/electricity, delivery fees, and your labor aren't included in food cost but affect your real profit.
- •Review prices monthly — Philippine ingredient prices fluctuate, especially rice, chicken, and cooking oil.
- •Popular food biz ideas — Sushi bake, Korean corn dogs, milk tea, samgyupsal sets, kakanin, and rice meals consistently sell well online.
What is Food Cost Percentage?
Food cost percentage is the ratio of your ingredient costs to your selling price. It's the most important number for any food business — whether you're selling sushi bake on Facebook, running a home-based catering service, or managing a carinderia.
Formula: Food Cost %
What's a Good Food Cost Percentage?
- 25–30% — Excellent. Typical for restaurants and catered events.
- 30–35% — Good. Standard for most food businesses including home-based.
- 35–40% — Acceptable for high-volume street food or budget meals.
- 40%+ — Risky. You may not cover overhead costs (packaging, gas, labor).
Why Filipino Food Sellers Need This
Many home-based food sellers in the Philippines price by gut feel — "murag okay ra ni" or "basta may tubo." But without knowing your actual food cost percentage, you might be selling at a loss after factoring in packaging, delivery, and your time. This calculator helps you price with confidence.
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