cost per plate question

steve
the way i used to figure it as an exec chef was just by using a multiplier of 3.
i would take my ap (as purchased price) and figure the true cost per pound of ep (edible portion)
a dream world example would be pork collars:
ap= $2.11/lb
shrinkage= 50%
ep= $4.22/lb
serving size= 4 oz
serving cost= 1.0550 (i always went four decimals out since my background was convention/quantity work)
selling price= $3.1650
it isn't the best math but it always allowed me to come in around 22.5 to 27% on food cost and 30% is like the holy grail.
but it does allow fixed costs like rent, utilities,insurance ect to be taken into account in one fell swoop.
i am sure there are better methods but this is the one i used and it did work well for me
hope this helps some
jack

I use Jack's approach. The only fixed cost I try to get a handle on is labor. I'm trying to track or at least get a handle on pre-cook prep time, assisted cook time and post-cook prep. If the margins don't justify the increased labor vs other products then I may not offer that item or offer it on a limited basis, e.g., shrimp devilled eggs or skewered chicken tenders. Similarly, a high priced low labor item with a low margin may be more attractive when you consider labor and profit contribution, e.g., lobster tails.

rootsman,
saw the deviled eggs and was just wondering if you had considered using already boiled and peeled eggs. they have a good shelf life and really save on the labor. taste is very good!!! just be sure to rinse them before prepping.
a 5 gallon bucket would last us approximately 1 one week but i saw no degradation in quality.
jack

Pork Collars?! YUCK!
Jack,
Hope you and Peggy are well. I haven't forgotten you guys---I am going to send a "Care Package" soon, I hope. We have been quite busy.
Zeb

Well....
How else ya gonna keep 'em from runnin' into th' road???

A poark collar, and a leash.....sheesh.

Zeb, We're doing the turkey tomorrow at the farmer's market. A small trial run. I tasted the stuff it's soaking in. DEEELICIOUS!!!! And the pork collars are great if you're looking to do a nice boneless pork for slicing. I imagine they could get dry if overdone. They make some pretty slices and have been real juicy and tender for Jack.
Chris, that's a wonderful joke. I don't think anyone outside of BBQ would understand it, though!
Keep your day job, LOL.
Peggy

Thanks so much guys. Sorry I haven't been able to thank you sooner, I've been so darn busy. I've been trying to program this new cash register that I ordered from the States!! Starting to get the hang of it, it's going to really help with reports, daily, weekly and monthly. Help to track my sales, keep inventory etc. That's the reason also for the new menu. Want to try to get everything sorted in the next week to 10 days, get the menu off to the printer and start using this cash register.
As Rootsman was saying, I really wanted to get a handle mainly on my labor, and how that affected my overall cost per plate, and to see if my margins were roughly where they should be.
Here's what I did on my own the other night, you can tell me what you think.

I added all my labor, for the kitchen staff only.
Added about 40% of my rent, because that's about the percent of the overall revenues that my kitchen brings into the bar.
Added all my gas expenses, we only have gas in the kitchen.
Added 2% , for any wastage, spoilage etc.
I then divided that number by my average monthly revenues from food sales.
It came out to about 30%

I then took the numbers that I had already for my food only costs per plate and multiplied that by 1.3 It really made me start to look at some of my dishes. I'm trying to stay at about 60% cost, 40% profit. Most of my dishes are able to do that, or a bit better. I've had to tweak some of my dishes, some I needed to work on my portioning, some on selling price, either up, or down, most were up just a tad, also had to look at some of the price increases in my supplies over the last year and a half from the last menu.
Overall, I've really gotten a lot out of the last week or so. I have a little more peace of mind knowing that my actual plate costs are more accurate, and can plan accordingly. And it's been fun to go over the menu, and do some "menu engineering"

By the way, sorry for my Canadian, ex-ballplayer turned sports bar & grill owner ignorance, but what the heck are pork collars??

Thanks again, Steve.

Steve,
You're making me dizzy. You figure out prices like Jack does his recipes and prep work. You guys need to get together.
I think I'm lucky that I don't have to figure out staff cost yet. That's one good part about just starting.
We had a great day at the farmer's market. I'm pretty tired. It was a different mix of people. I was warned that there are a lot of vegetarians and people are pretty picky there.
Well, we had our generators (hondas....real quiet). The director of the market came over and said the smell of the gasoline exhaust might be too much and asked Jack to turn them off. He said we couldn't do that and safely serve food since the refrigeration and the steam tables run on electricity. Left alone for awhile, we were. All of a sudden we got real busy.
The next thing I heard was everyone was talking about how good everything was.
We thought we were going to be asked to leave. But the product won, I guess. Pulled pork was the winner of the day!
No vegetarians I hope decided to switch religion!
What was funny was no one ordered a side at all.
They all wanted MEAT.
We were asked to please come back the next week.
All's well that ends well.
Peggy

Steve,
What I was going to say was, Jack can tell you all about pork collars. And they are Canadian, the ones we get.

Zeb,
Your turkey is the bomb! It went over real well. Now why would a bunch of "vegetarians" want pork and turkey, not order vegetables at all, order pork meat only to go, and ask a bbq team to return?
The "vegetarians" are very picky on their take out containers. One lady only wanted hers lined with foil before she risked styrofoam with her pulled pork sandwich. Another wanted a high protein, low carb. meal, but decided a sausage-cheese definitely had to have the biscuit and orange marmalade.
I just serve them all and thank them.
Peggy

Peggy, glad to hear that the farmers market went well. You keep building up all these small events, and venues, pretty soon it'll be just like a restaurant that's packed every night.
Glad to hear you and Jack are doing well. You both are so nice to everyone on the forum, giving your time, and advice. Have to tell you, it's much appreciated. Even when it's not directly for myself, when I'm "surfing" the forum, I always see you two trying to help out others.
MY THANKS ONCE AGAIN!!!!!!!!!!!
Take care, Steve.

Peggy/Jack,
I am glad you guys liked the Turkey. Were you guys able to find the HoneySuckle White Breasts that I was talking about? They are the Best. You guys might want to consider keeping the Turkey on a regular basis. It has a tendency to be addictive and word spreads fast about it--it is a good seller. Not to mention, it is easy to do.
I am glad that you guys had a good day at the Farmers Market.
I am just harrassing you guys about the collars. I am not a big fan of them, though. From my experience, I think I would prefer the collars that Chris mentioned.
For sliced pork I like tenderloin. If the price of collars is 2.11/lb then you are much better off selling tenderloin. Tenderloin is 2.19-2.79/lb. But once you count for shrinkage, etc. tenderloin is cheaper. Not to mention, it its tenderloin---the tastiest part of any animal.
I will call you guys today and shoot the breeze.
Formosa,
BTW--best of luck! Have you tried the ribs again with adjustments to suit our family? If so I hope it worked out well for you.
Zeb

Zeb, I'm still brushing the ribs with the pineapple and butter sauce but only when I take em out of the smoker. Tried a bit of the honey to glaze when coming out also, but my wife's family seems to like the pineapple, butter combo a bit better. they usually also like to add the sauce to them, but more in a dipping fashion, not covered with it. I've found we seem to like to cook our ribs for 5 hours minimum, sometimes just a touch more. I cook em at 225, and usually combine some hickory with pecan, apple, or cherry pellets from Candy.
I've learned to not open the door if possible, usually I'll only open it if I need to take something out before the ribs.
I appreciate your help and best wishes.
Best regards to you, and hope you have a great year competing. How has it gone for you so far?
Steve.

Steve,
I was glad to hear you got your pellets from Candy. She's been great with us. We just put in another order. Jack's trying the maple this time.
Thanks for the moral support. You don't realize how much it's helped!
Peggy

You go brother Steve!