This is a free starter workbook for costing one restaurant menu item at a time.
There is no signup, email gate, macro, or external workbook connection. Download the file, replace the sample data with your invoices, and copy the blank menu sheet for each item you want to cost.
Download the free spreadsheet
Download the free restaurant recipe-cost spreadsheet (.xlsx, about 22 KB)
- File type:
.xlsx - Version: 1.1
- Recommended: desktop Excel 2016 or later, or Microsoft 365
- No macros, add-ins, or external workbook links
- Capacity: 50 shared ingredients and 20 ingredients per menu
Excel may open an internet download in Protected View. Review the file before choosing Enable Editing.
Start in three steps
- Replace the example rows on
Ingredientswith your supplier invoice data. - Right-click the blank
Menu Templatetab and create a copy inside the same workbook. - On the copy, enter only the menu name, selling price, ingredients, and quantities used.
Yellow cells are for entry or selection. Gray and blue cells are calculated and should not be overwritten.
Select ingredients instead of retyping them
Enter an ingredient name once on Ingredients. The same list appears in the Ingredient (select) column on every menu sheet.
When you select an ingredient, its unit and cost per unit fill automatically. You enter only the quantity used in that menu item.
Search-style autocomplete depends on the Microsoft 365 build. This file uses a standard data-validation drop-down so the selection workflow also works in desktop Excel 2016.
What is included
| Sheet | Purpose |
|---|---|
Instructions | Copy workflow, cell colors, calculation scope, and warnings |
Ingredients | Shared ingredient names, purchase costs, usable quantities, and units |
Menu Template | Blank original to copy for each new menu item |
Teriyaki Bowl Example | Completed example for checking the workflow and results |
Do not use the completed example as your template. Copy the blank Menu Template each time so sample ingredients do not remain in another menu by mistake.
Inputs and formulas
Enter four fields on Ingredients:
- Ingredient name
- Purchase cost
- Usable quantity
- Unit
Cost per unit = Purchase cost / Usable quantity
Ingredient cost = Cost per unit x Quantity used
Menu ingredient cost = Sum of ingredient costs
Cost rate = Menu ingredient cost / Selling priceIf trimming or prep loss applies, enter the quantity left after that loss as Usable quantity. The starter workbook does not require a separate yield-percentage field.
Use the same unit for usable quantity and menu quantity. For example, if a case is entered as 160 oz, enter the recipe quantity in oz as well. Convert pounds to ounces before entry when needed.
U.S. example: Chicken Teriyaki Bowl
The completed example uses rice, chicken thigh, teriyaki sauce, cooking oil, broccoli, carrots, onion, green onion, sesame seeds, and a takeout container. Units use oz, fl oz, and each.
| Menu item | Selling price | Ingredient cost | Cost rate | Selling price - ingredient cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken Teriyaki Bowl | $12.00 | $2.87 | 23.9% | $9.13 |
The ingredients and prices demonstrate the calculation. They are not market averages or recommended prices. Replace them with your actual invoices and recipe quantities.
Selling price - ingredient cost is not net profit. It is the amount before labor, rent, utilities, card fees, taxes, delivery fees, and other operating costs.
Error checks built into the file
- Purchase cost, usable quantity, selling price, and quantity used must be greater than zero
- Duplicate ingredient names are blocked
- Missing ingredient data leaves cost per unit blank instead of creating a plausible zero
- An invalid or unlinked recipe row leaves the menu total blank and changes Input status
- Entry cells and calculated cells use different colors
The workbook cannot detect an ingredient row you never added. Review sauces, cooking oil, garnishes, packaging, and other small items before relying on the total.
When this starter file is enough
The workbook can be enough when one person maintains a small menu and supplier prices change infrequently.
Consider moving beyond it when:
- nested prep recipes become common
- many copied menu tabs become difficult to review
- multiple people edit separate versions
- supplier price changes need to update a large menu immediately
- channel-specific prices and fees need separate calculations
For the full costing workflow, continue with the Recipe Costing Formula guide. If staffing cost is the next question, use the US Restaurant Labor Cost Calculator.