Sushi Restaurant Cost Guide: Price Nigiri, Rolls, and Omakase for Profit

Sushi margins look strong on paper. Fish is expensive, menu prices are premium, and labor is visible.

But sushi profitability leaks in small, constant ways: trimming loss, rice over-portioning, spoilage, and fish price swings that move faster than your menu.

This guide gives you a sushi-specific cost calculator framework for the US market: yield math, portion standards, example pricing for nigiri and rolls, and a reality check on supply volatility.

Why Sushi Costing Is Different

Sushi operators face a unique cost structure:

1. Imported supply risk. Most US seafood is imported, which means FX and freight shifts show up in your fish invoice quickly.
2. High spoilage pressure. Quality drops fast, so shrink is a daily cost, not a monthly one.
3. Precision portions. A 0.1 oz change in fish per nigiri scales across hundreds of pieces per day.
4. Batch components. Rice, sauces, and toppings are batch-prepped and easy to undercount.
5. Food safety requirements. Raw fish handling and freezing rules add time, storage, and compliance cost.

If you do not track usable yield and portion weight at the item level, you are guessing with every piece and every roll.

US Price Signals You Should Track (2026)

USDA’s Food Price Outlook (January 2026 update) makes one point clear: prices are still moving.

• Food-away-from-home prices rose 4.1% in 2024 (annual average).
• Food-away-from-home prices rose 3.8% in 2025 (annual average).
• Food-away-from-home prices are forecast to rise 4.6% in 2026.

These are annual-average forecasts, not single-month CPI changes.

For sushi, that means monthly cost checks on seafood, rice, and packaging are safer than quarterly.

The Core Sushi Cost Formulas

Use the same core formulas for every fish and every menu item:

Usable yield = Raw weight x (1 - trim loss)
Usable cost per lb = Raw price per lb / Usable yield %
Cost per oz = Usable cost per lb / 16
Item cost = (Fish oz x cost per oz) + rice + nori + fillings + garnish
Food cost % = Item cost / Menu price

The most common sushi mistake is skipping the usable yield step. Raw fish price is not your real cost.

Step 1: Convert Fish Prices to Usable Cost per Ounce

Track trim loss for each fish cut. Weigh the fish before trim and after trim. Update monthly.

Example:

Raw salmon price = $8.50/lb
Trim loss = 20%
Usable cost per lb = 8.50 / 0.80 = $10.63
Usable cost per oz = 10.63 / 16 = $0.66

Now you can price portions accurately.

Step 2: Standard Portion Targets

Portion standards keep your labor and food costs predictable. Start here, then calibrate with your chef.

Rule: Weigh portions for one week per month. Then lock in the target weights with training.

Step 3: Sushi Rice Cost (The Hidden Margin Leak)

Rice is cheap per pound but expensive when over-portioned.

Sample batch cost:

Assume 10 lb uncooked rice yields about 25 lb cooked rice.

Cost per lb cooked rice = 14.46 / 25 = $0.58
Cost per oz cooked rice = 0.58 / 16 = $0.04

If you serve 0.6 oz rice per nigiri, rice costs $0.02 each. That sounds tiny until you sell 400 nigiri per day.

Example: Nigiri and Roll Cost Breakdown

Use your actual fish cost per oz, then plug in portions. Here is a sample structure:

2-Piece Salmon Nigiri

If you sell 2-piece salmon nigiri at $6.00, food cost is 17%.

Spicy Tuna Roll

Sell at $10.00 and your food cost is 24%.

California Roll (Surimi)

Sell at $8.00 and food cost is 14%.

Omakase Pricing: Use a Weighted Average

Omakase margins are hard because fish mix changes daily.

Use a weighted average approach:

1. List the 10-15 pieces you serve most weeks.
2. Assign each a fish cost per piece.
3. Average the per-piece cost and add rice, garnish, and waste buffer.
4. Target a blended food cost % for the full set.

Example:

Average fish cost per piece = $0.85
Rice + garnish per piece = $0.06
Waste buffer (10%) = $0.09
Total per piece cost = $1.00
12-piece omakase cost = $12.00

If you price the 12-piece omakase at $42, food cost is 29%.

Food Cost Targets for Sushi Menus

Targets vary by format, but these ranges keep you healthy:

If your cost percentage is higher, fix portion control or price tiers before cutting quality.

Delivery and Takeout Costs

Sushi delivery margins disappear fast because of packaging and platform fees.

Plan for:

• $0.60-$1.20 packaging per roll (trays, seals, soy containers)
• 15-30% commission on delivery platforms
• Extra soy, wasabi, ginger that is not charged

Rule: Increase delivery prices by 15-25% or bundle rolls into higher AOV combos.

Food Safety: Freezing Requirements (Parasite Destruction)

Most states follow FDA Food Code 3-402.11 (2022 edition). Raw fish must be frozen under specific time and temperature conditions before service.

Exceptions apply (certain tuna species, molluscan shellfish, specific aquacultured fish). Always check your local health code.

Market Context: Why Prices Swing

Two US realities make sushi costs volatile:

• USDA ERS (Amber Waves, May 2024) citing NOAA statistics says more than 79% of U.S. seafood consumed in 2020 was imported, making costs sensitive to FX and freight.
• NOAA Fisheries’ Fisheries of the United States 2022 reports per-capita seafood consumption at 19.7 lb in 2022 (down from 20.5 in 2021), so demand is steady but not a shield from supply shocks.
• USDA ERS Food Price Outlook (Jan 2026) forecasts food-away-from-home prices +4.6% in 2026, so quarterly price reviews are normal.

Plan quarterly price reviews and weekly fish price checks for your top sellers.

Weekly Sushi Costing Checklist (15 Minutes)

1. Update fish prices for your top 5 species.
2. Weigh one batch of rice and confirm yield.
3. Weigh portions for two best-selling rolls.
4. Audit one omakase set for actual fish cost.
5. Adjust prices or portions before the weekend rush.

How KitchenCost Helps Sushi Operators

KitchenCost lets you store fish yields, standard portions, and batch costs so every roll and nigiri price stays accurate.

• Store per-fish trim loss and usable cost per oz
• Batch-cost sushi rice and sauces once
• Build roll recipes with exact portion weights
• Update fish prices in minutes

Want to stop guessing? Try KitchenCost - free to start.

Summary

Sushi profitability comes from precision, not guesswork.

If you track trim loss, portion weight, and batch costs, you can price every piece with confidence. If you do not, you are relying on luck.

Use the formulas in this guide, monitor fish prices weekly, and review menu pricing quarterly. The shops that survive are the ones that know their cost per piece today, not last season.

Related guides:

• How to Calculate Recipe Cost
• Food Cost Ratio Guide
• Loss Rate Guide
• Menu Engineering Guide
• Prime Cost Guide
• Delivery App Profit Guide
• Ramen Cost Guide
• Seafood Boil Cost Guide
• Catering Cost Guide

Sources

• USDA ERS Amber Waves: U.S. Seafood Imports Expand as Domestic Aquaculture Industry Repositions Itself (May 2024)
• NOAA Fisheries of the United States 2022 (per-capita consumption)
• USDA ERS Food Price Outlook: Summary Findings (Jan 2026)
• FDA Food Code 2022 (3-402.11 Parasite Destruction)