Thai Restaurant Cost Guide: Price Pad Thai, Curry & Rice Bowls for Profit

Thai food sells because it tastes bold and travels well. But Thai margins are fragile.

Proteins swing in price, curry pastes and coconut milk carry hidden costs, and a single extra ounce of chicken can erase profit across hundreds of bowls.

This guide shows you the Thai restaurant cost framework: yield math, rice and chicken benchmarks, and menu pricing examples for pad thai, green curry, and basil chicken.

Quick Summary

• Cost Thai menus by base + protein + garnish, not by dish name
• Use cooked-yield math for chicken and pork (raw price != portion cost)
• Rice is cheap, protein is not; portion control is your margin
• Reprice quarterly using USDA + BLS city-average price signals and your own supplier quotes

Why Thai Restaurant Costing Is Different

Thai concepts look simple, but the cost structure is unique:

1. Sauces are the system. Pad thai sauce, curry base, and basil stir-fry sauce drive flavor and cost.
2. Protein portioning decides margin. A 1 oz swing in chicken changes food cost by 4-6%.
3. Rice bowls hide cost. Rice is cheap, but protein + coconut milk + toppings are not.
4. Herbs are high waste. Basil, cilantro, lime, and sprouts spoil fast.
5. Delivery is a large mix. Thai travels well, so delivery fees and packaging matter.

If you cost each dish independently, you miss the base costs shared across the menu.

The Core Thai Cost Formulas

Use these formulas for every dish and every base sauce:

Usable amount = Purchase weight x (1 - loss rate)
Cooked cost per lb = Raw price per lb / Cooked yield %
Portion cost = Cooked cost per lb x Portion weight
Food cost % = Plate cost / Menu price

US Price Signals You Should Track

Two public data sources are enough to keep your benchmarks realistic:

• USDA ERS Food Price Outlook (January 2026 update): food-away-from-home prices rose 4.1% in 2024, rose 3.8% in 2025, and are forecast to rise 4.6% in 2026.
• BLS Average Retail Prices (Dec 2025, U.S. city average via FRED): long-grain rice and boneless chicken breast are reliable reference points.

As of Feb 2026, Dec 2025 is the latest published month for those BLS/FRED price series.

These are retail prices, not distributor quotes. Use them as directional signals, then plug in your supplier costs.

Convert Raw Prices to Portion Costs (Rice + Chicken)

Rice benchmark (BLS retail price, U.S. city average)

BLS reports long-grain white rice at $1.076/lb in Dec 2025 (U.S. city average).

Assume 1 lb dry yields ~3 lb cooked.

Cooked rice cost per lb = 1.076 / 3 = $0.36
Cooked rice cost per oz = 0.36 / 16 = $0.02
6 oz cooked rice = $0.13

Chicken benchmark (BLS retail price + USDA cooking yields)

BLS reports boneless chicken breast at $4.153/lb in Dec 2025 (U.S. city average).

Assume 75% cooked yield (adjust to your kitchen data).

Cooked cost per lb = 4.153 / 0.75 = $5.54
Cooked cost per oz = 5.54 / 16 = $0.35
5 oz portion = $1.75

Important: Thai menus usually use thighs or ground chicken, which can be cheaper. Swap in your real prices.

Example 1: Chicken Pad Thai (Per Plate)

Target price for 30-32% food cost:

$3.23 / 0.32 = $10.09
$3.23 / 0.30 = $10.77

Menu price range: $10.99-$12.99

Example 2: Green Curry + Rice Bowl

Target price for 28-32% food cost:

$2.58 / 0.32 = $8.06
$2.58 / 0.28 = $9.21

Menu price range: $9.99-$11.99

Example 3: Basil Chicken Rice Bowl (Pad Kra Pao)

Target price for 28-32% food cost:

$2.06 / 0.32 = $6.44
$2.06 / 0.28 = $7.36

Menu price range: $8.99-$9.99

Build Menu Price Tiers (Low / Mid / Premium)

Thai menus are perfect for tiered pricing because bases are shared.

• Low-cost anchor: basil chicken or fried rice bowls
• Mid-tier: pad thai, pad see ew, red curry
• Premium: seafood curry, crispy pork belly, specialty noodles

This structure protects margins while giving guests price choice.

Batch Prep: Cost the Base, Not the Dish

Thai profit depends on repeatable bases:

1. Curry paste base (green/red/panang)
2. Pad thai sauce (tamarind + fish sauce + sugar)
3. Stir-fry sauce (oyster + soy + sugar)

Calculate each base once, then assign a per-oz cost to every dish. It keeps your menu consistent and makes price changes fast.

Portion Control That Actually Works

Thai dishes are visually dense, so portion creep is hard to spot.

Use tools that enforce consistency:

• 4 oz, 5 oz, 6 oz color-coded scoops for protein
• 6 oz rice scoop for bowls
• 1 oz ladle for curry paste and stir-fry sauce

If your team plates by feel, you are paying for hidden ounces.

Delivery and Packaging Cost Adders

Delivery is common for Thai, which means two extra costs:

1. Third-party fees (commission + marketing)
2. Packaging (containers, soup cups, sauce cups, stickers)

Add a delivery cost adder to each dish:

Delivery adder = (Platform fees + Packaging cost) / Orders

Even $0.60 of packaging can move food cost by 3-5% on low-priced bowls.

Monthly Pricing Routine (15 Minutes)

1. Update supplier prices for chicken, coconut milk, and rice
2. Recalculate the top 10 best sellers
3. Adjust menu prices or portion sizes to stay on target

Thai ingredients move seasonally. Without a routine, you will bleed margin silently.

Thai Restaurant Costing Checklist

• Protein portion sizes fixed and documented
• Rice cost converted to cooked-oz price
• Base sauces costed and stored in a prep sheet
• Delivery packaging cost included
• Price tiers defined (low/mid/premium)
• Top 10 dishes reviewed monthly

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

Related guides:

• How to Calculate Recipe Cost
• Food Cost Ratio Guide
• Margin vs. Markup: What’s the Difference?
• Loss Rate Guide: Account for Waste in Your Costing
• Semi-Finished Product Guide
• Menu Engineering: Optimize Your Menu for Profit
• Delivery App Profit Guide
• Catering Cost Guide

Sources

• USDA ERS Food Price Outlook
• FRED — Rice, white, long-grain, uncooked (APU0000701312)
• FRED — Chicken breast, boneless (APU0000FF1101)
• USDA Table of Cooking Yields for Meat and Poultry