Filipino restaurants win on comfort and value.
They lose margin when rice scoops drift, adobo protein shifts weekly, and lumpia counts creep up.
This guide is a U.S.-focused cost playbook. It gives you portion standards, yield math, and real pricing examples for adobo plates, pancit, and lumpia.
Quick Summary
- Cost every plate by protein ounces + rice scoop + sauce
- Separate recipes for chicken adobo vs pork adobo
- Lumpia margins live in piece count and oil absorption
- Build a 3-tier price ladder so premium proteins don’t crush margin
Why Filipino Menus Lose Margin Fast
Filipino food looks simple. But the menu is built on cost multipliers.
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Rice is the hidden leak. A “small” scoop can become 8 oz overnight.
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Adobo is not one recipe. Chicken adobo and pork adobo should never share a cost sheet.
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Lumpia is sold like a side, but costs like a protein. If you do not cost per piece, you will underprice bundles.
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Sauces and aromatics scale with volume. Garlic, vinegar, soy, oil, and sugar are real costs when you sell 300 plates a day.
The Core Formula (Keep It Simple)
usableAmount = rawAmount × (1 - lossRate)
unitCost = price ÷ usableAmount
plateCost = Σ(unitCost × portionAmount) + packaging
foodCost% = plateCost ÷ menuPriceU.S. Ingredient Benchmarks (Dec 2025)
These are national average prices from U.S. city data. Use them as a baseline, then swap in your supplier numbers.
| Item | Price | Unit Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken breast, boneless | $4.153/lb | $0.26/oz | Adobo, tinola, grilled plates |
| Pork chops, center cut | $6.760/lb | $0.42/oz | Proxy for pork adobo and crispy pork |
| Eggs, Grade A, large | $2.712/dozen | $0.23/egg | Lumpia binder, silog add-on |
Example 1: Chicken Adobo Plate (With Rice)
Portion assumptions
- Raw chicken: 8 oz
- Cooked yield: 75% → 6 oz cooked
- Rice: 6 oz cooked
- Sauce + aromatics: fixed per plate
| Component | Portion | Unit Cost | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken breast (raw) | 8 oz | $0.26/oz | $2.08 |
| Soy sauce + vinegar | 0.9 oz | $0.19/oz | $0.17 |
| Garlic + bay + sugar | — | — | $0.08 |
| Cooking oil | 0.2 oz | $0.40/oz | $0.08 |
| Cooked rice | 6 oz | $0.04/oz | $0.24 |
| Packaging + condiments | — | — | $0.35 |
| Total plate cost | — | — | $3.00 |
Pricing math
- Target food cost: 30%
- Price = $3.00 ÷ 0.30 = $10.00 → round to $9.99 or $10.50
Example 2: Pork Adobo Plate
Pork is the swing item. Do not price it like chicken.
| Component | Portion | Unit Cost | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pork (raw) | 7 oz | $0.42/oz | $2.95 |
| Adobo sauce base | 0.9 oz | $0.19/oz | $0.17 |
| Garlic + bay + sugar | — | — | $0.08 |
| Cooking oil | 0.2 oz | $0.40/oz | $0.08 |
| Cooked rice | 6 oz | $0.04/oz | $0.24 |
| Packaging + condiments | — | — | $0.35 |
| Total plate cost | — | — | $3.87 |
Pricing math
- Target food cost: 30%
- Price = $3.87 ÷ 0.30 = $12.90
That is why pork adobo needs a premium tier.
Example 3: Lumpia (5-Piece Order)
If you do not cost per piece, you will underprice every tray.
| Component | Portion | Unit Cost | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wrapper | 5 pieces | $0.10/each | $0.50 |
| Pork + veg filling | 5 oz | $0.18/oz | $0.90 |
| Egg binder | 0.3 egg | $0.23/egg | $0.07 |
| Frying oil absorption | 0.6 oz | $0.40/oz | $0.24 |
| Dipping sauce | 2 oz | $0.12/oz | $0.24 |
| Packaging | — | — | $0.20 |
| Total cost | — | — | $2.15 |
At 30% food cost, a 5-piece order should land around $7.00–$8.00.
Portion Standards You Should Lock This Week
- Rice scoop: pick one size (6 oz or 8 oz cooked) and train to it
- Adobo protein: 6 oz cooked for base, 8 oz for premium
- Lumpia count: never “extra 1” without charging
- Sauce cups: standardize to 1–2 oz and charge for refills
Build a Price Ladder (Base → Premium)
A ladder makes price increases feel normal and protects margin.
Example:
- Chicken adobo plate: $9.99
- Pork adobo plate: $12.49
- Crispy pork or lechon kawali: $13.99–$14.99
Then push add-ons:
- Extra egg: $1.00–$1.50
- Extra rice: $1.50–$2.00
- Lumpia (5): $7.00–$8.00
Catering and Party Trays
Filipino catering is strong. But tray pricing fails when you copy dine-in plates.
Do this instead:
- Cost the tray by total cooked weight
- Add 10–15% for foil pans, lids, and reheating loss
- Price trays by per-serving margin, not per-person guess
Checklist
- Separate recipes for chicken vs pork adobo
- Rice scoop weight posted on the line
- Lumpia counted and priced per piece
- Sauce and vinegar included as real costs
- Delivery packaging added to plate cost
Do This Now
- Standardize all portion sizes in grams or ounces
- Calculate food cost for your top 5 menu items
- Set up a weekly price check for key ingredients
- Document your current yield percentages
- Create a pricing review calendar for the next 12 months
Related Guides
- Recipe Costing: The Complete Guide
- US Dumpling Shop Cost Guide
- US Bento Box Cost Guide
- Food Cost Percentage Guide
Sources
- Eggs, Grade A, large (APU0000708111): https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/APU0000708111
- Chicken breast, boneless (APU0000FF1101): https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/APU0000FF1101
- Pork chops, center cut (APU0000704111): https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/APU0000704111
KitchenCost helps Filipino restaurants lock portion standards and recalculate every menu item when supplier prices move. Try it free at kitchencost.app.