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.
Start Here: The Numbers to Check
- This guide is for U.S. Filipino restaurants that sell adobo plates, pancit trays, lumpia orders, and combo meals with tight portion standards.
- The first numbers to check are protein yield, rice scoop weight, pancit pan yield, lumpia pieces per order, sauce, packaging, and catering tray loss.
- Start with
Plate cost = protein + starch + sauce + packaging + waste allowance, then setprice floor = plate cost / target food cost %. - The examples below price chicken adobo, pork adobo, lumpia, pancit, and combo trays so the menu does not depend on guessing.
- Today, pick one best-selling plate and one tray order, then recost both with actual scoop and pan yields.
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.