US Fourth of July BBQ Pricing Guide: Meat Yield, Sides, and Delivery Fees

Fourth of July sells itself. The challenge is protecting margin when meat yields, sides, and delivery costs all move at once.

Quick Summary

• Use cooked-yield math for all proteins (6-8 oz per person)
• Standardize side scoops and tray fills
• Apply holiday delivery fees by zone
• Require preorder deadlines and prepayment

This guide helps you price BBQ holiday packs with less guesswork.

Start With Yield, Not Raw Weight

Raw weight does not pay your bills. Cooked sellable weight does.

Cooked meat cost per lb = Raw meat total cost / Cooked sellable lbs

Use this number before building per-person packages.

Example: 25-Person BBQ Pack (Example Numbers)

• Cooked meats: $185
• Sides and buns: $95
• Sauce cups and disposables: $34
• Labor and overhead: $92
• Total cost: $406

If target food cost is 34%:

$406 / 0.34 = $1,194.12

Quote around $1,195 to $1,225 based on service range.

Side Portion Controls

• Potato salad: fixed scoop size
• Coleslaw: fixed ounce cup
• Beans: fixed ladle count per tray

Small side discipline protects big-meat margins.

Local Data Check (US)

USDA seasonal meat and poultry reports can help monitor summer price changes. Use those updates to refresh July package pricing before peak weekend demand.

• USDA market news portal

Do This Now

• Test your meat yield: cook a batch and measure cooked weight
• Calculate per-person meat cost (6-8 oz cooked)
• Standardize side portions (scoops for potato salad, ladles for beans)
• Calculate total per-person cost including sides, labor, delivery
• Divide per-person cost by 0.34 to find your per-person price at 34% food cost
• Set holiday delivery fees by zone and preorder deadline

July 4th volume is great when the math is ready first. KitchenCost helps you build holiday BBQ packages with clear per-person margins.