If your week felt busy but your bank balance did not move, this is the workflow you need.
Not another dashboard. Just one weekly operating check that tells you whether your store is actually creating cash.
Quick Summary
- U.S. food-away-from-home inflation remained elevated in the latest BLS release.
- Topline restaurant sales stayed large, but month-level volatility is still real.
- Small-business surveys show owners facing cost pressure and uneven cash flow at the same time.
- A 30-minute weekly check catches margin leakage faster than month-end P&L reviews.
Why Weekly Matters in 2026
Pressure is coming from both demand and cost:
- BLS CPI (released February 13, 2026): food away from home +4.0% YoY.
- FRED / Census (RSFSDP): December 2025 was 100,229 vs December 2024 95,744 (about +4.68% YoY).
- FRED / Census (MRTSSM722USN): November 2025 was 96,259 vs November 2024 92,548 (about +4.01% YoY).
- Federal Reserve Small Business Credit Survey (2025):
- 75% reported rising costs of goods/services
- 56% reported operating-expense pressure
- 51% reported uneven cash flow
- NFIB January 2026 survey: uncertainty index at 100, with labor quality, taxes, and inflation still top concerns.
That is why “monthly is fine” is risky right now.
The 30-Minute Sunday Routine
Pull these six lines every Sunday:
| Line | What to export | Why |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Net sales (pre-tax) | True denominator |
| 2 | COGS + packaging | Variable cost reality |
| 3 | Labor (wages + on-costs) | Fastest-moving controllable cost |
| 4 | Channel costs (delivery, promo, payment) | Hidden margin erosion |
| 5 | Fixed costs (weekly run rate) | Survival baseline |
| 6 | Debt service + owner pay | Cash viability check |
Then calculate:
primeCostPercent = (COGS + Labor) / NetSales
cashBeforeFixed = NetSales - COGS - Labor - ChannelCosts
weeklyCashAfterAll = cashBeforeFixed - FixedCosts - DebtService - OwnerPayOne-Week Example
Assume:
- Net sales: $26,400
- COGS + packaging: $9,420
- Labor: $9,180
- Channel costs: $2,190
- Fixed costs: $4,900
- Debt service: $980
- Owner pay: $700
Results:
primeCostPercent = (9,420 + 9,180) / 26,400 = 70.5%
cashBeforeFixed = 26,400 - 9,420 - 9,180 - 2,190 = 5,610
weeklyCashAfterAll = 5,610 - 4,900 - 980 - 700 = -970The store can feel active and still burn cash.
Threshold Rules (Simple and Useful)
Use clear triggers:
weeklyCashAfterAll < 0for 2 weeks -> freeze low-margin promos and reprice top 10 low-contribution SKUs.primeCostPercent > targetfor 2 weeks -> run labor-by-daypart and yield audit before broad discounting.- Channel costs rising while in-store mix is flat -> review delivery menu structure and minimum order floor.
No complex model needed. You just need consistent weekly visibility.
Common Owner Mistakes
- Waiting for month-end to react
- Mixing sales-tax cash into real revenue
- Looking at sales volume without contribution
- Not separating channel fees from “miscellaneous expense”
- Skipping owner pay and debt in weekly planning
Copy-Paste Weekly Template
Week of:
Net Sales (pre-tax):
COGS + Packaging:
Labor (loaded):
Channel Costs:
Fixed Costs:
Debt Service:
Owner Pay:
Prime Cost %:
Weekly Cash After All:
Action for Next 7 Days:Keep this in one note, every week, same order.
Related Guides
- US Restaurant Prime Cost Calculator
- US Restaurant Labor Cost Calculator
- Break-Even Sales Calculator
- US Restaurant Pricing Audit Checklist
KitchenCost helps you run this weekly check from recipe cost to channel margin without rebuilding spreadsheets every Sunday.
Sources (checked on 2026-02-14)
- BLS CPI News Release (January 2026)
- FRED: Food Services and Drinking Places (RSFSDP)
- FRED: Food Services and Drinking Places Sales, Not Seasonally Adjusted (MRTSSM722USN)
- Federal Reserve: 2025 Report on Employer Firms
- NFIB: Small Business Optimism Increases for Second Consecutive Month (Jan 2026)
- Reddit r/restaurateur: “Can’t stay profitable”
- Reddit r/restaurantowners: “People think Restaurant owners are rich”