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Restaurant Prime Cost
Calculator

Prime cost — food cost plus labor — is the most important number on your P&L. Enter your weekly numbers below and see where you stand against industry benchmarks.

Free tool. No signup required.

Industry Target Range
55–65%
Full-service restaurant prime cost benchmark
Food Cost Target
28–32%
Labor Cost Target
28–35%
Above 65% = action needed
⚠ Review
Below 55% = exceptional
Top quartile

Enter Your Numbers

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Your Prime Cost
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Enter your numbers above
Food Cost %
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Labor Cost %
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Industry Benchmarks

Full-Service Restaurant
55–65%
Fast Casual
55–62%
Quick Service
52–60%
Bar / Nightclub
45–55%
Fine Dining
55–65%
Enter numbers to see your position
What moves prime cost
Scheduling discipline reduces labor 1–3%
Receiving accuracy closes food cost 0.5–2%
Waste tracking finds another 0.5–1.5%
Overtime prevention saves $8–15k/year typically
What is it
Food cost + labor cost, as % of revenue.
Your two largest controllable costs in one number. If you only track one metric, this is it.
Target range
Below 65% for full-service. Below 60% is strong.
Above 65% means food, labor, or both need attention. Below 55% puts you in the top quartile.
How to improve it
Scheduling discipline, receiving accuracy, waste tracking.
A 2% improvement on a $1.5M restaurant is $30k/year — no headcount cuts required.

Track prime cost live
with hardt.

The hardt. ops dashboard shows your labor percentage and COGS updated in real time as people clock in and deliveries are confirmed — not after payroll closes.

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