Use these free tools to plan your success, forecast your financial needs, optimize your menu pricing, and improve operational performance.
Find out exactly how much you need to sell daily and monthly to cover your rent, salaries, and operating expenses. Essential for setting realistic sales targets and tracking survival milestones, especially during the critical early months.
Fixed Costs: Expenses like rent, salaries, utilities that do not change with sales volume.
Average Ticket Size: Average amount each customer spends per visit.
Variable Costs: Costs like ingredients, packaging, labor that vary with sales. If unknown, we assume 50% based on industry standards.
Calculation: We divide total fixed costs by your contribution margin ratio to determine break-even sales.
Estimate the market value of your restaurant based on actual profits and annual sales. Whether planning to sell, attract investors, or simply benchmark your growth, this tool provides a quick, credible valuation range using industry-standard multiples.
Net Profit: Your profit after all business expenses, excluding owners salary.
Owner Salary: Annual salary paid to the owner that can be added back to earnings.
Owner Perks: Non-essential expenses benefiting the owner personally (e.g., car, travel).
Annual Revenue: Total sales generated by the restaurant in a year.
Calculation: We use industry-standard multiples: 1.5x–3x SDE and 0.3x–0.6x annual revenue to estimate value.
Track the total of your Cost of Goods Sold (COGS) plus Labor Costs as a percentage of sales. Keeping Prime Cost under 60% is crucial for profitability. Use this tool weekly to catch problems early and stay financially healthy.
Food/Beverage Purchases: All food and beverage inventory bought during the period.
Beginning/Ending Inventory: Value of stock at the start and end of the period.
Labor Cost: Salaries, wages, tips paid, and benefits.
Calculation: COGS + Labor Cost divided by Total Sales. Target is Prime Cost under 60%.
Calculate the total profit potential of each loyal customer by factoring in their spending habits and lifespan with your restaurant. Essential for understanding the true value of your marketing, customer service, and loyalty programs.
Average Ticket Size: How much an average customer spends per visit.
Visit Frequency: How many times the customer visits per month.
Customer Lifespan: How many months they stay loyal to your business.
Profit Margin: Your net profit percentage after all costs.
Calculation: Ticket Size × Visit Frequency × Lifespan × Profit Margin.
Measure how efficiently your seating and shift scheduling generate revenue. By optimizing seat turnover and pricing strategies, you can dramatically boost profitability without needing more space or customers.
Total Revenue: Total sales revenue during a shift or day.
Available Seats: Number of seats available during that time.
Hours Open: Total hours open for service during the period measured.
Calculation: Revenue ÷ (Seats × Hours). Higher RevPASH means better seat efficiency.
Monitor your food costs relative to sales to ensure proper menu pricing and inventory control. Keeping food cost percentages within industry standards (28–32%) directly protects your margins and cash flow.
Beginning Inventory: Value of your food stock at the start of the period.
Purchases: Food inventory bought during the period.
Ending Inventory: Value of your food stock at the end of the period.
Total Sales: Revenue from all food sold during the period.
Calculation: (Beginning Inventory + Purchases - Ending Inventory) ÷ Total Sales.
Target Food Cost %: Typically 28%–32% depending on the restaurant type.
Compare your current food cost percentage against industry benchmarks based on your restaurant type. Spot inefficiencies early and protect your bottom line.
Food Cost %: The percentage of your sales spent on food ingredients and inventory.
Benchmark Ranges: Based on segment averages. Quick Service: 25–30%. Full-Service: 28–34%. Fine Dining: 30–38%.
Goal: Keep food cost efficient while maintaining quality to protect your margins.
Evaluate your labor costs against typical industry standards for your segment. Maintain efficiency while delivering great service and controlling payroll costs.
Labor Cost %: The percentage of your sales spent on wages, salaries, benefits, and taxes for employees.
Benchmark Ranges: Quick Service: 25–30%. Full-Service: 28–35%. Fine Dining: 32–38%.
Goal: Maintain labor efficiency without compromising guest experience.
Check how often you’re turning tables compared to industry best practices. Improve seating strategies and shift planning to maximize daily revenue.
Table Turnover Rate: Number of groups (covers) served per table during a meal period.
Benchmark Ranges: Fast Food: 5–8x. Casual Dining: 3–5x. Fine Dining: 2–3x.
Goal: Maximize seating efficiency without rushing guest experience.
Calculate your net profit margin and see if your restaurant’s profitability matches or exceeds industry averages. A critical indicator for long-term success.
Net Profit: Profit after deducting all operating expenses, taxes, and interest from revenue.
Benchmark Ranges: Full-Service: 3–6%. Quick Service: 6–9%. Cafe: 5–8%.
Goal: Maintain or grow your profit margin while keeping quality and customer experience high.
This tool helps you determine how much revenue you need each day and month to cover all your operating expenses — rent, labor, food, utilities, etc.
How it works: Break-Even Sales = Fixed Costs / (1 - Variable Cost %)
Example: If fixed costs are $15,000 and variable costs are 60% of sales, your break-even is $15,000 / (1 - 0.6) = $37,500/month.
Use this to set realistic sales targets and avoid financial blind spots, especially early on.
Quickly estimate the market value of your restaurant based on your profits and sales using industry-standard valuation multiples.
How it works: Valuation = EBITDA × Industry Multiple
Example: $100,000 EBITDA × 2.5 multiple = $250,000 valuation.
Useful for investor decks, selling your business, or benchmarking value over time.
Prime Cost = Labor + Cost of Goods Sold (COGS). It is the biggest expense in restaurants and should stay under 60% of revenue.
Example: COGS $10,000 + Labor $12,000 = $22,000. On $40,000 sales, Prime Cost = 55% — healthy!
Track weekly to spot waste, overtime, or overstaffing early.
Calculate the total profit a loyal customer brings over time. Helps prioritize customer service and loyalty marketing.
Example: If a customer visits 2x/month, spends $30, and stays for 3 years, CLV = $30 × 2 × 12 × 3 = $2,160.
Use this to justify loyalty programs and retention efforts.
This shows how efficiently you are generating revenue from seating during open hours.
Formula: Total Revenue / (Seats × Hours Open)
Example: $3,000 dinner sales ÷ (40 seats × 5 hours) = $15 RevPASH
Great for shift planning and layout optimization.
Track your cost of ingredients vs sales to ensure menu pricing is profitable.
Example: Food cost $8,000 / Food sales $25,000 = 32%
Keep this between 28–32% to stay healthy. Higher? You may be over-portioning or underpricing.
Compare your current food cost percentage with industry norms for your category (e.g., fast casual, full service).
Example: You run a fast casual restaurant at 34%, while the industry average is 28–30%. Time to reassess portion sizes or supplier costs.
Evaluate your labor spending vs expected ranges in your segment. Includes payroll, tips, benefits, and tax.
Example: Labor is 35% of sales, but the average in your category is 28%. Are you overstaffed or inefficient?
Track how often each table is used during service hours. Higher rates = more sales with same space.
Example: 6 seatings/night per table is strong; under 3 may signal long waits, bottlenecks, or seating issues.
Use this to calculate your actual profit margin and compare it with what successful restaurants achieve.
Example: Net profit $5,000 / Total sales $50,000 = 10% margin. That’s solid. Industry averages vary 3–15% depending on segment.