Food Cost for Wix Restaurants: From Ingredients to Percentage
Direct answer: Recipe cost is the sum of each ingredient quantity multiplied by its unit cost. Food-cost percentage is recipe cost divided by selling price, multiplied by 100. Both are estimates unless quantities and costs are maintained.
The basic calculation
Suppose a burger uses 180 g of beef at $0.012 per gram, one bun at $0.55, and 20 g of sauce at $0.008 per gram. The recipe cost is $2.16 + $0.55 + $0.16 = $2.87.
At a selling price of $13.50, the recipe food-cost percentage is $2.87 ÷ $13.50 × 100 = 21.26%. This is a recipe-level operational estimate, not an accounting statement.
Keep missing cost visible
If the bun cost is missing, showing $2.32 as the complete recipe cost would be misleading. A reliable interface should label the cost incomplete until every required ingredient has a known unit cost.
Enter costs in the same base units used for stock. Convert a $12 per kilogram ingredient to $0.012 per gram before using gram-based recipes.
Modifiers and variants matter
Extra cheese adds both ingredient consumption and recipe cost. A larger portion can require a separate recipe. The menu connection must distinguish those choices so the calculation uses the correct quantities.
Wix models item variants and modifiers separately. DishStock mirrors that operational distinction when selecting a recipe connection.
Why actual food cost can differ
Purchase-price changes, waste, preparation yield, substitutions, complimentary items, and unrecorded consumption can all move actual results away from the recipe estimate.
Use theoretical recipe cost to understand the modeled dish. Use purchasing and accounting records for realized financial reporting.