Tag: KPIs & benchmarks
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Restaurant Food Cost by Concept: Is 33% Good or Bad?
33% food cost means nothing without the concept. QSR wants 28-32%, steakhouses run 38-42%. Real benchmarks and the tradeoffs by segment.
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Using AI in Restaurant Finance: What Actually Works (And What Doesn’t)
Where AI actually moves the needle in restaurant finance — forecasting, food cost variance, menu engineering — and where it still doesn’t.
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Restaurant Food Cost Calculator: Run the Math in Five Minutes
The actual restaurant food cost formula, worked example, and ideal-vs-actual gap analysis. Plus benchmarks by concept type.
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Restaurant Financial Dashboard: The 12 Numbers That Belong on One Screen
Twelve restaurant finance KPIs on one weekly dashboard, organized by sales, cost, profitability, and cash. Refresh cadence and benchmarks inside.
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How Much Cash Should a Restaurant Keep?
Restaurants should hold 8-12 weeks of fixed operating expenses in cash reserves. Three sizing variables, where to hold it, why most operators are under.
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The 30/30/30 Rule for Restaurants: A Simple Framework for Financial Health
The 30/30/30 rule says a healthy restaurant runs 30% food cost, 30% labor cost, and 30% overhead, leaving 10% net profit. It is a starting-point benchmark, not a target. Full-service and quick-service concepts have different natural cost mixes, and the rule is best used as a quick sanity check rather…
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How to Create a Restaurant Budget (And Actually Use It)
A working restaurant budget is a monthly forecast built from twelve months of prior sales, a defined seasonality curve, and target cost percentages by line. It is reviewed weekly, not annually. Set the budget once in December, then compare actuals against it every Monday. Deviations of 200 basis points on…
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What Percentage Should Labor Cost Be in a Restaurant?
What percentage should labor cost be in a restaurant? Target benchmarks by concept, what counts as fully loaded labor, and why you should track SPLH alongside the percentage.
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How to Read a Restaurant P&L Statement
How to read a restaurant P&L statement: the running order from net sales to net profit, what each section should be as a percentage of sales, and the benchmarks to hold them to.
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What Is a Good Profit Margin for a Restaurant?
What is a good profit margin for a restaurant? Average net margins by concept, why they are so thin, the numbers that drive them, and how to improve yours.