A cost for every plate
Ingredient-by-ingredient costs based on your latest invoices, recipe quantities and serving sizes, including sauces, sides and garnishes you provide.
For independent restaurants, cafes & food trucks
One dish. Your numbers.
A free Profit Check.
Send one dish’s recipe, portion size, latest ingredient prices and current menu price. Our consulting chef returns its true plate cost and food-cost percentage FREE within 2 business days of receiving complete details, using only your own numbers.
One free check per restaurant. No purchase required. Choose the optional weekly newsletter on the free-check form.
Fix That Dish is a food movement connecting food rescue, chefs, farmers and home cooks. Menu costing is one offering within that wider ecosystem.
Red Seal chef30 years in professional kitchensSupplier invoices treated as confidential
The One-Dish Profit Check · Free
Start with the dish
you’re wondering about.
Before you cost the whole menu, let’s put one plate under the light.
- Send one dish’s recipe, portion size, latest ingredient prices and current menu price.
- We calculate its true plate cost and food-cost % using only your own numbers.
- You get your free check back within 2 business days of receiving complete details.
One free check per restaurant. No purchase required.
Missing a detail? We’ll ask you for it. We won’t fill the gap with a made-up price.
If the check is useful and you want to look at more dishes, the $149 CAD Starter covers up to 15 menu items. No pressure to continue.
The quiet cost of an unchanged menu
The invoice changed.
Did your menu?
You’re ordering, prepping, covering shifts and getting food out the door. A supplier price creeps up. The portion stays the same. The menu price stays the same. Your margin takes the hit.
Take this chicken example: the price rises from $4.10/lb to $4.85/lb over a few months of invoices. A 6 oz portion goes from $1.54 to $1.82.
At 300 plates a week, that’s roughly $4,400 a year coming out of your margin, with no menu price changed.
Cost your menu from the invoices up, not from memory.
What you get
Useful numbers.
In a report you can use.
Every paid costing package includes a PDF report and spreadsheet for the menu items covered by your package.
Food-cost % at your current price
See how much of each dish’s selling price goes into its ingredients. Labour, when supplied, is shown separately so it doesn’t get confused with food cost.
A selling-price reference
See what each plate would need to sell for at the food-cost target agreed during intake. Full Menu packages also include repricing recommendations.
Clear inputs and assumptions
Follow the portion sizes, purchase units and yield information behind the calculation. Anything missing is flagged and checked with you.
A readable PDF
A clear summary you can sit down with, share with your team and use when reviewing your menu.
A working spreadsheet
The item-level breakdown behind the report, with your ingredient prices and portion calculations in view.
Inside the report
See what’s behind
the plate cost.
The useful part isn’t just the total. It’s being able to see what went into it.
Your report connects supplier prices to recipe quantities, portion costs, your current menu price and a selling-price reference. You can follow the calculation and see what needs attention.
This preview uses the same supplied chicken example. Your report will use your own menu and numbers.
Choose your starting point
A few key dishes.
Or the whole menu.
All package prices are in CAD. Start with intake; we send payment instructions afterwards.
A focused start
Menu Costing Starter
$149 CAD
Up to 15 menu items
Best for: A small menu or the dishes you want to get clear on first.
- Item-by-item plate costing
- Food-cost % and selling-price references
- PDF report + spreadsheet
The broader picture
Menu Costing Full Menu
$279 CAD
Up to 35 menu items
Best for: Owners ready to review costs and make informed repricing decisions across the menu.
- Everything in Starter, across more items
- Repricing recommendations
- PDF report + spreadsheet
Keep an eye on changing costs
Menu Costing Full Menu + Recheck
$449 CAD
Full Menu + a 90-day re-cost
Best for: Owners who want a full review now and a fresh look when supplier prices have had time to move.
- Full Menu costing for up to 35 items
- Repricing recommendations
- A 90-day re-cost using updated information
- PDF report + spreadsheet
Menu Engineering
Bring your item-level sales quantities and menu costs together to see which dishes are popular, which contribute more after ingredient costs, and where the menu deserves attention.
Best for: Owners who want to use both popularity and contribution to guide menu decisions. Share your sales data alongside current costing, or add engineering to a costing package.
Paid costing turnaround: 5 business days after payment and complete intake. After intake review, we send a secure Stripe checkout link for the confirmed package. Interac e-Transfer is also available in Canada.
How it works
You send the kitchen details.
We do the costing.
Send 3 things
Your menu, recipes or portion specs, and latest supplier invoices. We check the details, clarify gaps and send payment instructions after intake.
We cost it
Our consulting chef works through your ingredients, quantities, portions and supplied yields, then connects those costs to your menu prices.
Your report in 5 business days
Once payment and complete intake are received, we prepare your PDF and spreadsheet so you can review the numbers and decide what changes make sense.
Meet our consulting chef
Erik Hoflick.
A chef who knows the work.
Costing has to make sense in a real kitchen. Our consulting chef, Erik Hoflick, brings 30 years in professional kitchens to the details behind your menu.
From prep and portions to supplier invoices, he knows the work that sits behind a finished plate. The aim is practical: give you numbers you can understand and use.
- Red Seal chef
- 30 years in professional kitchens
- Voted Best Chef in the Kawarthas five consecutive years
- Founder of Sous Casa Catering
Fix That Dish is a food movement connecting food rescue, chefs, farmers and home cooks. Our menu costing service is part of that wider work. We direct 2% of profits to hunger relief through the Fix That Life Fund.
Questions from the kitchen
A few things
you might be asking.
How long does paid menu costing take?
Paid costing is delivered within 5 business days after we receive payment and your complete menu, recipe or portion information, and latest supplier invoices. We flag missing details during intake so you know what’s needed before the clock starts.
What files do I need to send?
Send your menu with current selling prices, your recipes or portion specs, and your latest supplier invoices. PDFs, spreadsheets, documents and clear photos are fine as long as we can read the quantities, pack sizes and prices. Include sides, sauces and garnishes. For Menu Engineering, we also need item-level sales quantities for the period we agree to review.
Are my supplier invoices confidential?
Yes. We treat your invoices, recipes and pricing as confidential information for your costing work. They are not used as public examples or marketing material without your permission.
What if something needs revising?
If the report doesn’t reflect the information you supplied, tell us so we can correct it. If you change a recipe, portion, invoice or menu after costing, we’ll confirm the scope of any additional work with you before proceeding. The Full Menu + Recheck package includes a 90-day re-cost using updated information.
When and how do I pay?
Start with the intake form. We review your details and send payment instructions afterwards. We send a secure Stripe checkout link for the confirmed package. Interac e-Transfer is also available in Canada. All package prices are in CAD.
Can you work with a restaurant outside Canada?
Yes. The service is remote and available worldwide. Send your ingredient prices and menu prices in your operating currency, with units clearly marked. We confirm currency and measurement details during intake. Service package prices are in CAD.
How does the free One-Dish Profit Check work?
Send one dish’s recipe, portion size, latest ingredient prices and current menu price through the free-check form. We use only your own numbers to return that dish’s true plate cost and food-cost % within 2 business days of receiving complete details. One free check per restaurant. No purchase is required.
What if my recipes aren’t written down?
Start with the portion specs you use in the kitchen. We’ll clarify what’s missing, including batch quantities, finished yield and serving size. We need enough detail to cost the actual plate, so we won’t invent quantities to fill gaps.
Does food-cost % tell me my profit?
Food-cost % shows ingredient cost as a share of the dish’s selling price. It doesn’t account for every business expense. Labour, rent, utilities and other overhead still matter. We keep ingredient costs and any supplied labour costs separate, and use the food-cost target agreed with you for selling-price references.
Can I get the free weekly Fix That Dish letter?
Yes. Our weekly letter is a 5-minute read for restaurant owners and chefs, with food lovers welcome. It includes This Week in Food & Hospitality, From the Movement, and The Costing Corner in our consulting chef’s voice. On any of our forms, you can choose this optional newsletter opt-in: Send me the free weekly Fix That Dish letter — what's happening and trending in food, beverage & hospitality, plus one menu-costing lesson for owners. Subscribing is optional and separate from tool-waitlist updates.
What’s the difference between costing and Menu Engineering?
Costing shows what a dish costs to make and how that compares with its selling price. Menu Engineering adds item-level sales quantities to review popularity and contribution after ingredient costs. It helps you consider what to feature, review or rework across the menu.
Coming soon
Our self-serve menu costing tool — $20/month.
Join the founder waitlist.
The tool is coming soon. Done-for-you costing is available now.
Let’s put your numbers on the table
Start with one dish.
See what it actually costs.
Send your recipe, portion size, latest ingredient prices and current menu price. We return your true plate cost and food-cost percentage FREE within 2 business days of receiving complete details.
One free check per restaurant. No purchase required. If you want help with more dishes afterwards, the $149 CAD Starter is there when you’re ready.