How much do menu items, from idea to inception, cost a restaurant? Typically, chefs aim for their overall food costs to hover around 30%, but in some cases, as seen below, that number is significantly higher. Despite a shift in diners’ desire for higher-quality, locally sourced and seasonal ingredients, most menu prices have not kept pace with rising overhead costs, an increasingly competitive market and the significant prep labor some dishes can require. Since the pandemic, the food cost squeeze has been amplified due to supply chain issues and price spikes on staples such as cheese and flour. We present a local sampling of entrees broken down by costs to better understand the bang behind the buck.
Mantu's Lamb Chopen Kebab (Photo by Justin Chesney)
Lamb Chopen Kebab, $32
Rack of lamb, $12
Onion, green and red pepper, garlic, purple cabbage, $3
Cumin and sumac, 50 cents
Corn oil, 50 cents
Prep labor, $5
Total food/prep cost: $21
Food cost: 53%
Saison's The Rundown (Photo by Justin Chesney)
The Rundown, $24
Coconut milk, 75 cents
Onion, ginger, garlic, habanero, chipotle, 50 cents
Turmeric, allspice, thyme, 25 cents
Sweet potato, 25 cents
Regionally sourced seafood (3 ounces each)
- Mussels, $1.05
- Shrimp, $1.90
- Catfish, 84 cents
- Monkfish, 93 cents
- Rockfish, $1.31
Prep labor, $2
Total food/prep cost: $9.78
Food cost: 40.7%
Brenner Pass' Fondue Burger (Photo by Justin Chesney)
Fondue Burger, $16
House-made bun, 70 cents
Seven Hills beef, $1.38
Fondue, $1
Speck, 14 cents
Mayonnaise, 3 cents
Dijon, 6 cents
Cornichon, 3 cents
Manakintowne Farms frisee, 49 cents
Potato, 14 cents
Labor, $6.40
Total food/prep cost, $10.37
Food cost: 65%
People's Pie's Tomato Pie (Photo by Justin Chesney)
Tomato Pie, $12
Flour, 85 cents
Dough starter, 50 cents
Bianco Di Napoli tomatoes, 55 cents
Local tomatoes, $2
Pimento cheese, $1.20
Young pecorino, 65 cents
Seasoning, 25 cents
Pizza box, 25 cents
Prep labor, $1.75
Total food/prep cost: $8
Food cost: 67%
Hobnob's Shrimp & Grits (Photo by Jay Paul)
Shrimp & Grits, $19
Nine shrimp, $2.22
Smithfield bacon cream sauce, $1.79
Ashland Mills Gouda grits, 69 cents
Tomato bruschetta with Village Garden cherry tomatoes, $1.52
Prep labor, $2.25
Total food/prep cost: $8.47
Food cost: 44.5%
