Consulting / Cost Control
Lower your food cost, bar cost and labor without cutting quality.
Prime cost is the biggest number you control. We build the systems that track every plate and every pour, then help your team run to them.
What's included
The full cost control toolkit
Actual vs. theoretical
We compare what you should have used, based on what you sold, against what you actually used. The gap is waste, theft, over-portioning or bad counts. Now you know which.
Recipe and menu costing
Every menu item costed down to the garnish, condiments and to-go packaging. Then every POS button linked to a recipe, so cost tracks itself.
Menu engineering
Price and placement based on contribution margin and popularity. Keep the stars, fix the puzzles, cut the dogs.
Bar and beverage cost
Standard pours, specs, inventory by the each, keg counts and pour cost measured against each category's own sales.
Labor modeling
Schedules built from sales forecasts and productivity targets by position and daypart, plus overtime controls.
Budgets and P&L reviews
Monthly budget vs. actual, flash reports and a weekly scorecard your managers can actually read. EBITDA at the bottom, not guesswork.
Systems we use
We work in your tools, not ours.
We're hands-on in Restaurant365, Toast and the common inventory and scheduling platforms. If you're on spreadsheets, we'll build what you need in Excel and help you grow out of it when you're ready.
We also design service-charge and commission-based pay structures that help retain staff and cut turnover, working alongside your labor attorney and CPA.
Common questions
Food and labor cost FAQ
Why is my food cost so high?
The usual suspects are portioning, waste, price creep from vendors, menu prices that haven't kept up and inaccurate inventory counts. An actual vs. theoretical report tells you which one it is instead of guessing.
What should my prime cost be?
Many full-service restaurants aim for prime cost around 60% of sales or lower, but the right target depends on your concept, price point and rent. We set targets from your own numbers, not an industry average.
Can you help if we don't use Restaurant365?
Yes. The principles are the same in any system. We'll work in what you have.
