Percy Plate is a web-based food cost calculator for food trucks, caterers, cottage food producers, and small restaurant owners. It lets you enter your ingredients and what you pay for them, build recipes, and instantly see the cost per serving and recommended sell price based on your target food cost percentage.

Yes. Percy Plate has a free plan that lets you create up to 10 ingredients and 5 recipes to calculate food cost. A paid subscription ($14.99/month or $119.99/year) unlocks unlimited ingredients and recipes plus inventory tracking, revenue reporting, menu engineering, Prime Cost, AI invoice scanning, FDA nutrition facts labels, FDA ingredient labels, and label printing.

How does Percy Plate calculate food cost?

You enter each ingredient, the unit you buy it in (lb, oz, gallon, etc.), and what you pay per unit. When you build a recipe, Percy Plate converts the recipe quantities to your purchase units, calculates the cost of each ingredient used, and divides by the number of servings to give you a cost per serving. It also shows the food cost percentage and a suggested sell price.

Can Percy Plate generate nutrition facts labels?

Yes. Percy Plate can look up nutrition data from the USDA FoodData Central database for each ingredient, then automatically calculate the per-serving nutrition for a recipe. It generates an FDA-format Nutrition Facts panel that can be printed directly to thermal labels (Brother, Dymo, Zebra) or Avery sheet labels in sizes 2x4 inch and 3.33x4 inch.

Can Percy Plate generate an ingredient list label?

Yes. Percy Plate generates an FDA-compliant ingredient label that lists ingredients by weight (heaviest first), automatically detects the top 9 FDA allergens, and includes your business name and net weight. Labels can be printed to thermal printers or Avery sheet labels.

What label printers work with Percy Plate?

Percy Plate supports thermal label printers including Brother QL series (DK-1202 2x4 inch labels), Dymo LabelWriter (30334 and similar), and Zebra desktop printers. It also supports Avery 5163 (2x4 inch) and Avery 5164 (3.33x4 inch) sheet labels for standard desktop printers.

Who is Percy Plate designed for?

Percy Plate is designed for small food business owners including food truck operators, cottage food producers, caterers, small restaurant owners, and anyone who sells homemade or prepared food and needs to track ingredient costs, price their menu, and produce product labels.

Does Percy Plate work on mobile?

Yes. Percy Plate is a web application that works on any device with a modern browser, including phones and tablets. You can look up ingredient costs, update recipe quantities, and check your food cost percentage from anywhere.

How do you calculate food cost percentage?

Food cost percentage = (ingredient cost per serving ÷ menu price) × 100. For example, if your ingredients cost $3.50 and you sell the dish for $12.00, your food cost percentage is 29.2%. Most food businesses target 28–35%. To set a price from a target, divide ingredient cost by your target: $3.50 ÷ 0.30 = $11.67 suggested price at 30% food cost.

What is a good food cost percentage for a small food business or bakery?

Most food businesses target a food cost percentage between 28% and 35%. Bakeries and cottage food producers often achieve lower food cost percentages (20–28%) because flour, sugar, and butter are inexpensive relative to retail prices. Full-service restaurants tend to run 30–35%. The right target depends on your labor costs, overhead, and pricing power in your market.

How do I calculate the cost per serving of a recipe?

Add up the ingredient cost for the full batch, then divide by the number of servings. For each ingredient, multiply the quantity used by the cost per unit (converting units as needed). For example: 8 oz flour at $0.89/lb = $0.89 ÷ 16 × 8 = $0.44. Sum all ingredient costs, then divide by servings. Percy Plate does this calculation automatically once you enter your ingredient prices and recipe quantities.

How does yield percentage affect recipe costing?

Yield percentage accounts for trim loss, cooking shrinkage, and waste. If you buy 1 lb of chicken but only 0.75 lb is usable after trimming, your yield is 75%. To get accurate food costs, divide the as-purchased cost by the yield percentage: $4.00/lb ÷ 0.75 = $5.33 per usable pound. Percy Plate lets you set a yield percentage (AP to EP) on any ingredient so your recipe costs reflect what you actually use.

What is the best recipe costing software for a small food business?

The best recipe costing software for a small food business depends on your needs. Percy Plate ($14.99/month) is built specifically for cottage food producers, food trucks, caterers, and small restaurants — it includes recipe costing, menu pricing, FDA ingredient labels, nutrition facts labels, inventory tracking, and revenue reporting. Competitors like meez start at $24/month and scale to $199/month. Square and Toast do not include recipe costing natively.

Is there free recipe costing software for home bakers or cottage food businesses?

Yes. Percy Plate has a free plan that includes recipe food cost calculation and menu pricing suggestions. The free plan lets you create up to 10 ingredients and 5 recipes. For unlimited recipes, FDA labels, nutrition facts, and inventory tracking, the paid plan is $14.99/month or $119.99/year. No credit card is required to start.

How do I price homemade baked goods to make a profit?

Start with your ingredient cost per batch, then divide by the number of units to get ingredient cost per item. Add packaging (boxes, bags, labels) as a per-unit cost. Then set a target food cost percentage — most cottage food bakers aim for 25–35% — and divide your total ingredient cost by that percentage to get a minimum price. For example: $0.85 ingredient cost per cookie ÷ 0.30 = $2.83 minimum price at 30% food cost. Factor in your time and overhead to ensure you are actually profitable, not just covering ingredients.

What are the labeling requirements for cottage food products?

Most states require cottage food labels to include: (1) the product name, (2) your name and home address, (3) a list of ingredients in descending order by weight, (4) a disclosure statement such as 'Made in a home kitchen not inspected by the state or local health department,' and (5) allergen declarations for any of the 9 major FDA allergens present. Some states also require net weight. Requirements vary by state — check your state's cottage food law for specifics. Nutrition Facts panels are generally not required for cottage food operations below a certain revenue threshold.

Do I need a nutrition facts label on my cottage food products?

Most cottage food producers are exempt from FDA Nutrition Facts label requirements under the small business exemption (fewer than 100 full-time employees and fewer than 100,000 units sold annually). However, you must still list ingredients in descending order by weight and declare all major allergens. Some states impose additional requirements. When in doubt, check your state's cottage food law and the FDA's small business labeling exemptions.

What allergens must I disclose on a homemade food label?

FDA requires disclosure of 9 major food allergens: milk, eggs, fish, shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, soybeans, and sesame. These must be declared on all food labels, including cottage food products — even if a full Nutrition Facts panel is not required. The standard format is a 'Contains:' statement after the ingredient list, for example: 'Contains: Wheat, Eggs, Milk.' Percy Plate detects all 9 allergens automatically from your ingredient names.

How do I create a nutrition facts label for homemade food?

To create a Nutrition Facts label for homemade food: (1) look up the nutrition data for each ingredient using the USDA FoodData Central database, (2) calculate the per-serving amounts for calories, fat, carbohydrates, protein, sodium, and other nutrients, (3) format the panel according to FDA guidelines with serving size, servings per container, and daily value percentages. Percy Plate automates this — it looks up USDA nutrition data for your ingredients, calculates per-serving totals, and generates a print-ready FDA-format Nutrition Facts label for thermal or sheet labels.

How do I list ingredients in the correct order on a food label?

FDA regulations require ingredients to be listed in descending order by weight — the ingredient present in the greatest amount by weight must appear first. For example, if your muffin contains more flour than sugar, flour must be listed first. Sub-ingredients (like those in a chocolate chip) must be listed in parentheses immediately after the component. Percy Plate sorts ingredients automatically by weight when generating your label.

What information is required on a homemade food product label?

A complete homemade food label generally requires: (1) the name of the food, (2) the net quantity (weight or count), (3) an ingredient list in descending order by weight, (4) allergen declarations for all 9 major FDA allergens, (5) your business name and address, and (6) for cottage food specifically, a state-required disclosure statement such as 'Made in a home kitchen not inspected by the state health department.' Nutrition Facts panels are usually optional for small cottage food producers below certain revenue thresholds.

By Heidi Macomber · July 9, 2026 (updated July 28, 2026)

Food Truck Food Cost Percentage Benchmark: What Should Yours Be?

If you run a food truck, your food cost percentage is the single most important number in your business. The industry benchmark for food trucks is 25-32% of total sales. If you're spending more than a third of your revenue on ingredients, your margins are quietly disappearing. Here's how to calculate yours, compare it to the benchmark, and fix it if it's too high.

The Quick Answer: Food Truck Food Cost Benchmarks

Most food trucks should aim for a food cost percentage between 25% and 32% of total sales. Here's how that breaks down by category:

Food Truck Type	Ideal Food Cost %	Typical Range
Tacos / Mexican	25-28%	22-32%
Burgers / Sandwiches	28-32%	25-35%
BBQ	30-35%	28-38%
Pizza	28-32%	25-35%
Coffee / Beverages	20-25%	15-30%
Ice Cream / Desserts	25-30%	20-35%
Asian / Noodles	25-30%	22-33%

BBQ and burger trucks tend to run higher food costs because proteins are expensive. Coffee and beverage trucks run the lowest because drinks have massive markups. Knowing where you fall on this spectrum tells you whether your costs are actually a problem or just the nature of your menu.

How to Calculate Your Food Truck's Food Cost Percentage

The formula is straightforward:

Food Cost Percentage = (Cost of Ingredients Sold / Total Food Sales) x 100

For example, if you sell $4,000 worth of food in a week and the ingredients for that food cost you $1,120:

$1,120 / $4,000 = 0.28 x 100 = 28%

That's right in the sweet spot. Here's a more detailed way to calculate it over a period (like a month):

Beginning Inventory + Purchases - Ending Inventory = Cost of Goods Used
Cost of Goods Used / Total Sales x 100 = Food Cost Percentage

So if you start the month with $800 in inventory, buy $3,200 more during the month, and end with $600 left: your cost of goods used is $3,400. If you sold $12,000 that month, your food cost percentage is $3,400 / $12,000 = 28.3%.

Per-Dish Food Cost vs. Overall Food Cost

There are actually two numbers you need to track, and confusing them is one of the most common mistakes food truck owners make.

Per-dish food cost percentage tells you how profitable each menu item is. You calculate it by dividing the ingredient cost of one serving by its menu price. If your taco costs $1.75 to make and you sell it for $6.00, the per-dish food cost is 29%.

Overall food cost percentage tells you how your entire operation is performing. It accounts for waste, spoilage, portion drift, and employee meals. This number is always higher than your theoretical per-dish cost because real-world losses add up.

The gap between these two numbers is called food cost variance, and tracking it is how successful food trucks find money they're losing without realizing it. A variance of 3-5% is normal. Anything above 5% means you're throwing away profit.

Why Food Trucks Have Different Benchmarks Than Restaurants

Food trucks operate differently from brick-and-mortar restaurants in several ways that affect food cost:

Smaller menu = less waste, but less ability to spread high-cost items across a broad menu
Limited storage = more frequent purchasing, which can mean less bulk discount
Portion consistency is harder in a tight kitchen, leading to portion drift
Weather and event dependency means you can't always predict volume, leading to over-purchasing

Full-service restaurants typically target 28-35% food cost. Food trucks can often run slightly lower (25-32%) because they have lower labor costs and overhead, meaning a higher percentage of each dollar is available to cover ingredients.

5 Signs Your Food Cost Percentage Is Too High

Your highest-selling item has a food cost above 35%. This drags your entire average up. Either re-engineer the recipe or raise the price.
You're not tracking waste. Every burnt burger, dropped taco, and spoiled ingredient is food cost with zero revenue. Most food trucks lose 2-4% of their food cost to untracked waste.
Your portions are inconsistent. If one cook puts 4 oz of cheese on a taco and another puts 6 oz, your food cost swings wildly. Use portion cups and scoops.
You're buying from too many suppliers. Consolidating purchases with 1-2 suppliers gets you volume discounts and reduces the time spent managing orders.
You haven't costed a recipe in months. Supplier prices change. If you priced your menu six months ago and haven't updated ingredient costs since, your margins have likely shrunk.

How to Lower Your Food Cost Percentage

If your number is above 32%, here are the highest-impact fixes, in order:

Re-cost your top 5 sellers. These items account for 60-80% of your revenue. Update their ingredient costs to current supplier prices and recalculate.
Engineer your menu. Push your highest-margin items. Move them to the top of the menu board, bundle them with drinks, and train staff to recommend them.
Track waste daily. Keep a simple log of what gets thrown away and why. Patterns emerge fast: a supplier sending bad produce, a prep cook over-portioning, a recipe that's too complex to execute consistently.
Renegotiate with suppliers. If you've been buying from the same distributor for a year, ask for better pricing. Restaurant Depot, Sysco, and US Foods all negotiate, especially if you can commit to weekly volume.
Raise prices strategically. A 50-cent increase on your most popular item, if it doesn't kill sales volume, drops your food cost percentage immediately. Most food truck customers won't notice a small increase on an item they already love.

The Bottom Line

Your food cost percentage is the heartbeat of your food truck. If it's between 25-32%, you're healthy. Above 35%, you're bleeding. The only way to know for sure is to calculate it consistently: and that means knowing your ingredient costs down to the penny.

That's exactly what Percy Plate does. You enter your ingredients and supplier prices once, and every recipe cost is calculated automatically. When supplier prices change, you update one number and every affected recipe recalculates instantly. Start free at percyplate.com: no credit card required.

Related Guides

Restaurant Food Cost Percentage Benchmarks for 2026 — General restaurant benchmarks for 2026
What's a Good Food Cost Percentage for My Business? — What a good percentage looks like
Opening a Food Truck: The Costs Nobody Warns You About — Full food truck startup cost breakdown
How to Calculate Food Cost Percentage: A Complete Guide for Restaurants — How to calculate food cost percentage

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