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.

The Par Level Formula: How to Stop Running Out (and Stop Overordering)

By Heidi Macomber · July 27, 2026 (updated July 31, 2026)

Running out of your top-selling ingredient on a Friday night is a special kind of misery. So is throwing away half a case of cilantro because you ordered double what you needed. The par level formula is how you avoid both. Here's the actual math, with worked examples, and the three numbers you need to get right.

What Is a Par Level?

A par level is the minimum quantity of an ingredient you need to have on hand to get through until your next delivery arrives without running out. Hit that number and you reorder. Drop below it and you're on borrowed time.

Think of it as a reorder trigger, not a target. When your on-hand inventory falls to par, you place an order. The par is the floor. You're not trying to keep your shelves exactly at par every day. You're trying to never fall below it.

The trick is getting the number right. Set par too high and you're sitting on product you paid for but aren't using, watching it spoil or take up space you don't have. Set it too low and you're 86-ing your best seller on the busiest night of the week.

The Par Level Formula

Here it is:

Par level = (Average daily usage × Delivery lead time in days) + Safety stock

Three inputs. Two you can pull from your own numbers. One requires a judgment call.

Let's break them down.

Input 1: Average daily usage

How much of this ingredient do you actually go through on a normal day? Not your busiest day, not your slowest. An average.

Take the last four weeks of usage for that item. Add it all up. Divide by 28 (the number of days). That's your average daily usage.

If you used 140 pounds of chicken thighs over the last four weeks, your average daily usage is 5 pounds.

One mistake here: don't use a one-week average. Weeks vary. A week with a holiday or a slow Tuesday skews the number. Four weeks gives you a baseline that absorbs the normal ups and down of a real month.

Input 2: Delivery lead time

How many days between when you place an order and when it shows up on your back dock?

If you order Monday and the truck arrives Wednesday, your lead time is 2 days. If you order from a specialty supplier who delivers every Thursday, your lead time depends on what day it is. Order on Friday and you're waiting 6 days. Order on Wednesday and you're waiting 1.

For most items, use your typical lead time. For suppliers with long gaps between delivery days, use the worst-case lead time (the longest you'd ever wait). It's better to carry slightly more of an item than to run out because you planned for a best-case scenario that didn't happen.

Input 3: Safety stock

This is your insurance against the unpredictable. The Friday-night rush you didn't see coming. The supplier truck that breaks down. The cook who drops a full hotel pan of prepped onions.

There's no single rule for safety stock because it depends on how much variance you can tolerate. A reasonable starting point is 20 to 30 percent of your lead-time usage. If the math says you'll use 10 pounds during the lead time, carry 2 to 3 extra pounds as a buffer.

For items you absolutely cannot run out of (your signature protein, the burger buns, the one sauce everything depends on), push safety stock higher. For items where a stockout is annoying but not catastrophic (that specialty garnish, the third flavor of syrup), you can run it leaner.

A Worked Example: Chicken Thighs

Let's run the formula on a real ingredient.

The setup:

Average daily usage: 5 pounds (140 lb over 28 days)
Delivery lead time: 2 days (you order Monday, truck arrives Wednesday)
Safety stock: 25% of lead-time usage

Step 1: Lead-time usage = 5 lb/day × 2 days = 10 pounds

Step 2: Safety stock = 10 lb × 0.25 = 2.5 pounds

Step 3: Par level = 10 + 2.5 = 12.5 pounds

When your chicken thigh inventory drops to 12 or 13 pounds, you reorder. That gives you enough to get through the 2-day lead time, plus a cushion for a busier-than-average stretch or a minor mishap.

Round it. Nobody counts 12.5 pounds of chicken thighs. Call it 12 or 13 and move on.

Another Example: Burger Buns

Buns are different because they come in cases, not by the pound, and because running out of buns on a burger menu is a full-blown emergency.

The setup:

Average daily usage: 80 buns (2,240 over 28 days)
Delivery lead time: 3 days (your bakery delivers twice a week)
Safety stock: 30% of lead-time usage (higher, because buns are critical and the bakery is less flexible than your protein supplier)

Step 1: Lead-time usage = 80/day × 3 days = 240 buns

Step 2: Safety stock = 240 × 0.30 = 72 buns

Step 3: Par level = 240 + 72 = 312 buns

Round up to 320 (two full cases of 160) so you're ordering in whole cases and have a clean reorder number.

When you're down to roughly 320 buns, place the next order. You'll have enough for the 3-day wait, plus enough cushion to survive a Friday that goes sideways.

The Two Numbers That Ruin Par Levels

The formula is simple. The inputs are where it falls apart.

Mistake 1: Using last week's usage as your "average"

One week of data isn't an average. It's a snapshot. A rainy week, a holiday, a local event that doubled your foot traffic: any of these will give you a usage number that doesn't reflect reality.

Use four weeks minimum. If you have seasonal swings (lunch traffic dies in summer, catering picks up in December), recalculate at the start of each season. A par level set in January will get you in trouble by July if your volume has shifted.

Mistake 2: Underestimating lead time

This one bites people when a supplier changes their delivery schedule or a new supplier takes longer than promised. Your par level assumed a 2-day lead time. The new vendor takes 4. Now your buffer is half what it should be and you're scrambling.

Recheck lead times whenever you change suppliers, and at least twice a year for your existing ones. Suppliers quietly change their routes. Your par level should reflect what's actually happening, not what was happening when you first set it.

How Often Should You Recalculate?

For your top five items by volume and cost, recalculate par levels monthly. These are the ingredients where a wrong number costs you the most: either in lost sales or in wasted product.

For everything else, review quarterly. And any time something changes: a new menu item, a different supplier, a shift in your sales mix: redo the math for the affected items.

Par levels aren't set-and-forget. They're a moving target because your business is moving. The formula gives you a defensible number. Recalculating keeps that number honest.

What Good Inventory Software Does Here

You can track par levels on a clipboard and a whiteboard. A lot of kitchens do. It works until you have more than 20 items to track, or until someone forgets to write down what they counted.

Percy Plate handles the parts that make par-level management painful manually:

Tracks usage automatically as you log recipe production and sales, so your average daily usage is always based on real data, not a guess from last month
Flags items that have dropped below par on your prep sheet, so your team knows what to order without a separate inventory meeting
Adjusts suggested pars as your sales volume changes, so you're not running January numbers in July
Shows par levels alongside actual counts and cost, so you can see at a glance which items are overstocked (tying up cash) and which are at risk (about to run out)

The point isn't replacing your walk-in count. It's making sure the number you reorder at is based on what you're actually using, not a figure someone wrote on a spreadsheet 18 months ago and nobody has touched since.

Start With Your Top Five

Don't try to set par levels for every ingredient today. Pick your top five items by volume. These are the ones where a stockout hurts the most and where overordering wastes the most money.

For each one: pull four weeks of usage data. Check your real lead time. Decide on a safety stock percentage that matches how bad a stockout would be. Run the formula. Write the par level on your order sheet.

The first time your prep cook hits that number and reorders without you having to chase it, you'll understand why this matters. Par levels aren't glamorous. But a kitchen that orders the right amount at the right time runs smoother, wastes less, and stops relying on the owner's memory to catch the next shortage.

Related Guides

Restaurant Inventory Management: PAR Levels, Counting, and the System That Stops Waste — Full inventory management system
Restaurant Inventory Management and Par Levels: A Practical Guide — Practical par level setup guide
How to Track Food Waste and Stop Losing Money — Waste tracking to cut losses
Supplier Price Tracking: How to Stop Overpaying for Ingredients Without Changing Vendors — Vendor price tracking strategies

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