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 · June 16, 2026 (updated September 1, 2026)

Note: PlateCosts was rebranded to Percy Plate. This article has been updated to reflect the new name.

What Is Percy Plate? A Recipe Cost Calculator Built for Real Food Businesses

How do you figure out your food costs? If you're new to the food truck business, you might not have thought about this yet. You've got your truck, permits, insurance, marketing, menu, and events lined up. Making a profit seemed simple--just get started and the money will follow, right? But after a few events, you notice your costs and budget start to change. Suddenly, you're sorting through all those receipts. If this sounds like you, keep reading. We have a solution.

Percy Plate takes the guesswork out of pricing. Just enter your ingredient prices and recipes, and it calculates your exact food costs and suggests menu prices in minutes. You can feel confident in every decision.

Find out how Percy Plate can make your kitchen run more smoothly.

Step 1: Enter Your Ingredient Costs

Add your ingredients and their prices. Percy Plate will calculate the costs and save them for your recipes.

Tracking bulk costs is easy. Just enter the price and size, and Percy Plate will convert the units for you.

You can sort ingredients by category, track your suppliers, and keep all your costs organized in one place.

Step 2: Build Your Recipes

Choose your ingredients and amounts. Percy Plate will show you the cost per portion and update it as you go.

Percy Plate converts ingredient units for you automatically.

Nest recipes to keep costs accurate.

Step 3: Set Your Menu Prices

As you edit, you'll see your costs, get smart price suggestions, and watch your margins update in real time.

You can instantly see your profit per serving and check the health of your food costs.

Want the full picture? Food cost is only half the story — labor eats into your margin too. Try the Prime Cost Calculator to see food cost and labor cost combined as one number, the same way restaurant operators track profitability.

Price Change Alerts

If ingredient prices go up, you'll get instant alerts that show which recipes and margins are affected.

Ingredient Label Generator

Percy Plate creates ingredient labels that meet FDA requirements and include allergen information.

This feature is available with a subscription.

Nutrition Label Generator

Percy Plate makes a nutrition label for every recipe.

This is perfect for packaged-food sellers who need nutrition information. You don't need to hire a nutritionist.

This feature is available with a subscription.

Batch Scaler

Just enter your batch size, and Percy Plate will scale the recipe for you. You can get a shopping list and copy it with one tap.

This feature is available with a subscription.

How Much Does It Cost?

You can try Percy Plate for free with a free account. Add your first ingredient and cost your first recipe in less than five minutes.

Plan	Price	What's included
Free	$0 forever	10 ingredients, 5 recipes
Monthly	$14.99/month	Unlimited ingredients & recipes, plus inventory tracking, revenue reporting, FDA labels, and nutrition facts
Annual	$119.99/year (~$10/mo.)	Everything in Monthly, save 33%

You can cancel any paid plan at any time. There are no contracts or hidden fees.

See the full breakdown of what's included in each plan, including inventory tracking, revenue reporting, and FDA labels, on the pricing page.

Who It's For

Percy Plate is designed for independent food business owners who manage their own costs, like food trucks, coffee trailers, cafés, small restaurants, caterers, and cottage food businesses. If you're using a spreadsheet, a notebook, or just guessing, Percy Plate will save you time and help you find margins you might be missing.

Get started for free today at percyplate.com.

Related Guides

Recipe Costing 101: How to Cost Out Any Recipe for Profit — Recipe costing fundamentals
Plate Costing: How to Cost a Plate Down to the Cent (Without Losing Your Mind) — Plate costing method
Free Food Cost Spreadsheet Template (And Why You Will Outgrow It) — Why spreadsheets fall short
How to Calculate Food Costs for Your Small Food Business — Small business food cost basics

Stop guessing what your dishes cost.

Percy Plate calculates recipe costs, menu prices, and FDA-compliant labels for food businesses. Free to start.

Create your free account

View this article in the app: https://percyplate.com/blog/what-is-platecosts-a-food-cost-calculator-built-for-real-food-businesses