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 23, 2026 (updated July 31, 2026)

Why Your Food Costs Keep Creeping Up

Your recipes are the same. Your menu hasn’t changed. Yet somehow, your profits seem to be shrinking compared to just half a year ago. What’s going on?*

For most small food business owners, the culprit is ingredient cost creep.[1] It’s a quiet, gradual climb in the price of making your signature dishes. Rather than a dramatic spike, it sneaks in as a few extra cents here, a subtle price bump there. Before you know it, your margins are slimmer, and it’s tough to say exactly when things started to slip.

The Most Common Culprits

There are a few usual suspects behind rising food costs:

Supplier price increases. Distributors and wholesalers regularly raise prices, sometimes with notice and sometimes without.[2] If you’re not comparing invoices over time, small increases can go unnoticed.
Seasonal ingredient shifts. Produce costs change with the seasons. An item that is affordable in summer may cost much more in winter, and vice versa.[3]
Portion drift. Maybe it’s an extra spoonful of sauce, a slightly heavier pour, or a more generous slice. These tiny tweaks might go unnoticed at first, but together they quietly chip away at your profits.
Substitutions that cost more. When a preferred ingredient isn’t available, operators often swap it out without checking the new cost. The replacement might be more expensive, which changes the cost of the whole recipe.[1]
Waste and spoilage. Every ingredient that spoils or gets tossed is money down the drain. If waste creeps up due to over-ordering, storage slip-ups, or slow-selling dishes, your cost per portion rises even if supplier prices hold steady.[4]

Why It's Hard to Catch

Cost creep isn’t about carelessness. It happens because most small food businesses lack a system that highlights these real-time price shifts, while your records lag behind.[5] Recipes evolve, but costs aren’t recalculated. The menu looks the same, but behind the scenes, your real costs are quietly changing.

To catch it, you need clear visibility: you have to know what each dish costs to make today, not what it cost months ago.

One simple way is to track your costs in a spreadsheet, setting up columns for each ingredient and updating prices as they change. If spreadsheets feel overwhelming, consider using one of the many affordable apps designed for small food businesses that let you input recipes and ingredient costs, then instantly calculate your current dish costs.

Popular options include MarketMan, meez, and Recipe Cost Calculator, each offering easy-to-use tools to help you stay on top of changing prices.[6] Even a quick weekly check using these tools can alert you to changes before they eat into your profits.

What You Can Do About It

A handful of simple habits can make all the difference:

Update ingredient costs as a simple routine: set aside a few minutes after each delivery to check invoices for price changes and update your records right away. By making this a regular habit, you catch changes quickly and keep your cost tracking up to date, rather than waiting for a quarterly review.
Recalculate your food cost percentages at least once per season, especially for items with fresh or seasonal ingredients.
Set a threshold for food cost percentage. For most small food businesses, a typical benchmark is around 30 to 35 percent of an item's selling price.[7][8][9] If a dish exceeds that range, it should trigger a pricing review.
Track waste deliberately. Even a rough tally of what gets thrown out each week can reveal patterns worth addressing.
To make this easier, try keeping a small notepad by the trash or prep station so you and your team can quickly jot down what gets discarded. Alternatively, use a five-minute staff check-in at the end of each week to discuss what was wasted the most and why.
According to VantaInsights Research, sticking with a single method for tracking food costs over several weeks can help you identify important trends without getting bogged down in every detail, since the average restaurant food cost percentage typically ranges from 28 to 35 percent.[10] It’s easier to spot when your margins start to shift, so you can step in before a small issue turns into a big headache.

Keep one step ahead of cost creep.*

Percy Plate makes it easy to update ingredient costs and instantly see how every change impacts your recipes and menu items.

Key features include automatic cost tracking, margin alerts that notify you when a dish becomes less profitable, and interactive dashboards to monitor your costs in real time. When a supplier bumps up prices, you’ll see right away how your margins are affected and what you can do about it.

If you prefer not to use Percy Plate, you can achieve similar results by setting up your own spreadsheets or using other cost management apps. The important thing is to find a method that fits your workflow and helps you stay proactive, whether you use a dedicated tool, a manual system, or something in between.

Sources

Restaurant Food Cost Management, n.d.
Surge in wholesale prices is a warning, 2026
Byrne & Sweitzer, 2024
Malefors, 2021
PlateCost -- Restaurant Cost Management Software, n.d.
Recipe Costing Software | Solutions | MarketMan, n.d.
Smit, 2026
Restaurant Food Cost Percentage: 2026 Benchmarks, 2026
What Is a Good Food Cost Percentage? -- Benchmarks by Restaurant Type, 2026
VantaInsights Research, n.d.

Related Guides

Supplier Price Tracking: How to Stop Overpaying for Ingredients Without Changing Vendors — Track supplier price increases
Actual vs. Theoretical Food Cost: Formula & Variance — Variance between expected and actual
How to Track Food Waste and Stop Losing Money — Waste as a hidden cost driver
Restaurant Inventory Management: PAR Levels, Counting, and the System That Stops Waste — Inventory system to spot cost leaks

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