Hospitality management basics
Clear guides on recipe costing, food cost, margin and starting in hospitality — without unnecessary jargon.
Inventory9 min readFood waste in hospitality: one week logging what you throw shows how much you lose (and why it isn't always theft)
Hospitality waste is three things and only one may be theft. One week logging what you throw: in our example, €135 and two points of food cost.
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Inventory9 min readHow to do inventory in hospitality: count 25 products, not 250, and find the waste you don't see
How to take a hospitality inventory by counting only 20 or 30 products: last day of the month, ex-VAT, at the latest delivery note price. The gap is your waste.
Profit8 min readHow to know if your restaurant is profitable when you keep the numbers in your head
A consultant estimates that 90% of hospitality operators have no profit and loss statement. How to tell if your restaurant is profitable and which control level you are on.
Recipe costing7 min readWhat is a recipe costing (and why yours is probably out of date)
What a recipe costing is: the real cost per portion. An octopus dish you think costs €3.32 actually costs €5.78. What it includes, what it is not, and why it expires with every delivery note.
Profit4 min readWhat is food cost (and why yours is not a single number)
Food cost is ingredient cost divided by price excluding VAT. But there is a theoretical one, a real one, one per dish and one for the business. Here is the difference.
Profit6 min readA good month does not decide how much you can take: the year-to-date does
March can show €4,750 profit and €2,900 “yours”. The quarter closes at €750 profit and €2,100 less in the account. Why the cumulative figure rules.
Starting in hospitality8 min readThe first steps of your viability plan (and the mistake of starting with the premises)
The first steps to build a hospitality viability plan: concept, market, costs and break-even, with the formula and a worked example.
Profit7 min readHow to calculate your restaurant’s real profit (and how much of that money you can take)
Your bar made €4,750 in March and you can only take €2,900. How to calculate a restaurant’s real profit and know how much of that money is actually yours.
Starting in hospitality6 min readBefore starting a hospitality business, ask yourself this (it isn’t how much money you have)
Before starting a hospitality business, check whether you have the four means you need: money, craft, market and location. First step of the guide.
Recipe costing8 min readHow to cost a menu of the day
A €16 menu of the day only leaves €4.30 for starter, main and dessert. How to cost it properly and which dishes belong on the board.
Profit8 min readRestaurant numbers: why you can't fully delegate the control
How to read restaurant numbers without fully delegating them. Only 39% review profitability weekly, and 6 in 10 restaurants don't last 5 years.
Inventory7 min readDelivery note control in hospitality: how to protect your margin
A practical guide to delivery note control in hospitality: check every delivery against the order so you don't overpay and protect restaurant margin.
Profit8 min readHow often should you look at your restaurant numbers?
How often to review your restaurant numbers so two weak months don't wreck the year before you notice. Cadence, a worked example and a weekly plan.
Profit6 min readHow to design a more profitable menu
Start where the money moves, classify your dishes, and turn cost control into a routine.
Inventory6 min readTheoretical vs actual kitchen cost: why recipe costings can lie
What theoretical (paper) cost vs actual kitchen cost means, how to compare them, and which mistakes make recipe costings lie.
Profit6 min readFood cost and gross margin: how to know what you really earn on a dish
Calculate food cost and margin in euros excluding VAT, and stop treating 28% as religion.
Recipe costing7 min readHow to make a recipe costing: step-by-step guide (with a burger example)
How to make a recipe costing in six steps: scale, waste, and up-to-date prices. Burger example to get the real cost per portion.
Recipe costing6 min readHow to calculate what each dish really costs, and stop losing money without noticing
You can pack the dining room and still earn less than you think. Recipe costing, food cost and margin explained for hospitality.
Profit7 min readWhat food cost should a restaurant in Spain have?
There is no perfect percentage for everyone. 25–35% as orientation, prime cost, inventory, and how to know what product cost your model can support.