Eleven calculators, five printable checklists, an Excel sheet and a set of reference cards. The same tools we run operations with, free.
Every tool here is one we ran real operations with, built as a simple calculator or in Excel, with no signup to use the calculators. Start with prime cost. If that number is right, most other problems get smaller on their own.
Calculators
Each one shows the number, the benchmark for your concept, and what the gap is worth in dollars. Load the sample numbers to see how it works, then enter your own.
Type in sales, food, beverage and labor cost and see your prime cost percent against benchmarks for your concept, plus what each point is worth in dollars over a year.
Open the calculator Read the prime cost guideTurn an inventory count and a stack of invoices into your food cost percent, see the gap to target in dollars a year, and check any plate against its menu price.
Open the calculator Read the food cost guideAll-in labor percent split by front of house, kitchen, management and burden, with sales per labor hour and the gap to target in dollars and in hours.
Open the calculator Read the labor cost guideFixed costs and contribution margin become the sales you need per month, per day and per cover to break even, and what it takes to hit a profit target.
Open the calculator Read the break-even guidePrice any drink from bottle cost to menu price, see profit per drink, and find what monthly variance between purchases and sales is costing your bar.
Open the calculator Read the pour cost guideCost any drink ingredient by ingredient from bottle prices, add juice and garnish, and get pour cost, profit per drink and the menu price that hits your target.
Open the calculator Read the pour cost guideTurn a plate cost into a menu price at your target food cost, with a Q factor, rounding, the margin on every plate and a price ladder.
Open the calculator Read the menu engineering guideSplit the tip pool by hours, points or both, see each person's share and hourly rate, and work out a server's tip out to the bar, bussers and runners.
Open the calculator Read the tip pooling guideDrinks per guest, kegs, wine and liquor bottles, ice and bartenders for a party, wedding, banquet or catered event.
Open the calculator Read the private events guideSales per labor hour for front and back of house, benchmarks by concept, and the hours budget next week's forecast can carry.
Open the calculator Read the scheduling guideSet pars from weekly usage, the delivery schedule, lead time and safety stock, and see exactly what to order, rounded to full cases.
Open the calculator Read the inventory guideChecklists
Two-page PDFs built from the routines in our guides, with worksheets and target bands. Print them, put them on a clipboard, use them every week.
The Monday routine we use to close the week: which numbers to pull, in what order, a fill-in worksheet and the target bands for your concept.
Get the free checklist Read the prime cost guideTwenty-four places food cost leaks, from the dock to the dish pit, each with an OK or FIX box. Walk it once a month or any week food cost jumps.
Get the free checklist Read the food cost guideRun a bar count in under an hour, then a usage and variance worksheet that shows which bottles are leaking and what it costs in dollars.
Get the free checklist Read the bar inventory guideBuild the schedule to a dollar budget on Thursday, check it every morning and close it Monday, with a day-by-day labor worksheet.
Get the free checklist Read the labor cost guideOne week out, count day, and the checks to run before anyone goes home, with a Nov 30 vs Dec 31 category worksheet. Built for December 31.
Get the free checklist Read the year-end inventory guideDownloads
An Excel sheet that turns four weekly numbers into your prime cost percent, with a one page guide on where to pull each number and what to do when it comes in high.
Get the sheetFour printable cards from The New Restaurant Manager's First 90 Days: the benchmark bands, the formulas, the thresholds and the weekly rhythm. Letter and A4.
Get the cardsThe Prime Cost System page lays out the three levels of help: the free tools above, a $495 Remote Prime Cost Review of your real numbers, and on-site work. The paid Playbooks and Toolkits hold the full weekly systems these free tools are cut from.
See the Prime Cost SystemTwenty free long-form guides cover the formulas, benchmarks and routines: prime cost, labor cost, food cost, recipe costing, pour cost, bar inventory, inventory and COGS, menu engineering, reading a restaurant P&L, break-even, startup costs, scheduling, opening and closing checklists, the manager log, beverage programs and wine margins, private events and catering pricing, country club F&B, hiring and training, tip pooling and labor law and health inspection readiness.
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