Stop guessing what to charge.
Know your food costs in minutes.

Built for food trucks, cafes, and small restaurants. Enter your ingredient prices, build your recipes, and get an exact cost and suggested price for every dish on your menu.

Get started — it's free

No account needed to try it. Your data saves in your browser.

How does PlateCosts calculate my food cost?

  1. 1. Add your ingredients What you actually pay — flour, butter, chicken, espresso.
  2. 2. Build your recipes Pick ingredients and quantities. Cost per serving calculates automatically.
  3. 3. Set your menu prices Choose a target food cost % and get a suggested price for every dish.

What does a food cost calculation look like?

Ingredients (1 serving): 80/20 Ground Beef 6oz ($1.88), Brioche Bun ($0.55), American Cheese 2 slices ($0.30), Lettuce/Tomato/Onion ($0.22), Special Sauce ($0.18), Fries 5oz ($0.60)

Total ingredient cost per serving: $3.73

Suggested sell price at 30% food cost: $12.43

What can PlateCosts do for my food business?

  • Recipe food cost calculation with automatic unit conversion
  • Ingredient price tracking across unlimited ingredients
  • Menu pricing recommendations based on your target food cost percentage
  • FDA nutrition facts label generator with USDA FoodData Central lookup
  • FDA ingredient label generator with automatic allergen detection
  • Print to thermal labels (Brother, Dymo, Zebra) or Avery sheet labels
  • Sub-recipe support and batch scaling

How much does PlateCosts cost?

  • Free — unlimited recipes and ingredients, food cost calculation, menu pricing
  • $9.99/month — adds nutrition facts labels, ingredient labels, and label printing
  • $79.99/year — full access, billed annually (save 33% vs monthly)

Common questions about PlateCosts

Who is PlateCosts for?
Food truck operators, cottage food producers, caterers, small restaurant owners, and anyone who sells homemade or prepared food and needs to track ingredient costs and price their menu.
Does PlateCosts generate nutrition labels?
Yes. PlateCosts looks up nutrition data from the USDA FoodData Central database for each ingredient, then auto-calculates the per-serving nutrition for the full recipe and generates an FDA-format Nutrition Facts panel ready to print on labels.
What label printers work with PlateCosts?
Brother QL series (DK-1202), Dymo LabelWriter (30334 and similar), Zebra desktop printers, and standard desktop printers with Avery 5163 or 5164 sheet labels.
Is there a free plan?
Yes. The free plan includes unlimited recipes and ingredients with full food cost calculation. No account required to get started — your data saves in your browser.