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Prime Cost Calculator

Calculate your restaurant's most important profitability metric

Enter Your Numbers

Value of inventory at start of period

Total purchases during the period

Value of inventory at end of period

Wages + payroll taxes + benefits

Total revenue for the same period

Your Results

Cost of Goods Sold (COGS)
$0.00
Total Labor Cost
$0.00
PRIME COST
$0.00

Understanding Your Results

Below 55%:Exceptional efficiency - you're doing great!
55-60%:Optimal range - keep it here for sustainable profits
60-65%:Acceptable but tight - watch for increases
Above 65%:Crisis mode - you need immediate changes

What is Prime Cost?

Prime cost is your two largest controllable expenses: Cost of Goods Sold (food and beverage) plus Total Labor Cost. These typically represent 55-65% of your sales.

Why It Matters

Prime cost tells you if your fundamental business model works. If it's too high, you won't have enough money left to cover rent, utilities, and profit.

How to Improve It

Focus on menu engineering, portion control, waste reduction, efficient scheduling, and vendor negotiations. Small improvements in either area compound quickly.

Want Automatic Prime Cost Tracking?

OwnerClone calculates your prime cost automatically from your POS data. No more manual calculations or spreadsheets.