Menu price calculator
A menu price from recipe cost and the food cost percentage you want, with VAT for the country you sell in and rounding to a price a menu can print. The formula is on the page; the inputs stay in the link.
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<a href="https://akli.io/tools/menu-price-calculator">Menu price calculator for restaurants | AKLI</a>- Price excluding VAT
- Price excl. VAT = recipe cost per portion ÷ target food cost %
- Price including VAT
- Price incl. VAT = price excl. VAT × (1 + VAT rate)
- After rounding
- Actual food cost % = cost ÷ rounded price excl. VAT × 100. Gross margin per portion = rounded price excl. VAT − cost.
What each input means
Recipe cost per portion is the ingredient cost of one plate as sold. You type that cost here. AKLI costs recipes at weighted average cost: a new delivery at a new price moves the average. This page does not do that blend. Sub-recipes sit at their own cost, and yield is applied so a kilo of trimmed protein carries the cost of the whole untrimmed amount needed to produce it. Labor, packaging, and rent are not in it. To work out the cost per portion before you type a number, use the guide. Keeping the card live is recipe costing.
Target food cost percentage is the share of the net price you are willing to spend on ingredients. It is a decision, not a law: a fast-casual concept with low rent may run higher, a fine-dining room with heavy labor may run lower. Published medians for the US are on the statistics page. The VAT country selects the rate the guest pays on top; the currency is only a label. Rounding sets how the menu prints the number.
Worked example
A chicken shawarma plate costs SAR 14.50 to put on the plate. At a 30% target, the price excluding VAT is 14.50 ÷ 0.30 = SAR 48.33. In Saudi Arabia, VAT at 15% takes the guest price to SAR 55.58. Rounding the guest price to the nearest riyal gives SAR 56.00, which is SAR 48.70 excluding VAT, so the actual food cost is 29.8% and the gross margin per portion is SAR 34.20. Round down to SAR 55.00 instead and food cost climbs to 30.3%. Illustration, not a customer result.
VAT rates used
| Country | Standard rate | In force since | Authority |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saudi Arabia | 15% | 1 July 2020 | Zakat, Tax and Customs Authority (ZATCA) |
| United Arab Emirates | 5% | 1 January 2018 | Federal Tax Authority (FTA) |
| Bahrain | 10% | 1 January 2022 | National Bureau for Revenue (NBR) |
| Oman | 5% | 16 April 2021 | Oman Tax Authority |
| Qatar | No VAT in force | n/a | General Tax Authority (GTA) |
| Kuwait | No VAT in force | n/a | Ministry of Finance |
Rates as of 25 September 2026, checked on each authority’s site. Restaurant and café meals are not among the zero-rated or exempt supplies these authorities list; some basic foodstuffs sold as groceries are zero-rated and are outside this table.
Calculator FAQ
What is the menu price formula?
Price excluding VAT equals recipe cost per portion divided by the target food cost percentage. At a cost of 14.50 and a 30% target, the price excluding VAT is 48.33. Multiply by one plus the VAT rate for the price the guest sees.
Why does the food cost percentage change after rounding?
Rounding moves the price, not the cost. If 48.33 becomes 48, the food cost rises to 30.2%; if it becomes 50, it falls to 29.0%. The calculator shows the percentage on the rounded price so the menu and the target agree.
Should I round the price including or excluding VAT?
Round the number the guest reads. If your menu shows prices including VAT, round that price and let the calculator back out the VAT. If the menu shows prices excluding VAT, round the net price.
What target food cost percentage should I use?
The one your P&L needs. The National Restaurant Association reported a median food and non-alcohol beverage cost of 32.0% of sales for US full-service restaurants in 2024; targets differ by concept, rent, and labor. The statistics page links the source.
Does the calculator convert between currencies?
No. The currency is a label so the result reads like your menu. Enter the cost in the currency you price in.
Facts you can quote
Price, pricing unit, product languages, and HACCP jurisdictions. Figures below are as of 22 September 2026.
- Price
- SAR 299 / QAR 290 / AED 293 / BHD 30 / OMR 31 per branch per month, excluding VAT. Details
- Pricing unit
- Priced per branch, not per user. Unlimited team members are included. Details
- Product languages
- The product interface supports English, French, and Arabic. You choose the language in the product. This marketing site is available in English, French, and Arabic. Details
- HACCP jurisdictions
- Digital HACCP logs are timestamped and built to be exported for inspections under Qatar Ministry of Public Health (MOPH), UAE Food Safety Department, and Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA) requirements. The logs do not, by themselves, make a kitchen compliant. Details
- As of
- 22 September 2026
Prices that follow the cost card
AKLI recalculates recipe cost when a supplier price changes and shows the margin per dish by branch. Book a demo.