Menu costing that shows where the profit really is
A profitable menu is not a collection of dishes that sound good. It is a set of recipes with costs, prices and margins that work together. Chef’s Helper links your recipe book to your menu sections and shows gross profit on every item.
What it does
Recipe-driven menus
Create starters, mains, desserts and other menu sections, then link each item to a recipe you have already costed.
Gross profit on every item
See GP% beside each priced item that has a linked recipe cost, plus an average across the costed items on the menu.
Menu sections stay organised
Arrange dishes under clear sections while keeping each item’s price, description, linked recipe and GP% together in the menu view.
Allergen matrix export
Use linked recipe allergen records to preview, print or download a menu allergen matrix. Ingredient labels and manual checks are still required.
Price your menu with confidence
Link a costed recipe to a menu item during the free trial and see its GP% before the menu goes to print.
Start your free 14-day trial →A menu margin example
A menu item priced at £14.00 and linked to a recipe costing £4.20 per portion shows a GP% of 70%. If the recipe cost rises to £4.90, the displayed GP% falls to 65%. That gives the manager a clear figure to review before changing the dish, portion or selling price.
Why gross profit percentage matters more than food cost percentage
Ingredient cost tells you what goes into the dish. Gross profit percentage shows the share of its selling price left after that ingredient cost. Looking at both the per-item GP% and the menu average makes low-margin dishes easier to spot, while labour, VAT and overheads still need separate review.
Keep the menu in sync with the kitchen
When a recipe cost changes, the menu view updates. There is no need to maintain a separate menu spreadsheet or remember which dishes use the ingredient that just went up in price.
Linked recipe allergen records also feed the menu allergen matrix. Use the allergen compliance view to find recipes that need confirmation or another review before relying on that matrix.