Restaurant operations, connected
Restaurant food cost software for clearer menu decisions
Cooklayer connects ingredient prices, recipes, sales and inventory so you can examine the cost behind your menu. Start with a dish, then review the wider picture with a clear distinction between recipe estimates and inventory-based food cost.
Illustrative data · simplified workflow
Understand the ingredients behind each portion
Build recipes from your product catalogue, ingredient quantities and portion yields. Cooklayer calculates portion cost and, when a selling price is present, food cost percentage. Review the ingredient quantities and units before using that number to change a menu price: a case price entered as a kilogram price can distort an otherwise carefully written recipe.
Read weekly recipe costs as a theoretical estimate
With confirmed sales and mapped recipes, Cooklayer weights recipe costs by the dishes sold during the week. This describes the ingredient cost expected from those recipes and sales, rather than measuring every ingredient actually used. Missing recipe links, incomplete sales or outdated portions leave gaps, so check coverage before comparing weeks or drawing conclusions about kitchen performance.
Use inventory to complete the cost picture
Inventory-based food cost uses opening stock, purchases and closing stock to estimate the value consumed over a period. Cooklayer brings inventory values and approved invoice spending into the monthly workflow, where you can also review orders with missing invoices. Compare periods with consistent count dates and complete purchase records; a gap between actual and theoretical cost is a reason to investigate portions, waste and data quality, not proof of any single cause.
Questions from restaurant teams
Can I cost recipes without connecting a POS?
Yes. Recipe costing uses your ingredients, quantities and prices. Sales-weighted analysis additionally needs complete sales records and recipe mapping; any POS connection must be checked for compatibility before it is promised.
Does recipe food cost include all restaurant expenses?
No. Ingredient cost is only one part of running a restaurant. Labour, rent and other operating expenses also affect profitability, so a recipe's ingredient margin should not be treated as your restaurant's net profit.