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Food Cost & Margin Control

12 practical guides for UAE F&B owners.

Food Cost & Margin Control· 21 Jun 2026

COGS for Restaurants Explained in Plain Language

Cost of goods sold (COGS) is the total cost of ingredients used to produce the food you sold in a period. Here's what it means, how to calculate it, and why it matters.

Food Cost & Margin Control· 21 Jun 2026

How to Cut Food Waste During Ramadan in Your Restaurant

Food waste spikes during Ramadan, especially at iftar buffets. Here's how UAE restaurants cut it - tighter demand forecasting, buffet portion control, and daily tracking.

Food Cost & Margin Control· 21 Jun 2026

What Is a Healthy Food Cost Percentage in the UAE?

A healthy food cost percentage for most UAE restaurants is 25-35%, but it varies by concept. Here are realistic benchmarks for cafés, casual dining, and fine dining.

Food Cost & Margin Control· 21 Jun 2026

The Hidden Cost of Food Waste in UAE Kitchens

Food waste is lost profit on top of the labour, storage, and disposal you already paid for. Here's the true cost of waste in UAE kitchens - and how to cut it.

Food Cost & Margin Control· 21 Jun 2026

How to Calculate Food Cost Percentage for a UAE Restaurant

Food cost percentage is your ingredient cost divided by sales, times 100. Here's the formula, a worked AED example, the healthy 25-35% target, and how to control it.

Food Cost & Margin Control· 21 Jun 2026

How to Price a Menu Item for Profit in the UAE

To price a menu item for profit, start from its full ingredient cost, apply your target food cost percentage, then sense-check against the local market. Here's the method.

Food Cost & Margin Control· 21 Jun 2026

Menu Engineering: Which Dishes Actually Make You Money

Menu engineering classifies every dish by popularity and profitability - stars, plowhorses, puzzles, and dogs - so you promote winners, fix underperformers, and cut losers.

Food Cost & Margin Control· 21 Jun 2026

Portion Control: The Fastest Way to Protect Your Margins

Portion control is the fastest way to protect restaurant margins because over-portioning silently inflates food cost on every plate. Here's how to get it right.

Food Cost & Margin Control· 21 Jun 2026

Recipe Costing for UAE Restaurants: A Step-by-Step Guide

Recipe costing means calculating the exact ingredient cost of every dish so you can price for profit. Here's the step-by-step method with a worked AED example.

Food Cost & Margin Control· 21 Jun 2026

How to Reduce Food Cost Without Lowering Quality

You can cut restaurant food cost without hurting quality by tightening portions, cutting waste, renegotiating supplier prices, and dropping low-margin items. Here's how.

Food Cost & Margin Control· 21 Jun 2026

How Rising Supplier Prices Erode Restaurant Profit (and How to Track It)

Small, unnoticed supplier price increases erode restaurant profit over time. Here's why they compound, and how tracking invoice prices per ingredient protects your margins.

Food Cost & Margin Control· 21 Jun 2026

Theoretical vs Actual Food Cost: Closing the Gap

Theoretical food cost is what your recipes say you should spend; actual is what you really spent. The gap reveals waste, theft, or portioning problems. Here's how to close it.

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