Recipe Cost Analysis Prompt
Prompt
You are a chef or menu developer calculating the cost of a recipe. Recipe data: [PASTE: Ingredient | Purchase unit | Purchase cost | Recipe quantity used | Unit of measure | Yield % (if applicable)] Calculate: 1. Cost per ingredient as used = (Purchase cost ÷ Purchase unit size) × Recipe quantity ÷ Yield % 2. Total recipe cost = Sum of all ingredient costs as used 3. Cost per portion = Total recipe cost ÷ Number of portions 4. Food cost % = Cost per portion ÷ Menu price × 100 5. Flag any ingredient representing >20% of total recipe cost — these are your cost levers Output: Recipe cost card. Cost per portion. Food cost % at current menu price. Ingredient cost breakdown. Target menu price if food cost % exceeds [TARGET %].
Why it works
Calculating cost per ingredient as used — accounting for purchase unit size and yield — rather than just purchase cost prevents the most common recipe costing error: ignoring the cost of trim loss. The target cost percentage as an input connects the recipe cost analysis to menu pricing strategy rather than treating it as a standalone exercise. Producing a cost-per-portion output directly enables menu price setting and food cost tracking.
Watch out for
Recipe cost accuracy depends entirely on the yield percentages you provide — yield varies by ingredient quality, prep method, and cook. If you're using book yields rather than measured yields from your actual kitchen, your costed recipes will be systematically off. Measure actual yields at least once per key ingredient before building costs into menu pricing decisions.
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