Free owner planning tool

Menu Contribution Calculator

Compare the dollars a dish or channel leaves after the direct costs you specify. Test price, portion cost, packaging and volume without sharing your inputs.

Start with the example, then enter your figures

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Scenario results

Contribution per item
$20.00
Contribution rate
66.67%
Total scenario contribution
$4,000.00

This is contribution after the entered costs, not net profit. Include channel fees, packaging or variable labor where relevant. Do not compare channels using different cost definitions. Sales volume is an assumption, not a demand forecast.

The calculation, without the black box.

Unit contribution = selling price - ingredient cost - other variable costs. Period contribution = unit contribution × units sold.

This is contribution after the entered costs, not net profit. Include channel fees, packaging or variable labor where relevant. Do not compare channels using different cost definitions. Sales volume is an assumption, not a demand forecast.

For broader context, see the National Restaurant Association's operating-cost discussion and the SBA's startup cost planning guidance. The arithmetic here is a simplified scenario, not a result reported by either source.