Benchmark Data
Know where you stand. Then know where to improve
Benchmark posts give you the data points your operation needs to evaluate its own performance against industry standards. Food cost percentages by segment, yield loss averages by protein category, waste ratios by service format - specific, sourced, and actionable.
Food cost percentage benchmarks by F&B segment - what the numbers actually say
A breakdown of average food cost percentages across hotel F&B, contract catering, a la carte restaurants, and buffet operations. Includes methodology notes so you can apply the comparison honestly to your own numbers.
Methodology Guides
Step-by-step. Written for professionals, not beginners.
Methodology guides take the technical processes behind accurate food costing and break them down into clear, repeatable steps. Yield studies, AP-to-EP conversion, theoretical vs actual cost reconciliation - the operational knowledge that separates a well-run kitchen from one that is bleeding margin without knowing it.
How to run a yield study for meat and poultry - a step-by-step guide for F&B operations
A practical guide to conducting a yield study in a working kitchen. Covers equipment, sample sizes, recording methodology, calculating prep loss and cooking loss separately, and how to apply the results inside your recipe costing system.
How to calculate the true cost per portion when yield varies by supplier
Not all yield is equal. This guide covers how to account for yield variation across suppliers - and how to build that variation into your costing so your numbers stay accurate even when your supply chain does not.
Tool Comparisons
The right tool for the right scale. An honest assessment.
Comparison posts address the question every operations team asks before committing to a new platform: is what we already use good enough? These articles give honest, specific answers - covering where spreadsheets work, where they break, and what purpose-built platforms do differently.
Recipe costing software vs Excel - when each approach breaks down
A direct comparison of spreadsheet-based recipe management against purpose-built costing platforms. Covers the five operational thresholds where Excel stops being an asset and starts being a liability - and what to look for when evaluating an alternative.
Glossary
The language of food cost. Defined clearly.
The glossary exists because imprecise language leads to imprecise decisions. When a chef and a finance director use the same term to mean different things, the gap between theoretical and actual cost widens. These definitions are the foundation that every other conversation about food cost should be built on.
AP Weight
The weight of an ingredient as it arrives from the supplier - before any preparation, trimming, or processing. AP weight is the basis for invoice cost and the starting point for yield calculation.
EP Weight
The weight of an ingredient after all preparation losses have been applied - trimming, peeling, boning, and portioning. EP weight is what actually reaches the plate, and the correct basis for recipe costing.
Yield Percentage
The ratio of EP weight to AP weight, expressed as a percentage. Yield % = EP weight ÷ AP weight × 100. A yield percentage below 100% reflects the loss between purchase and plate.
Prep Loss
The weight lost during the preparation process - trimming fat, removing bones, peeling skin, portioning. Expressed as a percentage of AP weight.
Cooking Loss
The additional weight lost during the cooking process - evaporation, shrinkage, reduction. Applied on top of prep loss for ingredients that are cooked before portioning.
Food Cost %
The ratio of food cost to food revenue, expressed as a percentage. Food cost % = food cost ÷ food revenue × 100. The primary KPI for measuring the efficiency of a food operation.
Theoretical Cost
What your recipes say your food should cost, based on standardised recipes and current ingredient prices. The benchmark - the number you are always trying to match in practice.
Actual Food Cost
What your food actually cost, based on purchases, inventory movement, and waste. The gap between theoretical and actual is where margin leaks — and where the most important operational conversations begin.
Yield Factor
A multiplier derived from yield percentage, used to calculate the AP quantity required to produce a given EP quantity. Yield factor = 1 ÷ yield %. If yield is 70%, you need 1.43 kg AP to produce 1 kg EP.
Four articles. Enough to establish authority before your first campaign.
The Talos launches with four cornerstone articles - each one chosen to answer a question your target audience is already searching for, and to demonstrate the operational depth behind the platform.
What is yield percentage — and why your recipe costs are probably wrong
The most fundamental concept in accurate food costing, explained clearly. Covers the AP/EP framework, why assumptions fail, and what a 5% yield error does to your monthly P&L across a multi-site operation.
Food cost management - why Excel breaks at scale
A practical examination of the five points where spreadsheet-based food cost management stops working. Written for operations teams who know Excel is not ideal but have not yet found the case to change.
How to conduct a yield study - a step-by-step guide for F&B operations
The practical guide every kitchen manager needs but rarely has access to in a single, well-structured resource. Covers everything from equipment to recording methodology to applying results inside a costing system.
The difference between theoretical and actual food cost - and what to do about the gap
The most important report in food cost management, explained for every stakeholder - chef, operations manager, and F&B director. Covers how to calculate the gap, what causes it, and the operational levers available to close it.
