Food truck menu pricing calculator
Enter what a dish costs to make and your target food cost %. Get a suggested menu price instantly.
This is your theoretical price — it assumes every plate you prep gets sold at full price with zero waste. Real nights aren't that clean: sellouts, comps, and wasted prep all eat into that margin. GriddleMath tracks the waste-adjusted margin for every item automatically from your Square sales and closeout, so you know what a dish actually made — not just what it should have made. Try it free.
Pricing by food cost % keeps your margin consistent
Guessing a price and hoping it covers your costs is how margin quietly disappears. Food cost percentage pricing works backwards from what a dish actually costs to make, so every item on your menu is priced to hit the same target margin — before waste, comps, and sellouts take their cut.
The math above is the same theoretical-margin formula GriddleMath uses under the hood. The difference is that GriddleMath keeps recalculating it automatically as your ingredient costs change, and then layers on what actually happened at each booking — waste, comps, and early sellouts — to show your real margin per item, not just the theoretical one.
Want the same math applied to your whole menu, tied to your Square sales? See how menu costing works or connect your Square account.
Menu pricing FAQ
What food cost % should a food truck target?
Most food trucks target a 28–33% food cost, meaning ingredients make up 28–33 cents of every dollar of menu price. Lower-cost items like drinks and sides can run leaner; signature proteins often run closer to the top of that range.
Is this the price I'll actually collect?
This calculator gives your theoretical price — the price that hits your target food cost if every plate sells at full price with no waste. Your real, waste-adjusted margin will be a little lower once sellouts, comps, and prep waste are accounted for. GriddleMath tracks that side automatically.
How is the suggested price calculated?
Suggested price = ingredient cost ÷ target food cost %. If a bowl costs $3.00 to make and your target food cost is 30%, the suggested price is $3.00 ÷ 0.30 = $10.00.