Line Cook Labor Cost Per Dish Calculator
Understand exactly how much labor is baked into each plate you serve. Enter the total prep/cook time for a batch, the hourly wage of the kitchen staff, and how many servings the batch yields.
Labor Cost Per Dish
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Total Batch Labor Cost—
Servings—
Labor Cost Per Dish—
About this calculator
Estimate the labor cost embedded in each dish based on prep time, cook wage, and number of servings produced.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why calculate labor cost per dish?
Knowing the labor cost helps you price menu items to cover both ingredients and staff time, protecting your profit margins.
What labor cost percentage should a dish have?
Combined with food cost, total prime cost (food + labor) is typically targeted at 55-65% of menu price.
Does this include front-of-house labor?
No, this calculator focuses on kitchen prep/cook labor only. You can run it separately for other labor categories.