Caesar Salad Food Cost Calculator
Romaine trim is a major costing detail in a Caesar salad because purchased heads include cores and damaged outer leaves that never reach the plate, unlike ready-to-use hearts.
This example serves six ounces of usable lettuce with prepared dressing, croutons and Parmesan, without chicken; add a separate protein row if the menu price includes a grilled topping.
Editable example: quantities are a typical standard spec and prices are plausible US wholesale estimates, not supplier quotes or current market data. Replace them with your own.
Example ingredient spec
Purchase and usage quantities use the same unit named in each row. Batch portions: 1.
| Ingredient / unit | Purchase qty | Purchase cost ($) | Used | Yield % | Line cost ($) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Romaine (oz, usable) | 16 | 1.60 | 6 | 75 | 0.80 |
| Prepared Caesar dressing (oz) | 32 | 5.00 | 2 | 100 | 0.31 |
| Croutons (oz) | 16 | 2.50 | 1 | 100 | 0.16 |
| Parmesan (oz) | 16 | 8.00 | 0.75 | 100 | 0.38 |
Example menu price
Example cost per plate: $1.64. At 30% food cost, the unrounded price is $5.48. Suggested price rounded up to the next $0.50: $5.50, giving 29.89% actual ingredient cost.
These example prices exclude labor, overhead and tax. The ingredient table and suggestion describe the starting spec; edit the calculator to cost your own version.
Formula
Ingredient cost = purchase cost ÷ purchase quantity × quantity used ÷ (yield % ÷ 100). Plate cost = total ingredient cost ÷ portions.
More to cost
Calculated free at thehospitalityinsider.com/food-cost/caesar-salad