UK Café and Takeaway Food Cost and GP Calculator

Is your menu making the GP you think it is? A £10 dish with 20% VAT is £8.33 before VAT. If the food costs £3, you keep £5.33, which is 64%, not 70%. Add delivery app commission and it drops again.

The UK Café and Takeaway Food Cost and GP Calculator is a spreadsheet that does this for your whole menu. List your ingredients with pack prices, build up to 40 dishes from them, and see cost per portion, GP in pounds and GP %, food cost %, and the price that reaches your target. Type your own commission rate for up to three delivery apps to see GP after commission and the app price you would need.

Included:

• Instructions and Settings (VAT registered or not, target GP %, up to 3 delivery apps with the commission you type in)
• Ingredients: up to 200 items, with cost per unit, usable yield % and 14 allergen tick columns
• Recipes: up to 40 dishes, 12 ingredient lines each, picked from a drop-down
• Menu summary: red, amber or green against your target, plus your five weakest dishes
• Sales mix: units sold for the week, revenue before VAT, theoretical food cost and theoretical GP %
• Allergen matrix: filled in from the ingredient ticks

Two .xlsx files come in the download: an example café (all made-up data and placeholder app rates) and a blank copy. Works in Excel 2016 or later and Google Sheets. No macros.

VAT rule: eat-in and hot takeaway food is standard-rated (20%), most cold takeaway food is zero-rated (gov.uk VAT Notice 709/1, checked 7 November 2026). GP is worked out on the price before VAT; commission is worked out on the price with VAT.

Planning maths, not accounting or allergen advice. Check your suppliers' labels and keep your own allergen checks.