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Restaurant Profit Margin Calculator

Use our free Restaurant Profit Margin Calculator to estimate gross margin, prime cost, net profit, and break-even. Pick a preset, enter sales and costs, and see instant results tailored for Canadian restaurants.

Calculate Profit Margins for Restaurants in Canada

Estimate gross margin, prime cost, net profit, and break-even sales for your restaurant. Choose a preset, enter sales and costs, and see instant results plus a visual cost breakdown.

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Free Restaurant Profit Margin Calculator

Presets

Tap a preset to pre-fill sales and cost benchmarks for that concept. You can edit any field below.

Your monthly sales & cost inputs

Total menu revenue before HST/GST. Include dine-in, takeout, delivery.

Ingredients, disposables. Target varies by concept/menu mix.

Front & back of house wages + benefits & payroll burden.

Base rent plus common-area/NNN charges.

Electricity, gas, water, internet/phone.

Ads, social, promo; include third-party delivery commissions if applicable.

Insurance, cleaning, repairs, smallwares, POS, linen, etc.

Accounting, office supplies, bank fees, software.

For after-tax profit view; sales taxes are excluded from sales above.

Menu & traffic (optional for checks)

Average spend per guest before tax & tip.

Average number of guests served daily.

Used to sanity-check sales vs. average check Γ— guests.

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Key Results

Gross margin
0%
Sales βˆ’ COGS
Prime cost (COGS + Labour)
0%
Target often < 60–65%
Net profit margin
0%
After all expenses
Monthly net profit
$0
Before income tax
Break-even sales (monthly)
$0
Fixed Γ· CM%
Annualized net profit
$0
Before tax
After-tax profit (monthly)
$0
Using your tax %
Performance score β€”
0
Weighted on net margin, prime cost & break-even coverage

Cost Breakdown (Monthly)

Legend β€” β–  COGS β€’ β–  Labour β€’ β–  Fixed Opex β€’ β–  Net

What-If: Quick Optimizations

Try a change and see impact

Applies to sales only (costs unchanged aside from % of sales items).

Reduce waste, renegotiate vendors, portion control.

Schedule optimization, cross-training, prep batching.

New net margin
0%
New monthly profit
$0
Ξ” vs. current (profit)
$0
Prime cost after change
0%

Monthly Summary Table

Show itemized profit & loss
MetricAmount% of Sales

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Restaurant Margin Basics in Canada

Prime cost is king

Prime cost (COGS + labour) is the largest controllable expense. Many healthy restaurants target prime cost under 60–65% of sales depending on concept, location, and menu mix. If rent is high, push prime lower.

Benchmarks vary by concept

  • Quick service: COGS 28–32%, labour 22–28%
  • CafΓ©/bakery: COGS 25–30%, labour 25–30%
  • Casual dining: COGS 30–34%, labour 26–32%
  • Fine dining: COGS 32–38%, labour 30–36%
  • Bar-forward: lower COGS on beverage, higher labour late nights

Levers to improve profit

  • Engineer menu: highlight high contribution items, trim low-margin SKUs
  • Negotiate vendors, buy seasonal, reduce waste & over-portioning
  • Optimize labour by daypart, cross-train, prep efficiency
  • Boost average check with add-ons and bundles
  • Review delivery mix & commission impact; incentivize direct orders

This tool is educational. Actual margins depend on your operations, pricing, and market.

How to Use the Restaurant Profit Calculator

  1. Pick a preset that matches your concept.
  2. Enter sales & costs (use chips for speed). Add rent, utilities, marketing and other opex.
  3. Optionally add check & guests to cross-check sales versus traffic.
  4. Review results (prime cost, net margin, break-even) and the cost breakdown chart.
  5. Test improvements via the What-If chips to see instant impact.

Restaurant Profit FAQs

How is restaurant gross margin calculated

Gross margin = Sales βˆ’ COGS (as a % of sales). It excludes labour and operating expenses.

What is prime cost and why does it matter

Prime cost = COGS + Labour. It’s the biggest controllable cost; keeping it within target ranges leaves room to cover fixed expenses and profit.

How do I calculate break-even sales

Break-even = Fixed costs Γ· (1 βˆ’ Variable cost %). Here, variable costs include COGS%, labour% and admin% of sales; fixed costs include rent, utilities, marketing and other fixed opex entered as dollars.

What’s a good net profit margin for restaurants

Many operators target 8–15% in healthy conditions, but results vary widely by concept, location, debt service, and owner compensation.

Do delivery fees go in COGS or operating expenses

Marketplace commissions are typically operating expenses (marketing/delivery), not COGS. If your contracts rebill product cost net, adjust accordingly.

How often should I update my menu prices

Review quarterly or when input costs change materially. Use contribution margin analysis, not just a flat markup, to protect profit.

What is a truck loan?

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A truck loan means that you are using a loan in order to purchase a new or used truck, and pay for it over time. The loan comes with a fee (interest rate) that must be repaid on top of the total cost of the truck. Truck loans are usually secured against the truck you are getting.

When should you consider a truck loan?

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Truck financing is used when purchasing any type of truck, such as a dump, highway, box, or flatbed. Most people utilize truck financing when purchasing a truck to help preserve cash flow.

What are the current average truck loan rates?

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Truck loan rates can vary greatly depending on your personal or business financial history, the lender you are getting the financing from, the type of truck you are buying and more. In general, truck loan annual interest rates can be anywhere from 2% and go up to 20%+.

How do I qualify for a truck loan?

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To qualify for a truck loan, you will typically need: Proof of residency in Canada, credit history, steady income from employment, government issued ID and paperwork on the truck you are looking to buy.

How does a truck loan work?

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Truck financing is a secured type of loan, which means that the truck you are purchasing is the collateral. You will risk losing the truck if you are not going to repay your loan on time. Typically truck financing loans come with a term of 3 to 8 years, but this can vary on case by case basis.

How are truck payments calculated?

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The truck payments will be determined based on the total cost of the truck, the downpayment that you contribute, the interest rate, and term length. Make sure that you carefully review and understand the terms of your truck loan agreement and how the payments are calculated.

What are the best places to get a truck loan?

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The best truck loans are hard to find all by yourself. Especially because different loan types and different lending companies are better suited for different people. Check out the list of top truck loan providers at Smarter Loans as a starting point.

How can I get a truck loan online?

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There are many companies that offer truck loans in Canada entirely online. At Smarter Loans you can find such companies, apply for a truck financing from the comfort of your home, and receive a pre-approval in 24 hours.

As seen on
  • Toronto Star
  • deBanked
  • Canadian Lenders Association
  • Yahoo Finance
  • Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB)
  • Canadian Marketing Association