COGS = opening stock + purchases − closing stock. It's what you actually consumed, not what you bought — so an over-buy at month-end doesn't inflate the number.
Optional
You used $255,000 of stock this period. On $820,000 of sales that's a COGS of 31.1% — most full-service kitchens aim to keep this in the 28–35% band.
Estimates only. COGS is what you consumed in the period — it depends on accurate opening and closing counts. Pair it with per-dish food cost and your full P&L.
How to read your number.
How to use it
- Take your stock value at the start of the period — your opening stock from the last count.
- Add everything you purchased during the period, then your stock value at the end (closing stock).
- Read COGS:
opening + purchases − closing. That is what you consumed, not what you bought. - Add sales for the same period to see COGS as a %, then compare it to your target.
What's a good COGS %?
COGS % depends on format — it blends food and (for bars) drink. Rough bands:
- 28–35% — a healthy blended range for most full-service restaurants.
- Under 25% — drink-led venues and cafés often sit here on a beverage-heavy mix.
- Over 40% — worth investigating: portioning, wastage, theft, or prices that have drifted out of date.
A COGS spike with flat sales usually means waste or shrinkage, not appetite.
Stop counting stock by hand.
A period-end COGS is a snapshot. The win is seeing it move in real time, by ingredient and outlet. Here's where to go next.
Food cost calculator
COGS is the menu-wide view. Drill into a single dish to see its food cost % and the margin you keep.
Open the calculator →Automate it with Papaya Stock live
Stock counts on a phone, goods-receipt by photographing the invoice, and a live COGS that tracks every movement.
See Papaya Stock →See Papaya pricing
POS, ordering, payments and stock control in one system. Start free, add what you need as you grow.
View plans →Good to know.
The numbers behind the number — and where this calculator stops.