Food cost control and recipe costing for restaurants

The food cost control and recipe costing course is specialist training for hospitality professionals and entrepreneurs who want to keep expenses firmly under control and maximise the profitability of their business. Mastering recipe costing (known in Spanish as "escandallo") is the key to getting the most out of the stock you buy and setting the right prices to increase your profit margin.

During the course you will learn to analyse in detail every cost involved in a restaurant's offering, from purchasing and storage through to pricing set menus and à la carte dishes. It covers core concepts such as cost control, budgeting and the profit and loss account, as well as techniques to minimise shrinkage and waste.

This online course is ideal for anyone looking for flexibility, as you can progress at your own pace over a total of 250 hours. Its content is specifically designed to improve the financial and commercial management of restaurants, bars and other hospitality venues.

Among its strengths is a practical approach to managing sales and boosting competitiveness, as well as improving planning and the evaluation of results. Priced at 190 euros, it is an affordable way to acquire an essential skill for the hospitality industry.

This course aims to give students the tools they need to optimise financial management in the restaurant trade through cost control and analysis.

• Identify and analyse the different costs and expenses in a restaurant business.
• Apply cost control methods and assess commercial management ratios.
• Prepare budgets and profit and loss accounts for effective financial management.
• Produce detailed recipe costings and production sheets to make the best use of resources.
• Calculate the real cost of dishes and menus and set competitive prices.
• Manage purchasing, storage and inventories properly to minimise shrinkage and waste.
• Implement techniques to maximise profit margins and strengthen competitive advantage.

Unit 1. Key concepts of costs in the restaurant trade

In this unit you will learn what costs are and how they contribute to running a restaurant effectively, and you will learn to control expenses and sales using management ratios.

1.1 What costs are and how they help you run a restaurant

Defines the concept of costs and why they matter for optimising resources in the restaurant trade.

1.2 Cost control: the basics

An introduction to the methods and techniques for implementing effective cost control in the sector.

1.3 The difference between expenses and costs in restaurants

You will learn to distinguish correctly between these concepts for accurate financial management.

1.4 Sales as management ratios in restaurants

An analysis of how sales can be used as indicators to keep the business under control.

1.5 Control in the restaurant

Tools and processes for monitoring day-to-day operations and profitability.

1.6 Budgets

Preparing and managing budgets to plan financial resources.

1.7 The profit and loss account

Interpreting and using the profit and loss account as a decision-making tool.

1.8 Cost accounting today and future prospects

An analysis of the current state of and trends in cost accounting applied to the restaurant trade.

1.9 Sales planning

How to plan sales efficiently to ensure profitability.

1.10 Menu engineering

Techniques for designing menus that are both profitable and appealing to customers.

1.11 Omnes' principles for setting selling prices

An introduction to methods for setting optimal prices based on demand and costs.

Unit 2. Preparing and using recipe costings

A detailed study of recipe costing and its tools for measuring costs accurately and optimising the food offering.

2.1 What is recipe costing?

The definition and purpose of recipe costing in the restaurant trade.

2.2 The production sheet

How to prepare production sheets that make it easier to control and consistently reproduce dishes.

2.3 Recipe costings and production sheets

How recipe costings and production sheets relate to each other and how to use them together in practice.

2.4 Recipe costing calculations

Basic methods and formulas for calculating the cost of dishes.

2.5 Shrinkage

Identifying and managing losses during preparation and storage.

2.6 The cost of a dish

Accurately determining the total cost of each dish on offer.

2.7 Pricing the set menu and à la carte dishes

Strategies for setting prices in line with the market and calculated costs.

2.8 Cost sheets

Designing and using cost sheets as a day-to-day monitoring tool.

Unit 3. Efficient food control

Key aspects of handling purchasing and storage correctly and avoiding waste in the restaurant.

3.1 How to control food

Techniques for monitoring consumption and avoiding unnecessary losses.

3.2 The purchasing process

Managing the purchasing cycle properly to keep prices and quality competitive.

3.3 Efficient storage

Principles for organising the storeroom and keeping products in good condition.

3.4 Inventory management

Procedures for carrying out an accurate inventory and keeping stock under control.

3.5 Waste

Identifying the causes of food waste in restaurants and methods to reduce it.

This course prepares students to take on responsibilities in financial and purchasing management in hospitality businesses, improving their profitability and efficiency.

• Cost controller in restaurants and bars.
• Menu management and planning supervisor.
• Purchasing and procurement manager in hospitality.
• Administrative assistant in restaurant companies.
• Consultant in cost and pricing optimisation for hospitality.

Sectors and employers

• Restaurants and restaurant chains.
• Bars and cafés.
• Hotels with food and beverage services.
• Catering and events companies.
• Consultancies specialising in hospitality.