Food Waste & Shrinkage Calculator
Calculate the cost of food waste and shrinkage in your kitchen to identify areas for improvement.
Fill in the fields above and click Calculate to see your results.
How to use
Add up the value of all food thrown away, spoiled, over-portioned, or sent back during the period — use purchase cost, not menu price — and enter your total food cost for the same period. The calculator returns your waste percentage.
Run a waste audit weekly: have staff log everything discarded in a simple sheet or photo log for seven days. Most kitchens are shocked the first time. Prep waste (over-trimming), spoilage (over-ordering), and plate waste (portions too large) each need a different fix, so track where the waste happens, not just the total.
How it's calculated
Waste Percentage (%)
Examples
Weekly waste audit, small kitchen
- Total Value of Wasted Food:200,000
- Total Food Cost for Period:5,000,000
Result
- Waste Percentage (%):4
200,000₫ of waste against 5M₫ of food cost is 4% — within the healthy 4–6% band. Keep the weekly log going; the goal is to hold this level while volume grows.
Casual restaurant, one month
- Total Value of Wasted Food:3,000,000
- Total Food Cost for Period:30,000,000
Result
- Waste Percentage (%):10
3M₫ wasted from 30M₫ of food cost is 10% — the warning threshold. At a 30% food cost, this restaurant is throwing away roughly 3% of total revenue; halving waste would add about 1.5M₫ of monthly profit with zero extra sales.
Industry Benchmarks
| Metric | Typical Range |
|---|---|
| Well-run kitchens hold waste at 4–6% of food cost; over 10% is a red flag. Quick-service runs lower, heavy-prep fine dining higher. | 4–6 % |
Data source: Restaurant industry waste studies; VN F&B operator reports
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a normal food waste percentage?
Should I value waste at purchase cost or menu price?
What are the biggest causes of food waste in small restaurants?
How do I reduce waste without hurting food quality?
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The CalcVault Editorial Team is a group of finance, health, and mathematics specialists dedicated to producing accurate, bilingual calculator content for Vietnamese and global small business owners. Every formula on CalcVault undergoes rigorous source verification against authoritative bodies including the IRS, CFPB, CDC, WHO, and NIST before publication. Our process includes independent peer review, structured fact-checking, and scheduled content audits to ensure every calculator remains up-to-date with the latest regulatory and scientific standards. We are committed to editorial independence from our advertising partners.