How to set up menu costing

How do I set up menu costing?

Open Menu Costing from the left-hand menu. (It's part of your plan — if you don't see it, it isn't included in your current package.)

1. Set your menu layout

Create the categories that mirror your actual menu — Breakfast, Mains, Sides, Desserts, Drinks and so on. You can add, rename or reorder categories at any time. A Food / Beverage toggle at the top of the board keeps the two sides of your menu separate, each with its own cost target.

2. Get your recipes in

There are two ways, and you can mix them:

• Import them — photograph your recipe book, or upload PDFs or the spreadsheet you already keep. This is by far the fastest way to load a whole menu; see Import your recipes: photos, PDFs and spreadsheets.
• Add them by hand — click Add New Recipe in the right category; see Adding recipes.

3. Let your invoices keep it honest

Menu costing is only as good as its prices. Once your supplier invoices are coming into Open Pantry, every price change flows straight into your recipe costs automatically — no re-keying. See Getting supplier invoices into Open Pantry.

Each recipe tile on the board shows its cost per portion, food-cost % and a cost trend, so you can see the whole menu's health at a glance.