8 Restaurant KPIs Every Owner Should Track Weekly
June 9, 2026 · Wizzora
Total sales feels like the number that matters. It isn't. Two restaurants with identical revenue can have wildly different profits. These eight KPIs tell you which one you're running.
1. Food cost %
(Ingredient cost ÷ revenue) × 100. Aim for 28–35% depending on concept. The single most important kitchen number.
2. Prime cost
Food cost + labor cost, as a share of revenue. Keep it under 60–65%. This is the number serious operators live by.
3. Contribution margin per dish
Price − ingredient cost. Tells you which dishes actually pay the bills — not just which have a pretty percentage.
4. Average check
Total revenue ÷ number of covers. Rising average check is the cheapest growth there is.
5. Labor cost %
Total wages ÷ revenue. Track it weekly — it's the cost that creeps fastest.
6. Table turnover / covers per shift
How many guests you serve per seat. Small service improvements compound here.
7. Inventory variance
What you should have used (from sales) vs what you actually used. The gap is waste and theft.
8. Menu mix
The share each category and item contributes to sales and profit. This is where menu engineering lives.
Make it a habit
Pick a day, pull these eight numbers, and write them down. Trends matter more than any single week. Wizzora calculates food cost, contribution margin, inventory variance, and menu mix for you automatically.
Keep reading
Why Your Best-Selling Dish Might Be Losing You Money
The dish customers love most is often the one quietly draining your profit. Here's how that happens — and how to fix it without removing it.
What Is Contribution Margin? The Number That Drives Menu Decisions
Food cost percentage gets all the attention, but contribution margin is what actually pays your rent. Here's what it is and why it matters more.
7 Ways to Increase Restaurant Profit Without Raising Prices
You don't have to raise prices to make more money. These seven levers lift profit from the menu and operations you already have.
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