Recruiter's Glossary

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Food Cost

Term from Restaurants industry explained for recruiters

Food Cost is a key business measure used in restaurants to track how much money is spent on ingredients compared to menu prices. It helps managers ensure the restaurant is profitable. When someone mentions food cost in their resume, they're showing they understand how to control expenses and maintain profits in a restaurant setting. This skill is crucial for roles like restaurant managers, kitchen managers, and chefs. Food cost is usually shown as a percentage - for example, if ingredients cost $2 and the dish sells for $10, the food cost percentage is 20%. Industry standards typically aim for food costs between 28-35% of menu prices.

Examples in Resumes

Reduced Food Cost from 35% to 28% through menu engineering and vendor negotiations

Managed daily operations with a focus on Food Cost control and inventory management

Trained kitchen staff on Food Cost calculations and portion control

Implemented new system to track Food Costs resulting in 15% savings

Typical job title: "Restaurant Managers"

Also try searching for:

Kitchen Manager Restaurant Manager Food and Beverage Manager Executive Chef Chef de Cuisine Food Service Manager Culinary Manager

Where to Find Restaurant Managers

Professional Associations

Online Communities

Job Boards

Example Interview Questions

Senior Level Questions

Q: How would you develop a strategy to reduce food costs while maintaining quality?

Expected Answer: A strong answer should include menu engineering, vendor relationship management, inventory control systems, waste tracking, and staff training programs. They should also mention how to balance cost reduction with maintaining food quality and customer satisfaction.

Q: How do you calculate food cost percentage and what do you consider an acceptable range?

Expected Answer: Should explain that food cost percentage is calculated by dividing total food costs by food sales, multiplied by 100. Should know that typical restaurants aim for 28-35%, but this varies by restaurant type. Should mention factors that influence this range.

Mid Level Questions

Q: What steps would you take to control food waste in the kitchen?

Expected Answer: Should discuss proper storage techniques, inventory rotation (FIFO), portion control, staff training, and waste tracking logs. Should also mention how to use trim and scraps effectively.

Q: How do you handle vendor price increases while maintaining target food costs?

Expected Answer: Should discuss negotiating with vendors, comparing prices across suppliers, possibly adjusting portion sizes, menu engineering, and when/how to appropriately adjust menu prices.

Junior Level Questions

Q: What is portion control and why is it important?

Expected Answer: Should explain that portion control means serving consistent amounts of food items and how this affects food costs, customer satisfaction, and profitability.

Q: How do you properly receive and store food deliveries?

Expected Answer: Should mention checking delivery temperatures, quality inspection, proper storage procedures, labeling, and rotation of stock (FIFO - First In, First Out).