Restaurant break-even calculator
Enter your monthly fixed costs, your average check per guest, and your variable cost ratio (food + variable labor). You get break-even revenue and covers per day.
An estimation aid only — results are not financial, accounting or legal advice.
How is it calculated?
- Contribution margin per guest = average check × (1 − variable cost ratio).
- Monthly break-even revenue = fixed costs ÷ (1 − variable cost ratio).
- Break-even covers per month = fixed costs ÷ contribution margin per guest.
- Break-even covers per day = break-even covers per month ÷ operating days.
How to read the result
The result is the sales you need to cover all costs with no profit or loss. Divide it by working days for a daily target, then by the average ticket to get the number of guests needed.
Tips
Separate fixed costs (rent, base salaries) from variable ones (materials, commissions) and recalculate when rent or prices change. Try scenarios: what if the price rises 5%? What if sales fall 10%?
Frequently asked questions
What is the break-even point?
It is the sales level where your revenue equals your total costs — no profit, no loss. Every guest after that starts adding profit.
What is a typical variable cost ratio?
Often 30–45%: food and beverage cost plus the variable part of labor (hours that scale with service volume).
Why does the daily number matter?
It turns the monthly target into an operational number you can track every shift: did we hit the required covers today?
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