Blog

Money and margins

Where the money goes: food cost, margins, cash flow, payments and reading your numbers.

11 articles

Restaurant Card Processing Fees Explained

Understand restaurant card processing fees: interchange, scheme and provider charges, pricing models, surcharge rules and how to compare quotes.

DineHarbor teamAug 7, 20265 min read

Money and margins

Restaurant Budget: How to Build and Use One

Build a restaurant budget from sales forecasts down to costs, set targets for food, labour and prime cost, and review results weekly and monthly.

DineHarbor teamJun 25, 20265 min read

Money and margins

Restaurant Gross Profit and Prime Cost

Understand gross profit, prime cost and net profit in a restaurant, read a simple profit and loss statement, and find where margins leak every month.

DineHarbor teamJun 2, 20267 min read

Money and margins

Restaurant KPIs: The Numbers Worth Tracking

The restaurant KPIs that matter: sales, average spend, food and labour cost, prime cost, waste, ticket time, reviews and repeat guests, and how to use them.

DineHarbor teamMay 10, 20265 min read

Money and margins

Food Cost Percentage and How to Calculate It

Work out your restaurant food cost percentage, actual and theoretical, with a worked example, typical ranges, the causes of a high figure and six fixes.

DineHarbor teamMar 29, 20267 min read

Money and margins

Restaurant Break Even Point Explained

Calculate your restaurant break even point step by step, with fixed and variable costs, a worked example and what to do when sales do not reach it.

DineHarbor teamMar 24, 20265 min read

Money and margins

Restaurant Accounting Basics for Owners

Learn restaurant bookkeeping basics: what records to keep, how to reconcile cash and card takings, the monthly profit and loss and when to hire help.

DineHarbor teamJan 25, 20266 min read

Money and margins

Five Restaurant Numbers to Check Every Week

Use real restaurant reports to review sales change, top products, order volume by hour, preparation time and refunds, then choose one clear useful action.

DineHarbor teamJan 11, 20266 min read

Money and margins

Cash Handling and Till Discrepancies

How to handle cash in a restaurant: floats, counts, drops, cashing up, what to do when the till is short or over, controls that protect staff and records.

DineHarbor teamNov 14, 20258 min read

Money and margins

Is a Ghost Kitchen Profitable?

Work out whether a ghost kitchen can make money: the cost lines, the orders you need, platform fees against your own channel and the main risks.

DineHarbor teamNov 10, 20255 min read

Money and margins

Restaurant Cash Flow Management for Owners

Why profitable restaurants run out of cash, and how to build a 13 week cash forecast, handle VAT and payroll peaks, use supplier terms and survive slow seasons.

DineHarbor teamNov 9, 20257 min read