Meal prep pricing calculator for your business
Work out what to charge per meal and meal plan, then see what remains after ingredients, packaging, labour and delivery.
Example figures
How much should I charge for meal prep?
Price per meal
Ingredient cost ÷ (target food cost % ÷ 100)
3.00 ÷ 0.30 = 10.00Example: ingredients costing 3.00 at a 30% target give a selling price of 10.00.
Start with your ingredient cost and a target food cost percentage. Then check that the resulting price covers packaging, kitchen labour and delivery, with enough left for running the business.
At a price of 10.00, ingredients of 3.00 and other meal costs of 3.00 leave 4.00 per meal. That remainder contributes to rent, admin, marketing and profit.
If it is too small, try a lower target percentage to increase the price, or reduce your costs. Check the final price against what your customers will pay.
How to price a weekly meal plan
Multiply the price per meal by meals per day and days per week. At 10.00 per meal, two meals a day for five days cost 100.00 per week, or 400.00 for four weeks.
The calculator uses unrounded prices for totals, then displays two decimal places. A four-week plan is 28 days, not an average calendar month.
Check your meal costs and business profit
Meal prep pricing questions
What food cost percentage should I use?
Choose a target that leaves enough to cover your other costs and the amount you want the business to earn. At 30%, ingredients take 30 of every 100 in sales. The remaining 70 must cover everything else. The example percentage is a starting figure, not an industry benchmark.
Is food cost percentage the same as profit margin?
No. Food cost percentage is the ingredient cost divided by the selling price, multiplied by 100. Profit margin accounts for the other costs of running the business too. The amount left in this calculator covers only the costs you enter; it is not net profit.
Does the calculated price include packaging, labour and delivery?
The selling price is set by your ingredient cost and target percentage. Packaging, labour and delivery are then subtracted to show what remains. Changing those costs changes the remainder, not the selling price.
How do meal plan discounts affect what I keep?
A discount lowers the price received for each meal while your costs may stay the same. Divide the discounted bundle price by its meal count, then use that selling price in the food cost calculator to check the remainder.
Spend less time running the day-to-day
We set up ordering, kitchen and delivery workflows around your meal prep business.