Recipe Management
The Recipe Management module connects your menu items to their underlying ingredients, enabling automatic food cost tracking, inventory deduction, and nutritional reporting.
Ingredient Lists
Each recipe defines the ingredients required and their quantities. Ingredients are drawn from your master ingredient catalog, ensuring consistency across all recipes.
- Quantity and unit — specify exact amounts (e.g., 6 oz chicken breast, 2 tbsp olive oil)
- Yield adjustments — account for trim loss, cooking shrinkage, and waste factors
- Sub-recipes — reference other recipes as components (e.g., a house dressing used in multiple salads)
- Allergen tagging — allergens are inherited automatically from ingredient-level declarations
Prep Instructions
Attach step-by-step preparation instructions to each recipe. These instructions are available to kitchen staff on KDS screens and tablets.
- Define prep steps in order with estimated time per step
- Include photos or short videos for visual reference
- Flag critical control points for food safety (temperature, hold times)
- Specify equipment requirements per step
Portion Sizes
Configure standard portion sizes that determine both the guest-facing serving and the inventory deduction per sale.
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Standard Portion | Default serving size linked to the menu item |
| Small / Large Variants | Alternate sizes with adjusted ingredient quantities |
| Plating Weight | Target weight at the pass for quality control |
| Garnish Components | Non-deducted visual elements tracked separately |
Food Cost Calculation
The platform calculates theoretical food cost in real time using current vendor pricing and recipe quantities.
- Plate cost = sum of (ingredient quantity x current unit cost) for all components
- Food cost percentage = plate cost / menu selling price x 100
- Margin alerts fire when a recipe's food cost exceeds the configured threshold (default 30%)
- Price change impact analysis shows how a vendor price increase affects every recipe using that ingredient
Nutritional Information
Nutritional data is computed automatically from ingredient-level nutrition facts stored in the master catalog.
- Calories, macronutrients (protein, carbs, fat), sodium, and fiber per serving
- Values update dynamically when recipes or portions change
- Exportable for menu labeling compliance and website display
- Dietary tags (vegan, gluten-free, keto) are derived from ingredient attributes
Best Practices
- Keep sub-recipes modular so that a sauce or dressing change propagates everywhere it is used
- Review food costs weekly to catch vendor price swings early
- Audit yield factors annually by comparing theoretical vs. actual usage
- Attach photos to every recipe to ensure consistent plating across shifts