How much profit should you make on a meal?
5 min read · 2026-09-05
Short answer: There is no single right number. Instead of copying someone else's percentage, work backwards from what you need to earn: the profit per meal, times the meals you sell, has to cover labour, rent and your own time. The margin has to be large enough to pay for labour, rent and your own time.
Margin versus net profit
The profit on a single meal (price minus direct cost) is profit before labour and overhead. What you keep at the end of the month, after wages, rent and bills, is net profit — usually a much smaller number than the margin on any single meal.
Margin % = (price − meal cost) ÷ price × 100
Why there isn't one right number
Targets vary a lot between restaurants, meal-prep sellers and caterers, because rent, labour and order size differ. MealMargin does not label your margin good or bad — set your own target in the calculator and it shows how far above or below it each meal sits.
Aim for pounds, not just percentages
A 70% margin on a 4.00 side makes 2.80. A 55% margin on a 16.00 main makes 8.80. Look at profit per meal alongside margin.