The AI platform restaurants use to find where the money goes, take phone orders, book their tables and fix what guests complain about.
Busy nights, but not much left at the end of the month? Answer 12 quick questions to find out where the money is likely going, what it's costing you, and what to fix first.
About 45s left
What kind of restaurant do you run?
12 questions · about 45 seconds · no sign-up

Free
Your grade and your costliest issue, before you pay anything
In dollars
Dollar estimates for every problem we find, so you know which ones are worth your time
No logins
No POS or bank logins: do it on your phone between shifts
$9.99 once
For the full report, or $19.99 with your real numbers. No account, no subscription.
Set to the US by default. Outside the US? Pick your country in the quiz.
How the check works
Your answers in. Dollars out.
Each answer becomes a cost problem or a missed sale with a price and a place in line, worked out by the same formulas as the report, so you can fix the costliest one first.
Example restaurant: Grade C, $1,730–$3,820 a month at risk

Labor & overhead
Shifts don't flex with traffic
$720–$1,550 a month
The example answered: “Everyone works their scheduled shift anyway”. Paying a full crew through slow hours is a common source of avoidable labor cost. Every idle hour costs the same as a busy one.

Kitchen & food cost
Recipes only costed when the menu changes
$540–$1,150 a month
The example answered: “Only when the menu changes”. Ingredient costs keep rising after launch while menu prices stay put, so your best sellers earn less every month.

Kitchen & food cost
Only big losses get logged
$270–$720 a month
The example answered: “Only when a big batch or case goes bad”. Daily trim, over-prep and plate waste add up to more than the occasional spoiled case, and none of it is counted.

Kitchen & food cost
Bar shrink caught only after the fact
$200–$400 a month
The example answered: “Spot checks when bottles run out early”. Spot checks find missing product only once it's gone. Over-pours and comps go unrecorded in between.

Guests & revenue
Empty seats Monday to Thursday
$900–$2,250 a month in sales it could add
The example answered: “Packed on weekends, quiet midweek”. Rent, staff and utilities cost the same on a quiet Tuesday. Weekend nights are carrying the whole week.

Guests & revenue
Guest emails collected but unused
$360–$720 a month in sales it could add
The example answered: “We collect some emails but rarely use them”. A list you never email is a slow-night tool left in the drawer.

Guests & revenue
Rating just below 4.5 stars
$270–$720 a month in sales it could add
The example answered: “4.0 – 4.4 stars”. Diners can filter search results by star rating, so a few tenths of a star can decide whether you show up.
Example restaurant, priced by the report's own formulas. Yours depend on your answers.
With RestaurantDoctorAI, you know where the money goes and what to do about it
Free check
See where your money goes
Answer 12 quick questions about how your restaurant runs. Your grade and your costliest issue show up right away, free, and the report puts a dollar range on every problem, so you can see which ones are worth your time first.
- About 45 seconds, on your phone
- No P&L, no POS or bank logins
- Your grade and costliest issue, free

About $60–$125 a day
Example restaurant · its report
Needs attention
$1,730–$3,820 a month
- Shifts don't flex with traffic$720–$1,550
- Recipes only costed when the menu changes$540–$1,150
- Only big losses get logged$270–$720
Your report
Know what to fix first, and who does it
Your report turns the problems into a 72-hour plan, costliest issue first: what to do, who does it and how long it takes, so you can start on the next shift instead of guessing.
- A 30-day roadmap and a tracking sheet
- Printable cards for your team
- Worksheets for the numbers to watch

Costliest issue first
Example restaurant · 72-hour plan
- 1
Set a sales-per-labor-hour line and cut to it
GM or shift manager1 hour to set up, 2 minutes a shift
- 2
Re-cost your best sellers at today's prices
Chef or kitchen manager2 hours
- 3
Give guests one reason to come on your slowest night
Owner or GM1 hour to plan
Free tools
Charge what each plate is worth
Type what you pay for each ingredient and how much goes on a plate. You see what the dish costs to make and what's left at each menu price, so you can set prices that cover your costs.
- Food cost, prime cost and labor calculators
- Delivery app prices and card fees
- Free, no sign-up

$15: $10.80 left a plate
Example burger · food cost calculator
Costs to make
$4.20
Sold at $14
30% food cost
$9.80 left a plate
Sold at $15
28% food cost
$10.80 left a plate
Review reader
Hear what guests keep saying
We read your newest Google reviews and sort what guests praise and complain about, in their own words, with a reply drafted for each unhappy one, so you can fix what guests complain about most.
- Up to 100 of your newest reviews
- You beside the places nearby
- What to do about each complaint

A reply ready to post
Example café · its 20 newest Google reviews
3.5 stars on average
- Food
- Service and staff
- Price and value
- Atmosphere
PraiseComplaints
A reply you could post: Thank you for letting us know about your order. We are sorry your drinks arrived spilled and your muffin was missing. [what you've changed] Please reach out to us directly at [your phone or email].
AI phone line
Let an AI answer the calls you miss
Forward the calls your team can't pick up. An AI answers and tells callers it's an AI, takes the pickup order from your menu, reads it back and sends it to a tablet in your kitchen, so you can keep the team on the food when the phone rings.
- Keep your own number
- Every order read back before it's sent
- Never tells a guest a dish is allergy-safe
Table bookings on the same AI number, as an add-on.

Sent to the kitchen tablet
Example café · an order by phone
#12
Dana
Pickup
9:15 AM
- 2× LatteLarge, Oat milk
- 1× CroissantAlmond
$17.25 + tax · pay at pickup
Read back · Dana said yes
Every card is an example, made by the same formulas and tools you'd use. Yours depend on your restaurant.
Inside your report
Your first 30 days, planned
Both reports set out what to do today, this week and this month, then how to see where you stand. The $19.99 report adds your real numbers and a check-up.
Today
Every problem we find with a dollar estimate, biggest first, and your prime cost against the target for your type of restaurant.
This week
Three fixes, one a day, costliest issue first. Each says who does it, how long it takes and how to tell it's working.
This month
The rest of your fixes, week by week, each with the number to watch, and a card for your team for each one.
After the first month
See where you stand. Re-check your grade on day 30, or with the $19.99 report, add your real numbers for then vs now.
What's in every report
Pick one to see it in the example restaurant's report.
Sample report for the example restaurant.
Grade C · Needs attention
Lost to avoidable costs
$1,730–$3,820 / month
About $60–$125 a day
Grade C: Prime cost
Grade D: Kitchen & food cost
Grade C: Labor & overhead
Where the money is goingBiggest 3 of 4
Shifts don't flex with traffic
$720–$1,550 / mo
Recipes only costed when the menu changes
$540–$1,150 / mo
Only big losses get logged
$270–$720 / mo
Bar shrink caught only after the fact
$200–$400 / mo
Two reports
Two reports from the same 12 questions
Your grade and costliest issue are free. After you see them, pick the report that fits. Both are one-time payments.
Did your habits change?
On day 30, update the answers that changed and see your grade and estimates worked out again.
- Dollar estimates for every problem
- The 72-hour plan, 30-day roadmap and team cards
- Calculators and printable worksheets
Pick this if you want the plan without looking up any numbers.
Nothing to choose yet: you pick after your free result.
What the $19.99 report adds
Your real numbers
The example's answers put its prime cost at about 65%. Its numbers for the month said 66.4%: about $1,200 a month over.
Prime cost
Example restaurant
Estimated from its answers
Prime cost vs target
~65% · target ≤ 65%
From its numbers for the month
Prime cost vs target
66.4% · target ≤ 65%
About $1,200 a month over
Right after paying, type in up to 7 figures from last month, like net sales and payroll. Every number is optional: skip them and it works from your answers.
Your check-up
After your plan's first full month, add that month's numbers and see them beside the month you started from.
Then vs now
Example restaurant
| Cost | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Prime costTarget 65% or less | 66.4% | 65%Within target |
| Food and drink costTarget 30–34% | 30.8% | 29.7%Within target |
| Labor costTarget 30–35% | 35.6% | 35.3%About $230 a month over |
One per order. It opens on the 1st of the month after your plan's first full month, and we email you a button then, so there's nothing to remember.
How it compares
What each option costs, and what it needs from you
This report
$9.99 or $19.99, one time
12 multiple-choice questions. No files or logins. Usually on screen within a minute of paying. The $19.99 report adds your real numbers and a check-up.
A consultant's quick diagnostic
$197, one time
You upload your P&L and menu, plus POS sales data if you have it. 48‑hour turnaround.
A done-for-you systems audit
$995 flat fee
A review of your POS, accounting and payroll, mostly done remotely with access to your systems.
A free online calculator (ours included)
Free
You type in your costs and sales and get your prime cost, the healthy range for your type of restaurant and a one-word rating. It tells you how far over you are, not where the money goes. No action plan.
Examples from each provider's own website, checked September 2026. The paid services work from your real records. This report works from your answers, so its figures are estimated ranges, not a review of your books.

How we grade
What's behind the numbers
Every figure in your result and your report is worked out by fixed formulas, from what you tell us and published benchmarks. Here is what each one rests on.
Every estimate
Your 12 answers
Multiple-choice answers about how your restaurant runs, and your sales range, which sizes every dollar figure. Nothing to connect: no POS, bank or accounting logins.
Your targets
Targets for your type of restaurant
RestaurantDoctorAI's targets for prime cost, food and drink, labor, and rent and utilities, set for your type of restaurant: quick service, fast casual, full service, fine dining, or a bar or lounge.
For comparison
National Restaurant Association
Its 2025 Restaurant Operations Data Abstract: what US restaurants spent on food, labor and occupancy in 2024. Our guides hold our targets up against it.
App orders
The delivery apps' own plans
On the big apps, a delivered order costs 15% to 30% of the order or more, depending on the plan: the range your report's delivery findings quote.
Rent and utilities
ENERGY STAR (US EPA)
Puts a restaurant's energy costs alone at about 3–5% of sales, which is why the rent question counts utilities too.
Grades and dollar ranges
Fixed formulas, not AI
Your grade, dollar ranges and prime cost come from fixed formulas in our code. In the paid report, Google's Gemini writes the explanations around them, never the numbers, and a second check makes sure its words match.

Who's behind it
People close to me run restaurants, and I built RestaurantDoctorAI to give independent owners a fast, plain-English first look, for free.
Felix S. Pavel, founder of RestaurantDoctorAI
Free tools
Free calculators and tools
11 quick tools for the numbers behind a restaurant, free with no sign-up, so you can check one figure the moment you have it.

Prime cost calculator
Food, drink and labor as a share of your sales, against the target for your type of restaurant, so you know whether your prime cost needs fixing.
Open the calculator
Restaurant break-even calculator
How much you need to sell each month, week and day, and how many guests that is, so you know what a day has to bring in just to cover the bills.
Open the calculator
Food cost calculator: plate cost and menu price
What one plate costs you to make, its food cost, and the price that hits your target.
Open the calculator
Restaurant deadline calendar
Every tax, payroll, license and permit date for your restaurant through 2027, worked out for your state, so you can file and renew before the deadline, not after a late notice.
Open the calendar
FICA tip credit calculator
Enter a few numbers from your payroll so you can see whether your FICA tip credit is worth a call to your accountant.
Open the calculator
Reservation fees calculator: OpenTable, Resy and more
For restaurant owners: what your booking app really costs a month and a year, from OpenTable's fee per guest to a flat monthly price, so you can see what each guest it books really costs you.
Open the calculator

Restaurant labor cost calculator
Your labor cost %, the hours next week's sales can pay for, and the sales per labor hour to cut staff at.
Open the calculator
Restaurant budget calculator
Your expected sales for a month, split into food and drink, labor, rent and other costs by RestaurantDoctorAI's targets for your type of restaurant, with what's left and your break-even, so you can plan the month before you spend it.
Open the calculator
Delivery app price calculator
The break-even app price for a dish once the app takes its cut, so you can set app prices that leave you what the same dish earns in-house.
Open the calculator
Menu calorie counter
A dish's calories from its recipe, rounded the way menus show them.
Open the counter
Credit card fees calculator
Your real cost per $100 of card sales against a fair range for your type of restaurant, so you can see whether your fees are worth questioning and what to ask.
Open the calculator
Questions
Where is my restaurant losing money?
Usually in a few places that grow with every sale: recipes not re-costed after supplier price rises, kitchen waste nobody measures, free pours at the bar, shifts that don't flex with traffic, and delivery app orders at regular prices, where the apps take a 15–30% commission on each order. Rent and utilities above your type of restaurant's range (10% of sales for counter service, 12% for the rest) squeeze profit too. The 12 questions check each of these, put a dollar range on the problems they find and flag rent if it's too high.
Who is RestaurantDoctorAI for?
Owners and managers of independent restaurants: quick service, fast casual, full service and casual dining, fine dining, bars, taprooms or lounges, and cafés or coffee shops. It's for whoever runs the place day to day and can see from the bank balance that something is off, but not where the money is going. You don't need a finance team, your books or any software: just 12 answers about how the restaurant runs.
Do I need my financial statements?
No. Answer from what you know about how the restaurant runs. The report tells you which numbers to start tracking and how to calculate them.
What's the difference between the $9.99 and $19.99 reports?
Both come from the same 12 questions and include the full report: grades, dollar estimates, the 72-hour plan, the 30-day roadmap, team cards and worksheets. The $19.99 report adds two things. After paying, you can type in up to 7 numbers from last month, like net sales and payroll, and your report works from them: your real costs against the targets, and estimates sized to your real sales. Every number is optional. It also includes one check-up: on the 1st of the month after your plan's first full month we email you a button, you add that month's numbers, and you get a new report with your progress and a new plan. It stays open for about two months. One check-up per order. No numbers to hand? Skip them and your report is written from your answers; the check-up is still included.
How is this different from hiring a consultant?
Two paid services we looked at in September 2026, a consultant's quick diagnostic and a systems audit, work from your real records: one asks you to upload your P&L and menu, the other reviews your POS, accounting and payroll with access to your systems. This report works from your 12 answers, so its figures are estimated ranges, not a review of your books. Use it to see where to look first, and where to point a consultant if you hire one later.
Can I find out where my restaurant is losing money without a CPA?
Yes, for a first look. The free check takes 12 multiple-choice answers about how the restaurant runs, with no P&L, no POS or bank login and no account, and shows a grade and an estimated yearly loss to avoidable costs against RestaurantDoctorAI's targets for your type of restaurant. It doesn't review your books or do your taxes: a CPA does that. It shows where to look first, and which numbers to bring to your accountant if you have one.
What happens to my answers?
They're used to build and deliver your report. We never ask for POS, bank or accounting logins, and we don't sell your answers. The one time a company other than our service providers gets any of your details is if you press a button to be introduced to a company that fixes your biggest problem, and then it gets only what the button says.
Why do you ask for my email?
The free check never asks for it. We ask only when you choose something that needs it. When you buy a report, Stripe's checkout page asks for your email, and we use it to deliver your report (it also shows on screen) and to send one email a few days later asking how your action plan went. If you ask to be introduced to a company that fixes your costliest issue, that company gets only what the button says. We don't send newsletters or marketing emails, apart from the one reminder from How AI sees your website, which it tells you about, and tips if you tick a box asking for them. We don't sell your details to data brokers, and the AI that helps write your report never sees your email. The $19.99 report adds one more email, when its included check-up opens.
Does the site remember my restaurant?
Only if you ask it to, and only on your own device. Press Remember on this device under your free result or one of our calculators, and your answers and numbers are kept in your browser. Next time, our calculators and the report's number forms start with them, and the quiz welcomes you back with your last grade, so you can check again and see what changed. We never receive them, and you can forget them at any time.
How are the estimates calculated?
We compare your answers with RestaurantDoctorAI's 2026 targets for your type of restaurant, checked against the National Restaurant Association's figures, and scale the estimates to your sales range. They're ranges, not measurements of your books. The action plan comes from a playbook of standard restaurant fixes chosen for your answers.
Do you use AI?
Only for the wording. Your grade, dollar ranges and prime cost come from fixed formulas, and your action plan's steps are copied word for word from our playbook of standard restaurant fixes, with your own targets filled in. Google's Gemini, a pre-trained AI model, then explains those results in plain English. It never does the math, and our code double-checks the dollar figures in your action plan. It sees your answers, any numbers you add and your restaurant's name, never your email or payment details.
Does it work outside the US?
Yes. The quiz starts on the US; tap Change at the top of the quiz to pick your country. Your figures come out in euros, pounds, Swiss francs or Canadian, Australian or New Zealand dollars where that's your currency, and in US dollars anywhere else. Canada, the UK, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand also get local wording in the action plan. The percentage targets are set for US restaurants and run close to those five countries' norms; anywhere else, treat the report as a rough guide. You pay in US dollars, and your bank converts it.
Is this financial or tax advice?
No. It's an operational benchmark to help you decide where to look first. It's not a CPA audit, tax advice or legal counsel.
Do I need an account?
No login, no subscription. You pay once and the report is yours: on screen, usually within a minute, and by email. The check-up comes as a button in your email, so it needs no login either.
What if the report isn't useful to me?
Email us within 14 days of buying and we refund you in full. You don't need to give a reason. The details are on our Refund and Return Policy page.
Guides for restaurant owners
- Why is my restaurant busy but not making money?
- How do I know if my restaurant is profitable?
- What is prime cost in a restaurant? Formula and targets
- Food cost percentage: formula and targets by restaurant type
- Restaurant labor cost percentage: what's good + formula
- Sales per labor hour (SPLH): formula and your target
- Tipped minimum wage by state: 2026 rates and 2027 changes
- What is a restaurant service charge, and should you add one?
- Bar pour cost: how to calculate and fix it
- Delivery app commission: what it takes and how to cover it
- How much rent can a restaurant afford?
- How many covers a night do I need to break even?
- Restaurant formulas: food cost, labor, prime cost and more
- Can I check restaurant numbers without POS or bank access?
- Do restaurants have to list calories on the menu?
- How to donate your restaurant's surplus food safely
- What does a restaurant have to post and keep?












