{
  "name": "RestaurantDoctorAI restaurant cost targets",
  "description": "The targets RestaurantDoctorAI's free profit check, paid reports, calculators and free AI tools grade a US restaurant against, for each type of restaurant, as a share of net sales. They're RestaurantDoctorAI's own targets: where an independent source publishes the same line, the target says so and names it; the rest are ours. Many restaurants run over them; they're a healthy range, not an average. The National Restaurant Association's 2024 medians are listed beside them as published.",
  "page": "https://restaurantdoctorai.com/methodology#targets",
  "methodology": "https://restaurantdoctorai.com/methodology",
  "unit": "Percent of net sales",
  "reviewed": "2026-10-14",
  "definitions": {
    "primeCost": "Food and drink cost plus labor. A ceiling: at or under it is healthy.",
    "foodAndDrinkCost": "What you buy from suppliers for the food and drink you sell.",
    "labor": "Total payroll: wages, salaries and the employer's costs on them, such as payroll taxes.",
    "rentAndUtilities": "Rent, property charges and utilities together, so it runs higher than rent-only figures. Only spending above the top of the range is flagged.",
    "drinksShareOfSales": "Not a target: the share of sales the free check assumes drinks make up, to size the bar's pour estimate."
  },
  "types": [
    {
      "id": "quick_service",
      "name": "Quick service",
      "description": "Counter or kiosk, fast turnover",
      "primeCost": {
        "max": 60,
        "origin": {
          "kind": "matches_published",
          "source": {
            "name": "RestaurantOwner.com, on prime cost",
            "url": "https://www.restaurantowner.com/public/Why-Prime-Cost-Is-the-Most-Important-Number-That-Should-Be-on-Your-PL.cfm"
          }
        }
      },
      "foodAndDrinkCost": {
        "low": 26,
        "high": 32,
        "origin": {
          "kind": "restaurantdoctorai"
        }
      },
      "labor": {
        "low": 26,
        "high": 31,
        "origin": {
          "kind": "restaurantdoctorai"
        }
      },
      "rentAndUtilities": {
        "low": 6,
        "high": 10,
        "origin": {
          "kind": "restaurantdoctorai"
        }
      },
      "drinksShareOfSales": 5
    },
    {
      "id": "fast_casual",
      "name": "Fast casual",
      "description": "Order at the counter, food brought to the table",
      "primeCost": {
        "max": 60,
        "origin": {
          "kind": "restaurantdoctorai"
        }
      },
      "foodAndDrinkCost": {
        "low": 28,
        "high": 33,
        "origin": {
          "kind": "restaurantdoctorai"
        }
      },
      "labor": {
        "low": 27,
        "high": 32,
        "origin": {
          "kind": "restaurantdoctorai"
        }
      },
      "rentAndUtilities": {
        "low": 6,
        "high": 10,
        "origin": {
          "kind": "restaurantdoctorai"
        }
      },
      "drinksShareOfSales": 8
    },
    {
      "id": "full_service",
      "name": "Full service / casual dining",
      "description": "Servers, moderate check",
      "primeCost": {
        "max": 65,
        "origin": {
          "kind": "matches_published",
          "source": {
            "name": "RestaurantOwner.com, on prime cost",
            "url": "https://www.restaurantowner.com/public/Why-Prime-Cost-Is-the-Most-Important-Number-That-Should-Be-on-Your-PL.cfm"
          }
        }
      },
      "foodAndDrinkCost": {
        "low": 30,
        "high": 34,
        "origin": {
          "kind": "restaurantdoctorai"
        }
      },
      "labor": {
        "low": 30,
        "high": 35,
        "origin": {
          "kind": "restaurantdoctorai"
        }
      },
      "rentAndUtilities": {
        "low": 7,
        "high": 12,
        "origin": {
          "kind": "restaurantdoctorai"
        }
      },
      "drinksShareOfSales": 20
    },
    {
      "id": "fine_dining",
      "name": "Fine dining",
      "description": "Chef-driven, higher check",
      "primeCost": {
        "max": 70,
        "origin": {
          "kind": "restaurantdoctorai"
        }
      },
      "foodAndDrinkCost": {
        "low": 32,
        "high": 38,
        "origin": {
          "kind": "restaurantdoctorai"
        }
      },
      "labor": {
        "low": 34,
        "high": 38,
        "origin": {
          "kind": "restaurantdoctorai"
        }
      },
      "rentAndUtilities": {
        "low": 7,
        "high": 12,
        "origin": {
          "kind": "restaurantdoctorai"
        }
      },
      "drinksShareOfSales": 30
    },
    {
      "id": "bar_lounge",
      "name": "Bar, taproom or lounge",
      "description": "Drinks are about half of sales or more",
      "primeCost": {
        "max": 57,
        "origin": {
          "kind": "restaurantdoctorai"
        }
      },
      "foodAndDrinkCost": {
        "low": 20,
        "high": 26,
        "origin": {
          "kind": "restaurantdoctorai"
        }
      },
      "labor": {
        "low": 25,
        "high": 32,
        "origin": {
          "kind": "restaurantdoctorai"
        }
      },
      "rentAndUtilities": {
        "low": 7,
        "high": 12,
        "origin": {
          "kind": "restaurantdoctorai"
        }
      },
      "drinksShareOfSales": 55
    },
    {
      "id": "cafe",
      "name": "Café or coffee shop",
      "description": "Drinks lead, with pastries and light food",
      "primeCost": {
        "max": 60,
        "origin": {
          "kind": "restaurantdoctorai"
        }
      },
      "foodAndDrinkCost": {
        "low": 24,
        "high": 32,
        "origin": {
          "kind": "restaurantdoctorai"
        }
      },
      "labor": {
        "low": 28,
        "high": 34,
        "origin": {
          "kind": "restaurantdoctorai"
        }
      },
      "rentAndUtilities": {
        "low": 6,
        "high": 10,
        "origin": {
          "kind": "restaurantdoctorai"
        }
      },
      "drinksShareOfSales": 65
    }
  ],
  "publishedMedians": {
    "publisher": "National Restaurant Association",
    "title": "2025 Restaurant Operations Data Abstract (2024 results), as its free pages give them",
    "year": 2024,
    "note": "Medians, not targets. The Association counts quick service and fast casual together as limited service, and counts utilities apart from occupancy (rent, property taxes and insurance).",
    "fullService": {
      "foodAndDrinkCost": 32,
      "labor": 36.5,
      "occupancy": 5.7,
      "pretaxProfit": 2.8,
      "source": [
        "https://restaurant.org/research-and-media/research/restaurant-economic-insights/analysis-commentary/restaurant-operators-kept-food-cost-ratios-in-check-in-2024/",
        "https://restaurant.org/research-and-media/research/restaurant-economic-insights/analysis-commentary/elevated-labor-costs-had-a-significant-impact-on-restaurant-profitability-in-2024/",
        "https://www.restaurant.org/research-and-media/research/restaurant-economic-insights/analysis-commentary/restaurant-occupancy-costs-were-more-than-5-of-sales-in-2024/"
      ]
    },
    "limitedService": {
      "primeCost": 65,
      "foodAndDrinkCost": 32.4,
      "labor": 31.7,
      "occupancy": 5.2,
      "pretaxProfit": 4,
      "source": [
        "https://restaurant.org/research-and-media/media/press-releases/new-resource-from-national-restaurant-association-provides-insights-into-operational-realities/",
        "https://restaurant.org/research-and-media/research/restaurant-economic-insights/analysis-commentary/restaurant-operators-kept-food-cost-ratios-in-check-in-2024/",
        "https://restaurant.org/research-and-media/research/restaurant-economic-insights/analysis-commentary/elevated-labor-costs-had-a-significant-impact-on-restaurant-profitability-in-2024/",
        "https://www.restaurant.org/research-and-media/research/restaurant-economic-insights/analysis-commentary/restaurant-occupancy-costs-were-more-than-5-of-sales-in-2024/"
      ]
    }
  },
  "sources": [
    {
      "publisher": "National Restaurant Association",
      "title": "Release on its 2025 Restaurant Operations Data Abstract",
      "url": "https://restaurant.org/research-and-media/media/press-releases/new-resource-from-national-restaurant-association-provides-insights-into-operational-realities/",
      "usedFor": "Checking the prime cost ceilings against what the median counter-service restaurant actually runs.",
      "date": "Published August 20, 2025"
    },
    {
      "publisher": "National Restaurant Association",
      "title": "Food cost in 2024, from the same data abstract",
      "url": "https://restaurant.org/research-and-media/research/restaurant-economic-insights/analysis-commentary/restaurant-operators-kept-food-cost-ratios-in-check-in-2024/",
      "usedFor": "Checking the food and drink cost ranges against the median full-service and counter-service restaurant.",
      "date": "Published September 10, 2025"
    },
    {
      "publisher": "National Restaurant Association",
      "title": "Labor costs and profitability in 2024, from the same data abstract",
      "url": "https://restaurant.org/research-and-media/research/restaurant-economic-insights/analysis-commentary/elevated-labor-costs-had-a-significant-impact-on-restaurant-profitability-in-2024/",
      "usedFor": "Checking the labor ranges against the median restaurant that made a profit.",
      "date": "Published October 8, 2025"
    },
    {
      "publisher": "National Restaurant Association",
      "title": "Occupancy costs in 2024, from the same data abstract",
      "url": "https://www.restaurant.org/research-and-media/research/restaurant-economic-insights/analysis-commentary/restaurant-occupancy-costs-were-more-than-5-of-sales-in-2024/",
      "usedFor": "Checking the rent ranges. The Association counts utilities on a separate line, so its figures run lower than ours.",
      "date": "Published September 3, 2025"
    },
    {
      "publisher": "ENERGY STAR (US Environmental Protection Agency)",
      "title": "Ask the experts: cutting utility costs in a commercial kitchen",
      "url": "https://www.energystar.gov/products/ask-the-experts/how-cut-utility-costs-your-commercial-kitchen",
      "usedFor": "Why our rent ranges include utilities: energy alone is a real share of a restaurant's sales.",
      "date": null
    },
    {
      "publisher": "DoorDash and Uber Eats",
      "title": "Their US merchant plan pages",
      "url": null,
      "usedFor": "The 15–30% commission that delivery findings quote for US restaurants.",
      "date": "Checked September 2026"
    }
  ],
  "tools": {
    "mcp": "https://restaurantdoctorai.com/api/mcp",
    "freeCheck": "https://restaurantdoctorai.com"
  }
}