Food costs are killing your margins. This book gives you the system to fix them.
Written by Executive Chef Michael Lockard-veteran of The Plaza Hotel, the US Open, and 25+ years of high-volume culinary operations-The Food Cost Formula is a practical playbook for controlling food cost at every stage: purchasing, receiving, inventory, production, and service.
This is not a textbook. This is a working system for executive chefs, F&B directors, and club/hotel culinary teams who need results on the next inventory-not another theory lecture.
Inside you will learn how to:
- Apply the complete 7-step Food Cost Formula-from recipe templates to period-end reporting
- Use 18 ready-to-use templates for recipes, purchasing, receiving, inventory, and production
- Tighten controls that reduce waste, improve inventory accuracy, and protect contribution margin
- Engineer menus around the numbers that actually drive profit-not vanity food-cost percentages
- Apply real-world examples from private clubs, hotels, and high-volume operations
- Evaluate modern culinary cost tools (software, apps, and AI-assisted workflows) without drowning in tech noise
Who this book is for
Executive chefs, sous chefs, F&B directors, culinary school graduates, and operators who want to stop guessing and start controlling cost.
If you lead a kitchen and your food cost still feels like a monthly surprise, start here-then build the operating rhythm that keeps profitability visible every week.
Learn more about Chef Michael Lockard's work with culinary leaders at chefmichaellockard.com