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Entering Serving Recipes

  • Updated

Serving recipes are the final dishes presented to guests. Unlike prep recipes, they include pricing and are typically featured on menus. This article walks you through how to enter a serving recipe in reciProfity, including ingredient setup, yield, pricing, and cost analysis.

 

Step-by-Step: Creating a Serving Recipe

1. Recipe Setup

Under Edit Recipe, update the following fields:

  • Name: Give the recipe a name. This description is visible on the recipe page.
  • Nutritional Label Name: This field is public-facing and must be grammatically correct. If left blank, the nutrient label description will default to the recipe name.
  • Type: Choose "Serving Recipe" from the drop-down menu. Please note this cannot be changed if tied to a production order.
  • PLU Code: A PLU is required for importing and exporting data with your POS software. It must remain consistent across both platforms.
  • Description: (optional).
  • Categories: Assigning a category allows you to assign a food cost percentage for specific types of meals.
  • Allergen and Nutrient Information: Automatically flows from the ingredient level through the prep recipe to the serving recipe.

 

2. Adding Recipe Ingredients

Step 1: Enter the amount and unit of measurement (e.g., 8 oz, 1 ea, 5 gal). In this example, we’ll use 1 cup.

 

Step 2: Start typing the ingredient name. The field uses a “contains” search, so entering “rice” will return all ingredients and recipes with that word. Select the correct match from the dropdown:

  • Recipes display with a BLUE label.
  • Raw ingredients have no label.
  • Ingredients modified by a conversion show a RED prep label. For example, “rice” may appear as both raw and cooked, each with different yields and costs.

Step 3: reciProfity calculates the recipe's ingredient costs based on product packaging details and the quantity entered.

rice.jpg

 

If “N/A” appears in the cost column, it means either:

  • The ingredient is missing pricing data. Click the ingredient name to update it.
  • The unit of measurement is incompatible (e.g., using volume for an item purchased by weight) and no conversion has been entered. Click the ingredient name to open its record and review the Conversions section.

 

Step 4: Repeat the steps above to add all ingredients.

 

3. Setting Yield and Pricing

Step 5: In the Yield Portion field, enter how many servings the recipe makes. For serving recipes, this is usually 1.

price.jpg

 

Step 6: Enter the selling price in the Pricing section. reciProfity will compare the actual food cost to the target based on your category’s food cost percentage. 

price.jpg

 

Step 7: The Pricing box in View mode shows an overview. Recipes that exceed the target food cost percentage are highlighted in red.

 

Understanding Serving Recipe Cost Fields

The following fields appear in the Pricing section of a serving recipe and help you evaluate cost, margin, and pricing decisions:

  • Sells For: This is the actual selling price you set for the recipe. reciProfity calculates a suggested price based on the serving cost and your target food cost percentage. In this example, the suggested price is $18.29, but the actual price is set to $15.99 to better fit the market.
  • Target Food Cost: This is the target percentage for food cost—in this case, 35%. If the serving cost is $6.40 and the selling price is $15.99, the actual food cost exceeds the category's target, which may indicate a need to adjust pricing or portioning.
  • Margin: This shows the profit in dollars (selling price minus cost). While percentage margins are useful, dollar margin is what contributes directly to your bottom line. Even if the margin is lower than expected, it may still be acceptable depending on the item’s role in your menu.
  • Serving Cost: This is the cost to produce one serving of the recipe, based on the ingredients and quantities entered.

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