#01Calculator
Food Cost Calculator for Plate Cost and Menu Price
Cost one plate ingredient by ingredient, with yields and a Q factor, then see the menu price that hits your food cost target.
For independent owners and managers
Free coaching tools for independent restaurants
Practical guides, worksheets and calculators for owners and managers who coach themselves and their teams. Work out plate cost and prime cost, run a better pre-shift, set standards you can hold, and keep your paperwork straight. Everything here is free to use.
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- Pour costfree
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- Tip creditfree
No sign-up. Nothing you type leaves your browser.
Calculators and worksheets
All toolsEach tool explains the math, walks through a worked example, and lets you download your results as a CSV for your own records.
#02Calculator
Beverage Cost Calculator for Liquor, Beer and Wine
Work out pours per bottle or keg, cost per drink and pour cost percentage for spirits, draft beer and wine by the glass.
#03Calculator
Buffet Menu Pricing Worksheet and Calculator
Price a buffet or salad bar per person from the food you put out, your guest count, a waste allowance and your target food cost.
#04Calculator
Prime Cost Calculator for Restaurants
Add cost of goods sold and total labor, compare them with sales, and see how far you are from your prime cost target in points and dollars.
#05Calculator
Employee Turnover Cost Calculator for Restaurants
Put a dollar figure on replacing one hourly employee, from overtime and hiring time to training and slow weeks, using your own numbers.
#06Calculator
Tip Credit Calculator (Federal FLSA Rules)
Check one tipped employee's week under federal rules: tip credit, cash wages, overtime and any make-up pay owed when tips fall short.
Self-coaching guides
All guidesLatest articles
All articlesDOL Tipped Employee Rules: The Final Rules, the 80/20 Rule and Where Things Stand in 2026
The 2020 and 2021 final rules, the 80/20/30-minute limit on side work, the Fifth Circuit decision that struck it down, and what applies in late 2026.
How to Become a Twitter Ninja: Using X for Your Restaurant
X still matters for restaurants where local news, food writers and regulars talk in real time. Profile, posting, replies and search, kept practical.
How Documenting Your Interactions With Others Can Make You More Successful
Short, dated, factual notes on coaching talks, write-ups and guest incidents help you follow up, treat people fairly and protect the restaurant.
17 Hospitality Leadership Best Practices
Seventeen habits that separate restaurant leaders people want to work for from the ones they quit, grouped into four areas you can work on one at a time.
Are You Into Doing the Math? Restaurant Numbers Every Manager Should Know
Covers, check average, table turns and the value of a guest who keeps coming back. Simple formulas, worked examples and what each number tells you.
Enough Is Enough: Setting Standards and Holding the Line
Every restaurant has a problem it has tolerated too long. How to decide when enough is enough, and how to hold the line with staff, guests and vendors.
Restaurants on X
X is still where food writers, neighbors and local news accounts talk about restaurants in real time. Our guide covers the basics for a small restaurant: setting up the profile, what to post, answering mentions and finding people who are already talking about you.
Read: How to Become a Twitter Ninja: Using X for Your Restaurant
Common questions
Is Restaurant Coaching Solutions a consulting company?
No. This is a free, independent resource. We don't sell coaching, consulting, courses or memberships, and we don't take clients. The guides and tools are written so an owner or manager can use them without outside help.
Do the calculators store my numbers?
No. The calculators run in your browser. Nothing you type is sent to us or saved on a server, and you can download your results as a CSV file for your own records.
Who writes the guides?
The RCS Editorial Team writes and updates every page. Where a page relies on a law, a government form or a published figure, we link to the original source so you can check it yourself.
Can I print the worksheets and use them with my staff?
Yes. The worksheets and templates on the free resources page are free to print, copy and adapt for your own restaurant. We only ask that you don't resell them.
Is the information here legal or tax advice?
No. Pages about wage rules, tip credits and Form I-9 explain how the federal rules work in general terms. State and local rules differ, so confirm anything that affects pay or hiring with the agency or a qualified professional.