Street Food Pricing Calculator
To price street food, total the food for one service, add your containers, your time, and the pitch fee and gas that you pay whether you sell out or not, then divide by the portions you expect to sell and apply your margin. The calculator below does it, and lets you drop the count to see what a slow day does.
How much should you charge for street food?
To price street food, total the food for one service, add your containers, your time, and the pitch fee and gas that you pay whether you sell out or not, then divide by the portions you expect to sell and apply your margin. The calculator below does it, and lets you drop the count to see what a slow day does.
Street Food Pricing Calculator: FAQs
How do I work out my cost per serving?
Add the food for the service to your containers, your time, and the fixed costs of the day such as the pitch fee, gas and travel, then divide by the number of portions you sell. Dividing food cost alone by portions is what makes a quiet market look survivable when it is not.
What margin should street food aim for?
Many UK traders target 60 to 70 percent on the plate, which usually puts food at 20 to 30 percent of the price. The figure has to clear a pitch fee that does not care how busy you are, so a lower margin needs a much higher count to work.
How do I price when I do not know how busy it will be?
Cost at a realistic count rather than your best day, then check what the price does at a bad one. If a wet Saturday at half your usual count loses money at your chosen price, either the price is too low or the pitch is too expensive.
Should the pitch fee be in the price?
Yes, always. It is a real cost of trading that day, and it is the one most often left out because it is paid separately from the food. Spread it across the portions you expect to sell.
Do I count my own prep time?
Count every paid hour, including Thursday's prep, loading, travel, service and the clean down. Traders routinely count only the hours the hatch is open, which hides most of the labour.