The 30:30:30 Lie

Plating Profit · Jun 4, 2026 · 9m

Somewhere along the way, somebody decided that every food and beverage business should run the same numbers.

30% food cost. 30% labour. 30% operating expenses. 10% profit.

It gets taught in culinary schools. It gets repeated by accountants. It gets passed around like gospel at industry events by people who should know better.

And for a lot of operators, it becomes the measuring stick they hold their entire business against — month after month, year after year — wondering why they can never quite hit it.

Here's what I want to tell you: the problem isn't your business.

The problem is the ruler…