Blog · October 20, 2026
Plate costing with trim and yield
You pay for the whole case, but you only serve what's left after trimming, peeling and cooking. If your plate costs use the invoice price, they're too low.
Yield percentage
Yield % = usable weight ÷ purchased weight × 100
Trim 10 lb of whole beef tenderloin and keep 7 lb of usable steaks: that's a 70% yield.
Real cost per usable unit
Usable cost = price paid ÷ yield %
Spinach at $11.00 per unit with a 90% yield really costs $12.22 per usable unit. Tenderloin at $15.00/lb with a 70% yield really costs $21.43 per usable pound. That gap goes straight into every plate.
How to measure yield
- Weigh the product as purchased.
- Prep it the way you serve it (trim, peel, portion, cook if you cost cooked weight).
- Weigh what's usable and divide.
- Repeat a few times and use the average. Re-check when you change suppliers or cuts.
Put it on the plate
Cost each ingredient at its usable cost × the portion on the plate, then add them up. ChefYield does this for you: set the yield once per ingredient and every plate using it is yield-adjusted.
Try the yield math in our free food cost calculator.