Below are the KPIs that matter most for an independent restaurant or café, each with its formula, a worked example and a note on what to do when it moves. They are grouped by the question they answer: are we selling enough, are costs under control, are we making money, and will guests and staff stay. You do not need all of them — most single-location restaurants run well on six to eight weekly KPIs and a handful of monthly ones.
All examples use the same restaurant: 70 seats, $120,000 net sales a month, 3,400 covers.
Sales KPIs
1. Net sales
Formula: gross sales − discounts, voids and refunds, excluding sales tax. Example: $120,000. Compare with the same weeks last year, aligned by weekday — see restaurant sales growth.
2. Covers (guest count)
Formula: number of guests served. Example: 3,400. Falling covers with rising sales usually means price increases are masking lost traffic.
3. Average check
Formula: net sales ÷ covers. Example: $120,000 ÷ 3,400 = $35.29. Full guide to average check.
4. Table turnover
Formula: parties seated ÷ tables, per service. Example: 46 parties on 20 tables at dinner = 2.3 turns. Table turnover guide.
Cost KPIs
5. Food cost %
Formula: (opening stock + purchases − closing stock) ÷ food sales × 100. Example: ($8,000 + $31,500 − $7,600) ÷ $100,000 = 31.9%. Food cost percentage guide.
6. Labor cost %
Formula: total labor cost including taxes and benefits ÷ net sales × 100. Example: $36,000 ÷ $120,000 = 30%. Labor cost guide.
7. Prime cost %
Formula: (food and beverage cost + labor) ÷ net sales × 100. Example: ($37,200 + $36,000) ÷ $120,000 = 61%. The single most useful cost KPI. Prime cost guide.
8. Plate cost
Formula: ingredient cost of one portion, including trim and waste. Example: a $24 dish with $7.20 of ingredients has a 30% plate cost and $16.80 contribution. Plate cost guide and calculator.
9. Inventory turnover and days on hand
Formula: cost of goods sold ÷ average inventory; days on hand = average inventory ÷ daily cost of goods sold. Example: $31,900 ÷ $7,800 = 4.1 turns a month, about 7 days on hand. Inventory turnover guide.
Profit KPIs
10. Gross, operating and net margin
Formula: profit at each level ÷ net sales × 100. Example: operating profit of $9,600 on $120,000 = 8% operating margin. Restaurant profit margins and the profit margin calculator.
11. Break-even sales
Formula: fixed costs ÷ contribution margin ratio. Example: $38,000 ÷ 0.36 = $105,556 a month. Break-even guide.
12. Cash balance against forecast
Formula: opening balance + receipts − payments, eight weeks forward. Restaurant cash flow guide.
Guest and staff KPIs
13. Repeat guest rate
Formula: returning guests ÷ total identifiable guests × 100. Retention guide and guest lifetime value.
14. Sales per labor hour
Formula: net sales ÷ total labor hours. Example: $120,000 ÷ 1,800 hours = $66.67. Sales per labor hour guide.
15. Staff turnover
Formula: leavers in the period ÷ average headcount × 100. Staff turnover guide.
Which ones to track weekly
Net sales, covers, average check, labor %, purchases as % of sales, prime cost and cash. Everything else monthly. How to set targets is explained in restaurant KPI benchmarks, and how to review them in the 15-minute weekly KPI review.
Frequently asked questions
What are examples of KPIs for a restaurant?
Net sales, covers, average check, table turnover, food cost %, labor cost %, prime cost %, plate cost, inventory turnover, profit margins, break-even sales, cash balance, repeat guest rate, sales per labor hour and staff turnover.
What are the most important restaurant KPIs?
Prime cost %, sales against break-even, average check and covers. Together they show whether costs are under control and whether sales are high enough to cover them.
What KPIs should a small café track?
The same core set, with transactions instead of covers and more weight on sales per labor hour. See coffee shop KPIs.
How many KPIs should a restaurant have?
Six to eight weekly and four to six more monthly. More than that and the review stops happening.
Related guides
Restaurant KPI framework · What are KPIs · How to calculate KPIs · Restaurant KPI calculator
Calculate these KPIs automatically. The free Restaurant KPI Excel template calculates 17 restaurant KPIs from one monthly data-entry sheet, with a six-month dashboard. The Restaurant Performance System works weekly and recommends one action.