INPUT 01
Input 01
Recipe portions, ingredient purchase pack sizes, dated prices and usable yields
Cost a restaurant dish and review menu pricing
Calculate a dish’s ingredient cost from portion sizes, purchase prices and usable yields, then compare current and target pricing assumptions.
Work typeOperations
SetupInstruction-led
ContextWorldwide
Is this the right workflow?
TASK GUIDEA useful fit
Checking the costing of a specific dish or comparing menu price scenarios using actual supplier and recipe records.
Boundaries and review decisions
Food-cost percentage targets are operator assumptions, not universal benchmarks. Ingredient contribution excludes labour, rent and other overheads. Menu popularity classifications require sales-mix evidence. A draft cannot establish profitability or determine tax treatment.
Prepare a first draft
Fieldwork preparation plan adapted from the pinned publisher workflow. Read the complete pinned source before use.
The guidance below adds task-specific review limits and replaces silent defaults with explicit supplied context. It is a preparation plan, not a report of an executed skill.
Attribution and reuse
Adapted from Mohit Aggarwal’s menu-cost-engineer. Fieldwork changed the task summary, preparation steps, review limits and starter prompt. Publisher source is MIT licensed; the copyright and permission notice is retained in the linked licence file.
Normalise the inputs
Use one currency, consistent price/GST basis and matching weight or volume units. Confirm whether yield already includes waste so the same loss is not applied twice.
Calculate the plate cost
Show each ingredient calculation and the total for the stated portion. Flag missing pack prices or yield data; do not silently substitute guessed market prices.
Compare price scenarios
Compute food-cost percentage and a target-price scenario using the agreed target. Add menu-engineering labels only when the operator supplies a popularity benchmark and sales mix.
Fieldwork task guidance updated 2026-10-20. Publisher source inspection remains dated 2026-10-20; independent execution testing has not been performed.
01 / What you bring
REQUIRED INPUTSGather the material before running the prompt. Follow the publisher’s full checklist for the specific task.
INPUT 02
Input 02
Waste allowance and the agreed food-cost target
INPUT 03
Input 03
Current selling price, currency and consistent GST basis; item sales mix if menu classification is requested
Publisher excerpt: “Cost a menu item to a plate cost and food-cost percentage, then price it for a target margin.…” Source ↗
02 / What you get
EXPECTED OUTPUTAn ingredient cost breakdown, plate cost, food-cost percentage, ingredient contribution and a suggested-price scenario with explicit assumptions.
FIRST-TRIAL CHECKLISTNO EXECUTION RESULT CLAIMED
Choose a controlled input
Recipe portions, ingredient purchase pack sizes, dated prices and usable yields; Waste allowance and the agreed food-cost target; Current selling price, currency and consistent GST basis; item sales mix if menu classification is requested
Check it before relying on it
Recalculate one ingredient and the total by hand. Compare against the kitchen’s reviewed costing sheet and confirm that ingredient contribution is not labelled net profit.
Use a small, permitted sample and compare the result with a reviewed baseline. This plan does not claim the publisher’s skill has been run or measured by Fieldwork.
03 / Set it up
Claude: follow the publisher’s Claude or Claude Code installation path. Preserve the complete skill folder and supporting references; configure required tools before trying the prompt.
ChatGPT: manual instruction adaptation. Read the source, supply the required context and files, and configure available tools yourself. This is not a native ChatGPT plugin installation.
STEP 01
Review the complete source
Inspect the pinned source and licence notice before use.
STEP 02
Keep the full workflow
For a compatible Agent Skills host, use the complete folder; for ChatGPT, supply the instruction file manually and use the starter prompt.
STEP 03
Configure your workspace
Provide the named inputs and confirm the task-specific limits before drafting.
STEP 04
Try a reviewable first draft
Review a small permitted sample before applying the workflow to live work.
Compatibility, tools & dependencies
Published as an Agent Skills instruction file for compatible Claude setups. ChatGPT use is a manual prompt/instruction adaptation, not a native installation or publisher-tested execution. No Fieldwork execution test was performed.
Use AUD and confirm a consistent GST basis with the business’s approved costing method; this listing does not provide tax advice.
Named tools: See publisher notes. Actual access depends on your setup.
- The complete pinned SKILL.md and publisher licence notice. No bundled scripts or mandatory external connector in this folder.
- The supplied task evidence and a responsible human reviewer. Optional companion skills are separate, not installed by this listing.
Pinned source and complete folder inspected on 20 October 2026. No installation, script execution or independently measured result.
Public instructions do not imply free access to AI products, apps or APIs.
04 / Your starter prompt
REPLACE THE BRACKETSPinned publisher workflow: https://github.com/mohitagw15856/pm-claude-skills/blob/b8a5ba81e366167ce7dd782824eb7350f1139b75/skills/menu-cost-engineer/SKILL.md Task: Cost a restaurant dish and review menu pricing. Use the complete source instructions, subject to the task-specific review limits below. Supply: - Recipe portions, ingredient purchase pack sizes, dated prices and usable yields - Waste allowance and the agreed food-cost target - Current selling price, currency and consistent GST basis; item sales mix if menu classification is requested First identify missing evidence and ask for it rather than assuming defaults. Use only authorised materials. Preparation sequence: 1. Normalise the inputs: Use one currency, consistent price/GST basis and matching weight or volume units. Confirm whether yield already includes waste so the same loss is not applied twice. 2. Calculate the plate cost: Show each ingredient calculation and the total for the stated portion. Flag missing pack prices or yield data; do not silently substitute guessed market prices. 3. Compare price scenarios: Compute food-cost percentage and a target-price scenario using the agreed target. Add menu-engineering labels only when the operator supplies a popularity benchmark and sales mix. Return: An ingredient cost breakdown, plate cost, food-cost percentage, ingredient contribution and a suggested-price scenario with explicit assumptions. Review limits: Food-cost percentage targets are operator assumptions, not universal benchmarks. Ingredient contribution excludes labour, rent and other overheads. Menu popularity classifications require sales-mix evidence. A draft cannot establish profitability or determine tax treatment. First-trial check: Recalculate one ingredient and the total by hand. Compare against the kitchen’s reviewed costing sheet and confirm that ingredient contribution is not labelled net profit. Separate supplied facts, calculations, assumptions and unresolved questions. Do not invent examples, measured results or access. Return the draft here for human review; do not send, publish, change records or make purchases. If the source or required evidence is unavailable, state the limit. Attribution and reuse: Adapted from Mohit Aggarwal’s menu-cost-engineer. Fieldwork changed the task summary, preparation steps, review limits and starter prompt. Publisher source is MIT licensed; the copyright and permission notice is retained in the linked licence file. Licence: https://github.com/mohitagw15856/pm-claude-skills/blob/b8a5ba81e366167ce7dd782824eb7350f1139b75/LICENSE Copyright and permission notice: https://findaiskills.com.au/source-licences/mohit-aggarwal-mit.txt
Fieldwork’s starter prompt. Keep the complete publisher workflow and replace the brackets before use.
05 / Before you rely on it
Review the draft before using it
Recalculate one ingredient and the total by hand. Compare against the kitchen’s reviewed costing sheet and confirm that ingredient contribution is not labelled net profit. Food-cost percentage targets are operator assumptions, not universal benchmarks. Ingredient contribution excludes labour, rent and other overheads. Menu popularity classifications require sales-mix evidence. A draft cannot establish profitability or determine tax treatment.
- Recalculate one ingredient and the total by hand. Compare against the kitchen’s reviewed costing sheet and confirm that ingredient contribution is not labelled net profit.
- Food-cost percentage targets are operator assumptions, not universal benchmarks. Ingredient contribution excludes labour, rent and other overheads. Menu popularity classifications require sales-mix evidence. A draft cannot establish profitability or determine tax treatment.
Read the related practical guide →
This is a source-inspected starting point. Fieldwork has not run-tested this skill or measured time savings.