What is a good food cost percentage for fish and chips?

Fish and chips typically runs 30-36% food cost. White fish is the dominant and most volatile cost, so this category benefits from more frequent price monitoring than lower-protein dishes.

How much does fish and chips cost to make?

A standard cod-based portion with fries typically costs $6-8 in ingredients, supporting a $15-18 menu price at a 33% food cost target, depending on current fish market prices.

Should the fries portion be costed separately from the fish?

Yes — cost each component of the plate individually. A generous pub-style fries portion adds more cost than a token side, and combining everything into one vague estimate risks underpricing the full plate.

British / Pub Food

How to Price Fish and Chips: Food Cost Breakdown & Menu Price Guide

Last reviewed: July 28, 2026

Short answer

Fish and Chips typically runs a food cost of 30–36%, supporting a menu price of $15–$20 depending on portion size and ingredient quality. A worked example below shows the exact math for one common version.

What Drives Fish and Chips Cost

White fish (cod, haddock)

45–55% of cost

The dominant cost, and one of the more volatile seafood commodities

Batter

5–8% of cost

Cheap per portion

Fries

10–15% of cost

Low cost but a full portion adds up more than expected

Frying oil (allocated)

10–15% of cost

Continuous cost that's easy to leave out of per-plate costing

Tartar sauce, lemon, mushy peas

5–10% of cost

Small individually, consistently forgotten in costing

Worked Example

Ingredient	Amount	Cost
Cod fillet	7 oz raw	$4.90
Batter	—	$0.40
Fries (large portion)	—	$0.85
Frying oil allocation	—	$0.50
Tartar sauce, lemon, peas	—	$0.45
Total ingredient cost		$7.10

Target Food Cost

33%

Suggested Menu Price

$21.52

Actual food cost: 33.0%

Common Pricing Mistakes

Not tracking cod/haddock market price weekly

White fish prices can move significantly week to week depending on catch volume. A fish and chips menu priced once and revisited quarterly is exposed to real margin risk in a volatile month.

Costing the fries portion as an afterthought

A generous pub-style fries portion costs more than a standard side, and treating it as a minor addition to the fish price understates total plate cost.

Not allocating frying oil cost per order

Oil is a real, continuous cost across many fried orders that's easy to skip in individual dish costing because no single order consumes a measurable amount.

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