How to Price Gyro: Food Cost Breakdown & Menu Price Guide
Last reviewed: July 28, 2026
Short answer
Gyro typically runs a food cost of 28–34%, supporting a menu price of $10–$14 depending on portion size and ingredient quality. A worked example below shows the exact math for one common version.
What Drives Gyro Cost
Meat (lamb, beef, or chicken)
45–55% of costThe dominant cost, and spit-roasted meat has real trim and cooking loss
Pita
8–10% of costCheap per serving
Tzatziki sauce
10–15% of costYogurt-based, moderate cost, easy to over-portion
Vegetables (tomato, onion, lettuce)
10–15% of costSmall but adds up across volume
Worked Example
| Ingredient | Amount | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Gyro meat (lamb/beef blend) | 5 oz cooked | $2.40 |
| Pita bread | 1 | $0.40 |
| Tzatziki | 2 oz | $0.35 |
| Tomato, onion, lettuce | — | $0.30 |
| Total ingredient cost | $3.45 | |
Target Food Cost
30%
Suggested Menu Price
$11.50
Actual food cost: 30.0%
Common Pricing Mistakes
Costing spit meat at raw weight before cooking loss
Vertical spit-roasted meat loses significant weight to rendered fat and moisture during cooking. Costing against the raw, pre-cook weight understates true cost.
Free-pouring tzatziki instead of portioning it
Yogurt-based sauces are easy to over-pour without a standardized portion tool, and tzatziki has real ingredient cost that adds up when inconsistently applied.
Not differentiating lamb-blend pricing from all-chicken options
Lamb typically costs more than chicken, and a menu offering both should price them to reflect the actual cost gap rather than a single flat gyro price.
Price Every Gyro Dish on Your Menu
MenuPricer drafts the ingredient breakdown from the dish name and gives you 3 price tiers with the resulting margin. No spreadsheets, no data entry.
Price your first dish free →