What is a good food cost percentage for pho?

Pho typically runs 26-32% food cost. Broth labor time and protein choice (single cut vs. combination) are the main cost levers within that range.

Why does pho broth carry labor cost beyond its ingredients?

A proper pho broth simmers for many hours, which consumes real kitchen labor time and utility cost — factors that don't show up in a simple ingredient list but are genuine costs of production.

Should the herb garnish plate be priced separately?

It doesn't need a separate menu price, but it should be costed into the bowl's total ingredient cost rather than assumed to be negligible — the herb plate adds up meaningfully across volume.

Vietnamese

How to Price Pho: Food Cost Breakdown & Menu Price Guide

Last reviewed: July 28, 2026

Short answer

Pho typically runs a food cost of 26–32%, supporting a menu price of $13–$17 depending on portion size and ingredient quality. A worked example below shows the exact math for one common version.

What Drives Pho Cost

Broth

20–28% of cost

Long-simmered bone broth carries real labor and utility cost beyond ingredients

Rice noodles

8–10% of cost

Cheap per bowl

Protein (beef, chicken)

35–45% of cost

The main lever between a basic and premium bowl

Herbs and garnish plate (basil, bean sprouts, lime)

10–15% of cost

Small individually, consistently under-costed in aggregate

Worked Example

Ingredient	Amount	Cost
Beef bone broth	16 oz	$1.30
Rice noodles	5 oz	$0.50
Sliced beef + brisket	4 oz	$2.60
Herb plate (basil, sprouts, lime, jalapeño)	—	$0.55
Total ingredient cost		$4.95

Target Food Cost

30%

Suggested Menu Price

$16.50

Actual food cost: 30.0%

Common Pricing Mistakes

Not costing the long-simmer broth's labor and utility cost

A properly made pho broth simmers for many hours, consuming real labor time and utility cost beyond just the bones and aromatics — a cost that's easy to leave out entirely.

Treating the herb garnish plate as free

Basil, bean sprouts, lime, and jalapeño served alongside every bowl carry real per-order cost that compounds significantly across volume, even though each component is individually cheap.

Pricing the beef combination bowl the same as the basic bowl

A combination bowl with multiple cuts of beef (brisket, tendon, tripe) costs meaningfully more than a single-cut basic bowl, and the price gap should reflect that.

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