Glossary — core meal-cost terms in plain language

Cost per serving = (total ingredient cost + gas/water/oil used to cook) ÷ servings actually produced. It is the only home-cooking number that can be compared like-for-like against a delivery menu price.

Three separate charges: the delivery fee pays the courier, the service fee pays the platform (a percentage of subtotal), and the menu markup is the 15-30% the restaurant quietly adds to in-app prices before any fee line appears.

Pack price is the total on the shelf label. Unit price is that total divided by a standard quantity — per 100 g, per kg, per litre, per piece. Only unit price makes two different pack sizes comparable, and it is the basis of every number on this site.

Shrinkage is the gap between what you buy and what you eat — trim, peel, bone, evaporation and spoilage. True cost = purchase cost ÷ yield %. A 70% yield means your real ingredient cost is 43% higher than the shelf price suggests.

The energy, water and disposable frying oil a dish consumes while being cooked. Small per meal ($0.02-0.60), material per month, and the reason a 3-hour broth is not as cheap as its ingredient list suggests.

Cost per 1g protein = (total cost) ÷ (total grams of protein). It's the single best metric for budget bulking — eclipses 'protein per serving' since portions vary.

FCP = ingredient cost ÷ selling price × 100. Restaurants aim for 28-35%. Below 25% = healthy margin, above 40% = bleeding cash.