Quick Guide to Restaurant KPIs and Metrics

Jenny Day

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) are essential metrics that help restaurant owners and managers track their performance and make informed decisions. There are some financial and operational KPI’s that restaurants can focus on to improve the overall financial health, but don’t lose sight that there are also endless metrics that can paint a more holistic view of your restaurant accounting and operations.

Here is a list of common restaurant metrics and KPIs along with their definitions:

Average Check: The average amount a customer spends during a visit. Learn how to increase your average rate check with upselling.
Average Revenue per Seating: The average revenue generated during each seating.
Average Waiting Time: The time customers spend waiting for a table or food.
Beverage Cost Percentage: The percentage of revenue spent on beverages.
Break-Even Point: The level of sales required to cover all expenses. Calculate your break-even point with this free calculator.
Capital Expenditure Budget Variance: Measuring the difference between planned and actual capital expenses.
Cash Flow: Monitoring the inflow and outflow of cash.
Cost of Goods Sold (COGS): The direct costs of producing the food and beverages sold.
Customer Retention Rate: The percentage of customers who return for another visit.
Customer Satisfaction Score (CSAT): A measure of customer happiness and overall dining experience.
Customer Waitlist Length: The number of parties on the waitlist.
Earnings Before Interest and Taxes (EBIT): The restaurant’s profitability before interest and taxes are taken into account.
Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation, and Amortization (EBITDA): A measure of operational profitability.
Employee Attendance: Tracking staff punctuality and attendance.
Employee Productivity: Assessing staff efficiency and output.
Employee Satisfaction Score: Assessing employee happiness and job satisfaction.
Employee Theft Incidents: Tracking incidents of employee theft or fraud.
Employee Training Completion Rate: The percentage of employees who complete required training.
Employee Training Hours: The amount of time spent training new staff.
Employee Turnaround Time: The time it takes to hire and onboard new employees.
Employee Turnover Rate: The percentage of staff that leaves or is replaced within a given period. Try our free employee turnover calculator.
Energy Consumption: Measuring the restaurant’s energy usage.
Food and Beverage Cost Variance: The difference between actual and expected food and beverage costs.
Food Cost Percentage: The portion of total revenue spent on food ingredients and preparation.
Food Safety Violations: Monitoring and reducing food safety violations.
Gross Profit Margin: The percentage of revenue remaining after deducting the cost of goods sold (COGS).

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What is the Average Profit Margin for a Restaurant?

Guest Count: The total number of customers served during a specific time frame.
Health Inspection Score: The score received during health department inspections.
Inventory Turnover Rate: How quickly inventory is used up and replenished.
Labor Cost Percentage: The portion of total revenue spent on labor and staff salaries. See how much you can save in labor costs with our free calculator.
Marketing Campaign Conversion Rate: The percentage of campaign recipients who take a desired action.
Marketing Cost per Acquisition (CPA): The cost to acquire a new customer through marketing efforts.
Marketing ROI: The return on investment for marketing campaigns.
Menu Item Profitability: The profit generated by each menu item.
Net Promoter Score (NPS): A metric indicating the likelihood of customers recommending your restaurant to others.
Online Reservation Conversion Rate: The percentage of website or app visitors who make a reservation.
Online Reviews and Ratings: Monitoring online platforms for customer feedback and ratings.
Profit per Square Foot: The profit generated for each square foot of restaurant space.
Reservation No-show Rate: The percentage of reservations that result in no-shows.
Return on Investment (ROI) for New Menu Items: Evaluating the success of adding new dishes to the menu. Try out our recipe cost calculator.
Sales per Guest (SPG): The average revenue generated from each customer visit.
Social Media Engagement: Measuring likes, shares, comments, and follows on social media platforms.
Supplier Performance: Evaluating the reliability and quality of suppliers.
Table Turnover Rate: The number of times a table is occupied by different parties in a given time period.
Takeout and Delivery Sales: Monitoring sales from takeout and delivery orders. Learn how to identify your customer traffic.
Waste Percentage: The amount of food or ingredients wasted as a percentage of total purchases. Click here for tips to reduce waste in your restaurant.

These KPIs can help restaurant owners and managers make data-driven decisions and improve various aspects of their operations. The specific KPIs that are most relevant may vary depending on the type and size of the restaurant.

If you would like to easily track data and gain insight into your operations to increase efficiency and boost profits, consider a comprehensive, restaurant-specific management solution. For more information, schedule a free demo.

Use our free calculator to figure out your break-even point.

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Quick Guide to Restaurant KPIs and Metrics

Here is a list of common restaurant metrics and KPIs along with their definitions:

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