Prep Station
For chefs & kitchen ops
Know the true cost of every plate
Yield-aware recipe costing that rolls vendor prices and prep recipes into a live cost per portion—so you price menus with confidence, not spreadsheet guesses.
No credit card required · Cost a recipe in minutes · Cancel anytime
Cost Analysis
Braised Short Rib · ingredient costs and recipe totals
Total
$0.00
Per Serving
$0.00
4 servings
Per ea
$0.00
4 yield
| Ingredient | Quantity | Cost (Adj.) |
|---|---|---|
|
Beef short rib |
48 oz |
$0.00
via Sysco
|
|
Red wine reduction Prep recipe |
6 fl oz |
$0.00
Sub-recipe
|
|
Mirepoix Prep recipe |
12 oz |
$0.00
Sub-recipe
|
|
Demiglace |
4 oz |
$0.00
via Local Butcher
|
|
Kosher salt |
1 tbsp |
Free
Negligible
|
No credit card for the live demo
Built for real kitchen units & yields
Cancel anytime
Cost the usable product, not the invoice line
Prep Station converts case and package prices into recipe units, then applies preparation yield so a 72% yield short rib costs what you actually plate—not what you purchased.
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Unit conversion that kitchen people understand
Case → package → content → recipe unit, with clear prompts when a conversion is still missing.
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Preparation yield on every line
Trim and cook loss adjust raw vs prepared amounts so waste is priced in from the start.
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Cost issues flagged early
Missing vendor prices and broken conversions surface on the recipe—before you print a menu.
Ready to cost a recipe with real yields—not invoice fiction?
When a vendor price moves, the plate moves with it
Invoice updates and preferred-vendor changes recalculate ingredients, prep recipes, finished dishes, menu items, and meal plans—automatically.
Invoice-driven updates
Matched invoice lines update vendor purchase costs and write ingredient cost history, then trigger recipe recalculation.
Prep recipe roll-up
Build dishes from sub-recipes. A sauce price change cascades through every plate that uses it—nutrition and allergens roll up the same way.
Cost history you can trust
Snapshots capture why a recipe moved—ingredient change, yield change, servings—so you can explain last month’s food cost.
True cost for every configuration
Sizes, default add-ons, and optional modifiers are costed on the recipe—not guessed at the register. See the plate with defaults, then the full range from leanest build to fully loaded.
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With Defaults
The cost customers actually order most—default size and default modifiers rolled into one number.
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Cost range across builds
Smallest configuration to largest size plus every add-on—so you know the floor and the ceiling before you price.
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Size ratios that scale ingredients
Size modifiers apply a ratio to the base recipe (×0.75, ×1.25)—effective cost updates with the portion, not a flat fee guess.
Braised Short Rib
Cost Analysis · With Modifiers
With Modifiers
With Defaults
$4.82
Regular +$0.21
Cost Range
$3.68 – $7.15
smallest to largest + all add-ons
Sizes (3)
Add-ons (3)
Price against real plate cost
On the menu item, base cost plus default modifiers becomes true cost—then profit, margin, and food cost % update as you set the price.
Braised Short Rib
Menu item · Pricing & Modifiers
Base Cost
$4.61
Defaults
+$0.21
True Cost
$4.82
Profit
per sale
$13.18
Margin / Food Cost
with defaults
73.2%
26.8% food cost
- Modifier-aware COGS — default add-ons fold into true cost before you publish.
- Same strip as production — base price field, chevrons, margin / food cost colors.
- Location-aware caches — compare kitchens with preferred vendors that match each site.
Set a menu price against live plate cost—watch margin update.
Also in the costing toolkit
Scaling rules, AI cost checks, and reports for multi-unit kitchens—without turning this page into a feature catalog.
Professional scaling
Scale to a target yield with linear or non-linear ingredient rules—herbs don’t have to grow 1:1 with the batch.
AI cost checks
PrepStation AI flags missing prices, conversion gaps, and expensive lines against live recipe costs.
Cost reports
Trend recipe costs by category or location; review COGS, food cost %, and gross profit across the account.
See recipe costing in action
Watch a recipe go from ingredients and yields to a live cost per plate.
Questions kitchens actually ask
Straight answers before you spin up the demo.
How long does it take to cost a recipe?
Once ingredients have vendor prices and units, most kitchens cost a recipe in minutes. Missing conversions and prices are flagged on the recipe so you know what to fix first.
Do I need a credit card for the live demo?
No. The live demo does not require a credit card. Explore recipe costing and cancel anytime.
Does Prep Station handle prep recipes and sub-recipes?
Yes. Prep recipes become ingredients in finished dishes. When a sauce or stock cost changes, every plate that uses it recalculates automatically.
What happens when a vendor price changes?
Invoice updates and preferred-vendor changes update purchase costs, write cost history, and recalculate ingredients, prep recipes, menu items, and related plans.
Can different locations use different preferred vendors?
Yes. Cost caches are location-aware, so each kitchen can cost against the preferred vendors that match that site.
How is this different from a spreadsheet?
Spreadsheets go stale the moment an invoice lands. Prep Station ties unit conversion, yield, prep roll-up, modifiers, and menu margin to live vendor costs—so the plate cost stays current.
Prep Station
Price your menu on real numbers
Spin up the live demo and cost a recipe in minutes—no spreadsheets, no stale unit costs.
No credit card required · Cancel anytime