The Food Cost Formula: An Executive Chef's Complete System for Profitability

By Michael Lockard

Food costs are killing your margins. This book gives you the system to fix them.

Written by Executive Chef Michael Lockard-veteran of The Plaza Hotel, the US Open, and 25+ years of high-volume culinary operations-The Food Cost Formula is a practical playbook for controlling food cost at every stage: purchasing, receiving, inventory, production, and service.

This is not a textbook. This is a working system for executive chefs, F&B directors, and club/hotel culinary teams who need results on the next inventory-not another theory lecture.

Inside you will learn how to:

Apply the complete 7-step Food Cost Formula-from recipe templates to period-end reportingUse 18 ready-to-use templates for recipes, purchasing, receiving, inventory, and productionTighten controls that reduce waste, improve inventory accuracy, and protect contribution marginEngineer menus around the numbers that actually drive profit-not vanity food-cost percentagesApply real-world examples from private clubs, hotels, and high-volume operationsEvaluate modern culinary cost tools (software, apps, and AI-assisted workflows) without drowning in tech noise

Who this book is for
Executive chefs, sous chefs, F&B directors, culinary school graduates, and operators who want to stop guessing and start controlling cost.

If you lead a kitchen and your food cost still feels like a monthly surprise, start here-then build the operating rhythm that keeps profitability visible every week.

Learn more about Chef Michael Lockard's work with culinary leaders at chefmichaellockard.com

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B0H2RWXT64
• ISBN13: 9798255388264
• Release Date: May 2026
• Publisher: Independently Published
• Length: 98 Pages
• Weight: 0.31 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.2" x 6.0" x 9.0"