One number that says whether you are making money
Prime cost — food cost plus labour cost as a share of revenue. Below 60% a restaurant breathes; above 65% it starts subsidising its own work.
Prime cost in Owlly is computed from the same invoices and rotas that arrive on their own, so it is current every day — rather than once a month, when the accountant closes the period.
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Which dishes actually make me money?
Not the ones with the lowest food cost — the ones that combine a low cost with high sales. Owlly shows both together, because a dish at 22% food cost sold four times a week does not carry a menu.
Four quadrants: stars stay, workhorses get a price rise, puzzles go on the board, dogs come off the menu.
When do I get an alert?
When a number crosses a threshold — not on a schedule. You set the thresholds yourself: dish food cost, ingredient price, shift labour cost, an overdue invoice.
Each of them can send a push to your phone, so the decision happens on the day of the price rise rather than after the month closes.
Questions about analytics and prime cost
01How is prime cost different from food cost?
Food cost is the raw material’s share of the selling price. Prime cost adds labour to it. Two venues with an identical 30% food cost are in completely different positions if one runs 25% labour and the other 38%.
02Where does cost of goods by category come from?
From the invoices that arrived — every line is assigned to an ingredient, and every ingredient to a category. Without retyping: meat and fish, dairy, vegetables, bakery and alcohol collect themselves.
03Does analytics cover several venues?
Yes, in Professional — venues are comparable because they stand on one recipe base. For a group of 5–30 venues the quote is individual.
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