I was wondering if anyone in the full service, or fast casual segment would give me an idea of what their target is for percentage of food cost that would be attributed to soft drink sales.  I am currently running 37.14 percent cost on my soft drinks (not including sweet tea) This is for a FEC (Family Entertainment Center) and I currently offer free refills on Large drinks and pitchers and I am debating switching that policy.

Thanks in advance for any replies

Mike

Though I don't suggest using the cost percentage as a tool to price your menu, as an indicator, a 37.14 percent soft beverage cost is incredibly high, even with free refills. I would suspect there is either some theft or LOTS of soda not being rung up. You may need a better method for policing your soda sales.

Brandon O'Dell
O'Dell Consulting
phone: (888) 571-9068
email: brandon@bodellconsulting.com
web: http://www.bodellconsulting.com
blog: http://blog.bodellconsulting.com

Welcome Mike!

I agree with Brandon - it's way to high and use COG's as a tool not the rule.  Our soft drink COG's run anywhere from 8% to 20%.  We charge a flat rate for most of of our soft drinks (accept juice) so the % varies by the product ordered.  The beverage side of your business is where the profit is (in my opinion).  We charge $1.95 - what are you charging??

Mark