A restaurant KPI dashboard puts the handful of numbers that actually drive the business on one page: sales, covers, average check, food cost %, labor cost %, prime cost % and variance to target. This free Excel version is built for weekly review across multiple locations, so drift between sites shows up before month-end.
Download it free
Excel (.xlsx) - works in Excel, Google Sheets and Numbers. No email, no signup.
What's inside
- One-page weekly summary - Every number a manager needs, on a single screen, no scrolling
- Location comparison - All sites side by side with variance to target flagged
- Prime cost roll-up - Food plus labor as one number, because that is the one that decides profit
- Trend columns - Four-week trend so you can tell a bad week from a bad direction
How to use it
- Pick one day a week and run it on that day, always. A dashboard reviewed irregularly is not a control, it is a report.
- Fill it per location. The comparison between sites is where the signal is.
- Set a target for food %, labor % and prime cost before you look at the actuals, so you are measuring against intent.
- Review it with your managers, not at them. The number should start a conversation about the week ahead.
- Watch the trend column, not the weekly wobble. One bad week is weather. Four is a system problem.
The weekly numbers worth reviewing
| Metric | Why it earns a place | Typical target |
|---|---|---|
| Prime cost % | Food plus labor - the number that decides profitability | 60% or below |
| Food cost % | Tracks portioning, waste and purchasing together | Near 32% full service |
| Labor cost % | Catches overtime and overstaffing early | 30% to 35% full service |
| Average check | Moves margin without touching cost | Concept dependent |
| Variance to forecast | Tells you whether you can plan at all | Within a few points |
This is the report I ran across 14 locations doing 8,000 meals a day. It is deliberately one page. Every multi-site operator I have met who tried a 12-tab reporting pack stopped opening it inside a month, and a report nobody opens is worse than no report - it creates the feeling of control without the fact of it.
Prefer to run the numbers here?
The Prime Cost calculator does the same math in your browser - no download, no spreadsheet.
Open the calculatorFrequently asked questions
What KPIs should a restaurant track weekly?
Sales, covers, average check, food cost %, labor cost %, prime cost % and variance to forecast. That is enough to run the week. Anything beyond that belongs in a monthly review, not a weekly one.
What is a good prime cost for a restaurant?
Most healthy full-service operations keep prime cost at or below 60% of sales. Above roughly 65% it becomes very hard to profit regardless of how strong your sales are.
How often should I review restaurant KPIs?
Weekly, on a fixed day. Monthly is too late to change anything - by the time the month closes, the decisions that caused the number are four weeks old.
Sources
- National Restaurant Association: Restaurant operators kept food-cost ratios in check in 2024 (2025). Full-service food and non-alcohol beverage costs ran a median of 32.0% of sales in 2024.
- National Restaurant Association: Elevated labor costs had a significant impact on restaurant profitability in 2024 (2025). Full-service wages including benefits ran a median of 36.5% of sales in 2024.
- Lightspeed: The Complete Guide to Restaurant Profit Margins (2025). Healthy food cost runs 28-35%; full-service net margins typically 2-6%; catering ~7-8%.
The template shows you the number. It won't fix it.
If the number comes back worse than you expected, that is a system problem, not a spreadsheet problem. Book a free Ops Screen and I'll tell you where it is leaking. If I don't find the leak, you owe nothing.
Book the free Ops Screen →Read next
- Restaurant KPI Dashboard: The 8 Numbers to Track Weekly (Free Excel Template)
- What Are the Key Metrics Every Multi-Location Restaurant Should Track?
- What's the Real Cost of Managing Multiple Restaurant Locations?