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Food costing for personal chefs

Food cost is won or lost at the planning stage — before a single ingredient is bought. MenuCortex keeps costs in check three ways: menus steered to each client's budget, shopping lists that consolidate the whole week, and portion math that matches mouths.

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1. Menus steered to the client's budget

Set a food-cost level per client — budget, moderate, or premium — and every generated week plans to it. The client who wants weeknight value gets weeknight-value menus; the client who wants premium gets premium. No mental math, no accidental lobster on a chicken budget.

2. One consolidated shopping list

Ingredients are consolidated across the whole week, grouped by department, with purchase quantities. You buy what the week needs — nothing more. Less overbuying, less spoilage, less money in the trash.

3. Portion math that matches the household

Service counts and per-member preferences are part of every plan, and the recipe library scales servings with storage and reheating notes. Cooking the right amount is the cheapest cost control there is.

What's next: we're building per-dish ingredient cost estimates and menu-level cost rollups into MenuCortex. Today, cost control lives in the plan itself — budget steering, consolidated purchasing, and exact portions.

Frequently asked questions

Does MenuCortex calculate my food cost percentage?

Not yet — per-dish cost estimates and menu-level rollups are in development. Today it controls cost where it starts: budget-level menu planning, consolidated shopping lists, and portion math.

How do consolidated shopping lists cut costs?

One list for the whole week, with purchase quantities by department, means you buy exactly what the menus need. Less duplicate buying, less spoilage, fewer midweek emergency runs.

Can I plan different budgets for different clients?

Yes. The food-cost level is per client — budget, moderate, or premium — so each household's week is planned to what they actually want to spend.

Plan to the budget, shop to the plan

Start free — no credit card. Five AI-generated client weeks a month.

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Also see: AI menu planning software · GLP-1 meal planning for personal chefs