4 ms·

I suspect some of these prices are generously rounded up. I think there is a very good possibility that the author doesn't actually track costs down to that le

I suspect some of these prices are generously rounded up. I think there is a very good possibility that the author doesn't actually track costs down to that level. They are probably looking at their overall costs and extrapolating downwards to the one item. Possibly a good review of their spending could save them a lot of money. Yes, I realise it is Ottawa and CDN, but I lived in Ottawa for over 10 years and these prices don't really line up for me. $2.50 for 125g of protein. That's $2 per 100g -- without labour. I understand going for high quality, but there is high quality and there is needless spending. I should introduce them to some good butchers... Tofu should be bought from the tofu maker in Ottawa (forget the name). It is awesome (and cheap). And $0.50 for sauce? I don't know what sauce they are using and the amount they are using, but donair sauce is primarily yogurt, mayonaise and sour cream... (condensed milk if you are going for Halifax style, apparently...) The ingredients should be on the order of $1-2 per liter. The "toppings" appear to be cucumber, red pepper, red cabbage and lettuce. $0.50. Looking at the amount there, I'm guessing it should be about half that price.

simonw 6y ago
"I think there is a very good possibility that the author doesn't actually track costs down to that level." That's pretty much the most important job of a restaurateur, especially one trying to figure out how to keep the lights on. I would be very surprised if they didn't have extremely accurate figures here. Do you have knowledge of restaurant economics that this piece is missing? The article specifically calls out that restaurant supplies and home cooking supplies don't work the same way (with the example about buying cases of pop).
- mikekchar 6y ago
  Well, I personally know suppliers in Ottawa that will give him a better price than he's paying now ;-) Like I said, I think those numbers are probably just wrong. I think it's likely there are labour figures hidden in those food costs (or potentially he's just paying too much).
indecisive_user 6y ago
$2 per 100g is about $8.50 per pound. I don't know what prices in Ottawa are like but that really doesn't sound that outrageous for a high quality beef depending on the cut, whether it's grass fed, etc.
- carlob 6y ago
  Maybe it sounds good to you, but I'm assuming that if you have some economy of scale you are going to pay less than what the general population does. Also that should be the average between beef, chicken and tofu, and if you take that into account, it's crazy expensive...
gridlockd 6y ago
Never mind that preparing such a sandwich should take no more than five minutes of labor total. They are clearly not selling enough if 2.50 goes to labor.
- markus92 6y ago
  Not sure what’s so special about this Döner, but shouldn’t take more than a minute for someone experienced in it. At peak hours, they can surely sell more than 12/person/hour. So yeah, completely agreeing with you that the labor cost seems a bit inflated.
wiredfool 6y ago
I doubt it. The 30-30-30-10 rule is pretty standard, I heard it 30 years back. You might be able to drop the protein costs using cheap restaurant supply quality stuff, but then your product is basically straight from the sysco box at that point, and anyone with an account can do the same thing. About the labor numbers tho, that’s an average over everything. Labor includes prep, dishwashers, the cashier, everyone. It’s not just what you can see.

simonw 6y ago

"I think there is a very good possibility that the author doesn't actually track costs down to that level." That's pretty much the most important job of a restaurateur, especially one trying to figure out how to keep the lights on. I would be very surprised if they didn't have extremely accurate figures here. Do you have knowledge of restaurant economics that this piece is missing? The article specifically calls out that restaurant supplies and home cooking supplies don't work the same way (with the example about buying cases of pop).

mikekchar 6y ago
Well, I personally know suppliers in Ottawa that will give him a better price than he's paying now ;-) Like I said, I think those numbers are probably just wrong. I think it's likely there are labour figures hidden in those food costs (or potentially he's just paying too much).

indecisive_user 6y ago

$2 per 100g is about $8.50 per pound. I don't know what prices in Ottawa are like but that really doesn't sound that outrageous for a high quality beef depending on the cut, whether it's grass fed, etc.

carlob 6y ago
Maybe it sounds good to you, but I'm assuming that if you have some economy of scale you are going to pay less than what the general population does. Also that should be the average between beef, chicken and tofu, and if you take that into account, it's crazy expensive...

gridlockd 6y ago

Never mind that preparing such a sandwich should take no more than five minutes of labor total. They are clearly not selling enough if 2.50 goes to labor.

markus92 6y ago
Not sure what’s so special about this Döner, but shouldn’t take more than a minute for someone experienced in it. At peak hours, they can surely sell more than 12/person/hour. So yeah, completely agreeing with you that the labor cost seems a bit inflated.

wiredfool 6y ago

I doubt it. The 30-30-30-10 rule is pretty standard, I heard it 30 years back. You might be able to drop the protein costs using cheap restaurant supply quality stuff, but then your product is basically straight from the sysco box at that point, and anyone with an account can do the same thing. About the labor numbers tho, that’s an average over everything. Labor includes prep, dishwashers, the cashier, everyone. It’s not just what you can see.