Restaurant Analytics: The Complete Guide

Running a restaurant by gut feel worked in the past. In 2024, the most successful restaurants run on data.

The 10 Metrics Every Restaurant Must Track

1. Revenue Per Available Seat Hour (RevPASH)

The gold standard metric for restaurant efficiency. Measures how much revenue you're generating per seat per hour.

2. Food Cost Percentage

(Cost of Food Sold / Total Food Revenue) × 100. Industry benchmark: 28–35%.

3. Prime Cost

Food cost + labour cost as a percentage of revenue. Target: below 60%.

4. Table Turnover Rate

How many times a table is occupied per service. Higher is better for high-volume restaurants.

5. Average Transaction Value (ATV)

Total revenue divided by number of transactions. Tracking ATV over time shows the impact of menu changes and upselling training.

6. Customer Repeat Rate

What percentage of customers return within 30/60/90 days. A healthy restaurant sees 40%+ repeats.

7. Menu Item Profitability

Not just revenue — contribution margin per dish. Your best-selling dish might be your least profitable.

8. Staff Productivity

Revenue per employee per shift. Helps with scheduling and identifying peak staffing needs.

9. Delivery vs Dine-in Mix

Understanding the channel split helps you optimize for the most profitable channel.

10. Inventory Variance

Theoretical vs actual stock. Any variance above 3% needs investigation.