Charcoal is a fixed expense for grill restaurants, yet many don’t track it precisely. Knowing real consumption helps you price dishes correctly and negotiate with suppliers.
Step 1: Log daily use
For two weeks, record the bags or kilograms used each day along with the number of grilled orders that day.
Step 2: Find the average
Divide total charcoal by the number of days for daily use, then multiply by working days for monthly use.
Step 3: Charcoal cost per dish
Divide daily charcoal cost by the number of grilled dishes. That figure feeds into dish costing and pricing.
Illustrative example
If a restaurant uses 30 kg a day and serves 150 grilled dishes, each dish uses about 0.2 kg of charcoal. Multiply by your price per kilo to get charcoal cost per dish. (Figures are for illustration only.)
Reducing consumption
- Use dense charcoal that lasts longer.
- Light only what peak hours need.
- Extinguish leftover embers and reuse them.
- Store charcoal dry.
- Train staff to manage heat rather than constantly adding charcoal.
Once you know your monthly use, request a monthly supply quote for BBQ charcoal.
