Cilurzo Foodcost

Cilurzo Foodcost is recipe-costing and menu-engineering software for restaurants. It is best suited to venues that need ingredient price changes to flow through dish costs and pricing decisions. Its clearest strength is linking recipe costs, margin targets and menu operations; the trade-off is that the free Lite plan is volume-limited.

Overview

Foodcost calculates cost price, food-cost percentage and gross margin for dishes built from ingredients and sub-recipes. When a supplier price changes, the software recalculates every affected dish and sub-recipe, which can make a changing cost base easier to manage than a collection of manually updated figures.

A menu-price simulator shows how a proposed selling price affects margin and indicates the price needed to meet a target food-cost percentage. Margin alerts flag dishes that fall below a target after purchase prices change. These tools make the product most useful when a restaurant actively adjusts its menu around cost and margin goals, rather than only recording recipes.

Key features

• Recipe costing: Ingredient and sub-recipe costs roll up to dish-level cost price, food-cost percentage and gross margin. This suits restaurants that need a view of both component costs and finished dishes.
• Automatic supplier updates: A changed ingredient price recalculates every dish and sub-recipe that uses it. The time-saving benefit is strongest when ingredient and recipe records are kept current.
• Menu pricing and margin alerts: The simulator connects selling prices to margin outcomes and target food-cost percentages; alerts draw attention to dishes that slip below target after purchase costs move. That supports review, but does not remove the need to decide what prices the market will bear.
• Cilurzo Orders connection: Foodcost links to a venue’s menu in Cilurzo Orders, and assistant orders use the normal menu and cost prices. This is a more relevant advantage for venues using that ordering product than for restaurants seeking a standalone costing tool.
• AI assistant access: Venues can be reached through ChatGPT, Claude and other assistants using MCP, and this capability is included in every plan, including Lite. Assistant requests use the same checks as the booking page, and unconfirmed requests expire after two hours.
• Privacy and language support: Cilurzo describes the product as GDPR compliant and hosted in the EU. Guest-facing languages are Dutch, French and English; the WhatsApp assistant is described as supporting Dutch, French, English, German and Spanish.

Pricing

Lite costs €0.00 per free, billed free per module forever. It provides the core features of one module, with volume limits. Foodcost is stated as included free with Pro and Ultimate, but not as included in Lite, so Lite is a constrained starting point rather than a clear route to unlimited Foodcost use. A 14-day free trial requires no credit card.

Pro costs €79.00 per month, billed per module, per month; prices exclude VAT and are per venue. Buyers choose Reservations, Orders, Events or Planning, and Foodcost is included free. Modules can be added or dropped at any time. This is the clearest fit for a single venue that needs Foodcost alongside one selected Cilurzo module, but the per-module pricing means the stated starting price is not a flat price for every module.

Ultimate costs €250.00 per month, billed per month; prices exclude VAT and are per venue. It includes Reservations, Orders, Events and Planning, Foodcost free, and support for multiple locations. It makes more sense for operators needing the full suite or multi-location support than for a venue looking only for recipe costing.

Platforms

Foodcost is available on the web. Restaurants looking for a desktop or mobile app should consider whether web access meets their workflow needs.

Who it's for

Foodcost is a strong fit for restaurants that routinely update supplier prices and want those changes reflected in recipe costs, margin alerts and menu pricing. It is also more compelling for venues already using Cilurzo Orders or considering Cilurzo’s broader modules. It is less suitable for a restaurant that wants a standalone costing product with no volume limits at no charge, or that does not need menu engineering.

Pros and cons

Pros

• Supplier price changes recalculate affected dishes and sub-recipes, reducing the need to update each cost manually.
• Menu-price simulation and margin alerts connect recipe costing to practical pricing decisions.
• Foodcost is included with both paid plans, and Pro allows venues to add or drop modules as needs change.
• The no-card 14-day trial gives a venue a short evaluation period before committing to a paid plan.

Cons

• Lite has volume limits and covers core features of one module, limiting its usefulness as a lasting option for a busy venue.
• Pro’s €79.00 per month price is per module and per venue, excluding VAT, so operators should account for their module needs rather than assume one flat suite price.
• Ultimate is €250.00 per month per venue, a substantial step for restaurants that need only costing and menu pricing.
• The web platform may not fit teams that require a dedicated mobile or desktop app.

Alternatives

Restaurant Recipe Costing Software is a useful place to compare other options for this category. Consider Chefy if you want a free web plan for a core venue that includes costing and recipes, bulk product import, wastage recording, real-time costing updates and team access.

Cucinovo may suit household recipe management better: its free plan is for one household and one user, with unlimited recipes, ingredients and categories, plus shopping lists and sub-recipes. DishCost is worth considering for free costing and nutrition tools without a trial clock, though most Pro features are read-only on its account tier.

Enplace is another web option with a free plan for one restaurant, subject to selectively approved private beta access. Freecost may be preferable for operators wanting a free Android or web tool with unlimited recipes, menu items and ingredients, and multiple kitchens on one account.

Ratatool offers a free trial tier capped at four recipes and 15 ingredients, while its Premium plan is billed at 41 € per month annually. RistoBrain is a lower-cost web alternative at €19 per month for one location, with unlimited recipes and ingredients, food-cost analytics, invoice upload and a basic AI advisor; its Pro tier is €49 per month.

Dishboard is a web-based free option with no subscription and no plan limits, including unlimited menu items, ingredients, supplies, prep recipes and delivery partners.

Verdict

Choose Cilurzo Foodcost if you run a restaurant where supplier price changes need to update recipe costs and inform menu prices, especially if Cilurzo Orders or other Cilurzo modules are part of your operation. Automatic recalculation and target-margin tools are the main reasons to choose it. Look elsewhere if you need a permanently unrestricted free plan or a costing tool without the per-venue, per-module paid-plan structure.