Freedom251 › Restaurant Menu Engineering Software
EZchef
What EZchef is
EZchef is a Windows program built with Microsoft Excel for restaurant and bar inventory management, menu costing, and menu analysis. It records counts by category or location, values inventory, and prints vendor order guides. Costing tools provide 100 menu templates in each of 10 user-defined categories and 400 sub-recipe templates. The program calculates portion cost, cost of goods sold, and gross margin from each menu item’s selling price. Using POS sales-mix data, it graphs items by gross profit dollars and cost-of-goods-sold percentage and supports what-if analysis. Distributor-specific versions import current items and prices from supported order-guide files, while other vendors can be transferred through an Excel template with manual price updates. EZchef does not track food and beverage purchases. It requires Windows and Windows Microsoft Excel, and cannot use Mac Excel or Excel Online because it uses macros. Pricing starts at 289.00 USD one time, with a 15-day trial.
Who it suits
EZchef suits restaurants and bars that need Windows-based inventory counts, vendor ordering, recipe costing, and menu analysis. Each restaurant needs its own license.
What it does well
- Counts inventory by category or location
- Includes 400 sub-recipe templates
- Graphs menu profitability from POS sales mix
- Imports supported distributor order guides
- Free phone and email technical support
What to know first
- No free plan
- Windows and Windows Excel required
- Does not track food and beverage purchases
- Only one user can access a file at once
Limits
The fully functional demo is available for 15 days after it is sent. Each restaurant needs its own license, and a file on a server allows only one user at a time.
Plans
| Plan | Billed and limits | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Standard | One time · Accommodates all food and beverage vendors | $289, paid once |
| Distributor-specific version | One time · Imports order guides from a selected supported distributor; also accommodates other vendors | $359, paid once |
As ezchef.com lists them, read 9 Oct 2026. The maker's own page has the final word.
Getting started
- Open the EZchef website
- Request the free 15-day demo or choose a paid plan
- Install it on Windows with the Windows version of Microsoft Excel
- Select the Standard or distributor-specific version
- Import distributor order guides or transfer other vendor inventory through the Excel template
Verdict
EZchef combines inventory control, recipe costing, and menu analysis in an Excel-based Windows application. Check its platform, single-user file access, and separate license requirement before choosing it.
Questions
How much does EZchef cost?
The Standard plan is 289.00 USD one time. The distributor-specific version is 359.00 USD one time.
Is there a free plan?
No. EZchef offers a fully functional 15-day demo.
Which platforms does EZchef support?
It requires Windows and the Windows version of Microsoft Excel. It is incompatible with Mac Excel and Excel Online because it uses macros.
Can EZchef import distributor data?
The distributor-specific version imports current inventory items and prices from supported distributors’ order-guide files. Other vendors can be transferred through an Excel template, with prices updated manually afterward.
Does EZchef track purchases?
No. It maintains inventory listings for counts, order guides, and menu costing, but does not track food and beverage purchases.
Facts from EZchef's own pages
- Backup feature
- A backup feature creates a date- and time-stamped copy of the EZchef file in the same directory as the program file. · ezchef.com, 9 Oct 2026
- Concurrent access
- A file can run on a server, but only one user can access it at a time. · ezchef.com, 9 Oct 2026
- Cost calculations
- It calculates portion cost, cost of goods sold, and gross margin based on each menu item's selling price. · ezchef.com, 9 Oct 2026
- Demo
- The free demo is a fully functional copy preloaded with inventory, menu items, sub-recipes, and menu engineering data, accessible for 15 days after it is sent. · ezchef.com, 9 Oct 2026
- Distributor imports
- Distributor versions can import current inventory items and prices from supported distributors' order guide files. · ezchef.com, 9 Oct 2026
- Inventory
- It supports inventory counts by category or location, inventory valuation, and printed vendor order guides. · ezchef.com, 9 Oct 2026
- Maker
- The site identifies John Nessel as EZchef creator and president of Restaurant Resource Group, Inc., which he created in 1999. · ezchef.com, 9 Oct 2026
- Menu analysis
- It uses POS sales mix data to graph menu items by gross profit dollars and cost of goods sold percentage, and supports what-if analysis. · ezchef.com, 9 Oct 2026
- Menu costing
- It includes 100 menu costing templates in each of 10 user-defined categories and 400 sub-recipe templates. · ezchef.com, 9 Oct 2026
- Multi-location licensing
- Each restaurant requires its own EZchef license, with additional licenses discounted according to the number of restaurants. · ezchef.com, 9 Oct 2026
- Other vendors
- Inventory from other vendors can be imported via an Excel transfer template, with prices updated manually afterward. · ezchef.com, 9 Oct 2026
- Platform requirement
- EZchef requires Windows and the Windows version of Microsoft Excel; it is incompatible with Mac Excel and Excel Online because it uses macros. · ezchef.com, 9 Oct 2026
- Purchases limitation
- EZchef does not track food and beverage purchases; it maintains inventory listings for counts, order guides, and menu costing. · ezchef.com, 9 Oct 2026
- Purpose
- EZchef is a Windows-based Microsoft Excel program for restaurant and bar inventory management, menu costing, and menu analysis. · ezchef.com, 9 Oct 2026
- Support
- Technical support by phone or email is free. · ezchef.com, 9 Oct 2026
- Supported distributors
- The site lists Sysco, US Foods, Gordon Foodservice, Ben E. Keith, Shamrock, Performance Foodservice, Cheney Brothers, Flanagan Foodservice, and other US and Canadian distributors as supported. · ezchef.com, 9 Oct 2026