As well as utility cost to run the stove, lighting, pos systems, etc. plus rent/mortgage/taxes on the building, upkeep of fixtures like tables, menus, and cutlery, insurance costs, inspection costs, non sales staff (think like general managers, janitorial staff, plus HR and IT if they have it), any planned building upgrades down the line (whether to the actual building eg renovating dining areas or upgrading kitchen appliances), theft/shrinkage, damage from customers and staff being assholes, from equipment breaking down, from natural disasters, etc
Probably a lot more too. There’s a whole bunch to factor in
That’s for one container of wholesale batter, IHOP is not paying that price because they’re buying a lot more.
I don’t know if this is helpful, but when I worked at Olive Garden 10 years ago, a spaghetti and meat sauce cost them $1.09. That includes everything, labor, etc.
If that really does include everything, why do I always hear about how thin margins are in the food service industry? That doesn't sound like a thin margin to me.
Margins are thin on things that aren’t pasta. OG also had a great thing going with the wine focus. You could get a glass of estancia Pinot noir back then for like $7. The bottle was $8 retail.
"Folks, I have no more desire to get through the rest of my life than I did to eat those pancakes. But I ate them, and the knowledge that I can keep going when all seems lost, that's a great thing to acquire. Eating thirty pancakes - FIVE STARS"
Because unlimited pancakes breaks the laws of physics and decency. Even if you had a machine whose primary goal is to make pancakes and use whatever mass is available to it, eventually there will be no more matter in the universe to make pancakes and it would be finite, not truly unlimited. This is blatant false advertising, hence I've got it out for IHOP.
It's alot less than that, you're only factoring in raw material, not wages, rent, utilities all that goes into providing the good to the customer who is paying for it. This is nonsense.
The IHOP exists and is staffed whether or not you are there gorging yourself on pancakes. The rent and staffing is already being spent by IHOP. The factors that can contribute is if the amount of dishes you create make them run the washer an extra time and if the pancakes cool the griddle down enough to increase the cost of heating the griddle. Both of which are negligible.
You need more equipment, you likely need more people (or quality of service will go down) need more electricity. Need more space (this one is tricky, if you have extra space, then it does not cost you anything, if you do not have extra space, then it costs you a lot, so think about average)