The Cost of making a sandwich!

[directuk]

In the process of working on a new catering project, and wondered if anyone in the catering industry knew of an approximate cost of ingredients to a "healthy" sandwich - say cheese and ham salad for example in terms of ingredients.

Based on the fact we would buy the separate foods (bread, ham, cheese) from wholesale sources, does any one have any approximate suggestions?

Regards
Ben

 

[ginantonic]

It depends on so many variables. We buy ham from the supermarket as it is actually cheaper than the cash and carry.
You need to work it out like this:
Pack of wafer thin ham x 40 slices @ 1.29p - 3p per slice (maybe 4 slices used) - 12p
Cheese (grated) approx cost - 15p
1 x loaf @ 1.00 x 14 slices @ 7p per slice x 2 - 14p
Salad (lettuce, tomato, cuccumber, onion - approx - 15p
Spread - 1p
Packaging/labelling cost - approx 15p
Comes to a total of 72p - resale approx £1.80-£2.20
This is, of course, using the cheapest ingredients available. If you were upscaling, you aim to make at least 100% profit.
Hope this helps.

 

[dp0848]

I'm going to be a boring accountant and say that ginantonic has only identified part of the costs. You also need to factor in to each sandwich the cost of renting your premises, the electricity bill, the insurance, the accountants fees etc etc. In other words all you over heads. Add them all up for a given period and then divide the total number of sandwiches that you make in the same period. Of course the more sandwiches you make the lower the share of overheads per sandwich will be. Its a process call cost absorption.

David.

 

[The Printed Bag Shop]

Cracking thread ive always been interested to know what profit there is in sandwich shops. (arnt i sad lol)

 

[ginantonic]

David, I was only giving a rough guestimate, not knowing if the OP was a) working from home or b) renting premises. It was just the cost of the sandwich. As an accountant, you know the infinite variables involved with tax relief, depreciation, working from home (or not) and I wasn't sure if the OP was asking that deep a question.
Good point, though!

 

[ginantonic]

Cracking thread ive always been interested to know what profit there is in sandwich shops. (arnt i sad lol)

There isn't as much profit as people think. Take away things like travel, shopping for ingredients time, marketing, bookkeeping, cleaning...it's a lot of hard work for just about a living wage.
OK, it's different if you have, say, a chain of them, but as a sole trader, it's hard. Long hours, too, even though many of them only open from 7am until 2pm, that is only the tip of the iceberg. To open for business at 7am, you have to be up prepping from 5am. The rest of the time is spent cleaning, as well as all of the above. It ain't easy.

 

[dp0848]

There isn't as much profit as people think. Take away things like travel, shopping for ingredients time, marketing, bookkeeping, cleaning...it's a lot of hard work for just about a living wage.
OK, it's different if you have, say, a chain of them, but as a sole trader, it's hard. Long hours, too, even though many of them only open from 7am until 2pm, that is only the tip of the iceberg. To open for business at 7am, you have to be up prepping from 5am. The rest of the time is spent cleaning, as well as all of the above. It ain't easy.

And that is something we all forget when we pop in for a sandwich.