Protect plate cost before the weekend
See unit-cost increases on proteins and produce while you still have time to reprice or swap a special.
IndustriesRestaurants
CostBeacon for restaurants
Catch food and packaging cost creep before menu margins slip
Restaurant operators juggle dozens of food, beverage, and packaging suppliers. A few cents per case adds up across weekly deliveries.
30-day free trial · No credit card required
Common suppliersSysco / US Foods–style broadliners · Local produce houses · Meat & seafood specialists · Disposable packaging vendors
The problem
Menu margins slip before the invoice total looks wrong
Restaurant buying is weekly and noisy. Case prices move a few cents, pack sizes change, and freight shows up as a separate line. Comparing PDF totals in email rarely catches the SKU that quietly rose three deliveries in a row.
Try a sample
Watch the unit-cost spike on a sample invoice
After you upload distributor PDFs, CostBeacon matches recurring lines to history and puts protein, produce, and packaging movers into a review queue—with the source invoice attached.
Interactive sample
Invoice spike chart
Scrub three deliveries. The rising line is the SKU quietly eating plate cost.
Jumbo whole chicken$2.48 → $2.67 · +7.7%
On this delivery: +$0.19 per lb · Reprice the plate or push back before weekend specials.
What changes for your team
Invoice evidence your team can act on
Bring the invoice to the vendor call
Every alert links back to the PDF line—so the conversation starts with evidence, not memory.
How it works
From supplier PDF to a buying decision
Upload this week’s invoices, extract every case and each, then review alerts before you reprint menus or accept the next quote.
- Upload invoicesDrop PDFs, email attachments, or scans from your usual suppliers.
- Extract line itemsCostBeacon reads unit costs, quantities, vendors, and product names.
- Review what movedOpen alerts with the source invoice attached—then reprice, renegotiate, or accept on purpose.
Signals to watch
What good review looks like
Operators usually check a short alert queue after each buying cycle—not a full re-type of every invoice.
| Signal | Typical range | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Chicken / protein per lb | +6–12% across 3 invoices | Reprice menu item or push back |
| Produce case (lettuce, tomato) | +4–9% week to week | Review before weekend specials |
| To-go packaging sleeve | +1–4% often missed on totals | Track line items, not invoice total |
FAQ
Common questions
Fuel surcharges, seasonal produce, and pack-size changes hide in line items until food cost percentage drifts. Totals alone rarely show which SKU moved.
For supplier unit-cost history and alerts, yes—upload PDFs instead of re-keying. You can still keep recipe costing elsewhere; CostBeacon focuses on what vendors billed.
Start with your top two distributors for the last 4–6 weeks. That is enough history for CostBeacon to flag the next move on recurring lines.
Browse industries
Same product. Different buying rhythm.
Catch supplier cost moves before they become your new normal
CostBeacon turns supplier invoices into line-item history and price-change alerts for restaurants.