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Free tool · Turnaround

Is your labour line too heavy?

Labour is the second-largest controllable cost, and it drifts when it is scheduled to comfort, not covers. Enter three numbers and see your sales per labour hour and where the wage line really sits.

01

Sales per labour hour

The core productivity number — how much revenue each hour of labour actually produces.

02

Labour cost % of revenue

Where your wage line sits against the typical range, so you know if it is heavy.

03

Where to tighten

Whether the fix is scheduling to covers, the menu mix, or the roster itself.

A turnaround, documented

We don't trade on logos. We show you the numbers.

One named, documented engagement — published with the client's consent — then the method we hold every engagement to. Other outcomes stay confidential until we walk you through them.

This is the turnaround shape itself: food cost at 44% brought to 29% in a 120-day reset — purchasing, portioning, menu pricing and waste control rebuilt — and then the top line, with average daily sales more than doubling over nine months on the same kitchen and team.

Parco Group

Multi-outlet restaurant group · Jebel Ali, Dubai

Named & consented · cleared 2026-07-05
Food cost

44% 29%

−15 pts · 120 days
Average daily sales

AED 6,000 AED 14,000

+133% · 9 months

At Parco Group's Jebel Ali operation, food cost was running at 44% — margin lost on every cover. Over a 120-day reset, GGB rebuilt purchasing, portioning, menu pricing and waste control and brought food cost to 29%. With margin under control, the focus moved to the top line: across nine months, average daily sales rose from AED 6,000 to AED 14,000 — the same kitchen and team, under disciplined P&L control.

Abdul Haseeb

Executive Director, Parco Group

“Highly recommended, we have signed retainership for all our restaurants including Parco, Sameer, Rolls and Tea, Nakshatra and others.” — Abdul Haseeb, Executive Director, Parco Group
Read the full Parco Group case study →

The four axes we hold every engagement to

Food cost %

Theoretical vs actual, by item and by outlet — usually the fastest margin to recover.

Quantified per engagement

Labour vs sales

Productivity per shift measured against revenue, not a blanket headcount cut.

Quantified per engagement

Delivery economics

Channel mix and menu pricing rebuilt around real aggregator commission.

Quantified per engagement

Payback

Every intervention measured against the capital and the time it takes to return.

Quantified per engagement
See how we measure results Ask for a result relevant to you →

Questions

What is a good sales-per-labour-hour figure?
It varies widely by format — a fine-dining room and a quick-service counter are not comparable. The value is in tracking your own number over time and scheduling to protect it, not in a single benchmark.
What labour cost percentage should I aim for?
Typical full-service labour runs in the mid-20s to about 30% as a share of revenue — indicative only. What matters is whether yours is trending up unwatched, and whether the roster is built to covers rather than to comfort.
How do I count monthly labour hours?
Add up the scheduled hours across all staff for a typical month — roughly headcount times average hours. It does not need to be exact to show whether productivity is healthy.
How does GGB fix a heavy labour line?
By scheduling against forecast covers by daypart, matching the roster to real demand, and giving you a weekly read so the wage line is seen — and corrected — before month-end.
Tighten the labour line with a consultant Call +971 50 346 0478
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