Methodology
Where the waiting numbers come from
The receipt on the home page is a model, not a quote. Here is the operating profile it runs on, the arithmetic behind every line, and the source for every published figure.
The operating profile
Each scenario models 1 single unit independent full service operation. The profile below is a stated assumption used to run the arithmetic. It is not a published statistic, and it is not a claim about your operation.
- Annual sales$1,200,000
- Operating days360 a year
- Daily sales$3,333
- Hourly wage used for labor lines$21.95
- Occupancy cost as a share of sales5.1 percent
- Delivery route250 miles a day
21 days out of service
Walk-in cooler
| Line item | How it is calculated | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| After hours service call and diagnosis | Upper middle of the published $300 to $1,200 emergency call range. | 900 |
| Compressor replacement after the patch failed | Midpoint of $1,800 and $7,500. | 4,650 |
| Product discarded under the 4 hour rule | Low end of the $2,000 to $10,000 product exposure per outage. | 2,000 |
| Rented cold storage runs, 2 staff hours a day | 21 days x 2 hours x $21.95. | 922 |
| Menu cut 20 percent for 21 days | $3,333 daily sales x 20 percent x 21 days. | 14,000 |
| Occupancy paid on capacity that cannot produce | $3,333 daily sales x 5.1 percent x 21 days. | 3,570 |
| 1 line cook replaced | Cost to replace 1 hourly employee. | 5,864 |
| Total | Sum of the lines above, or $1,519 a day across 21 days. | $31,906 |
14 days out of service
6 burner range
| Line item | How it is calculated | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Service call, ignition and thermocouple | Top of the published $150 to $700 range repair band. | 700 |
| 2 more calls inside 90 days | 2 x $700. | 1,400 |
| Menu cut 15 percent for 14 days | $3,333 daily sales x 15 percent x 14 days. | 7,000 |
| Overtime to cover ticket times, 3 hours a day | 14 days x 3 hours x $21.95 x 1.5. | 1,383 |
| Occupancy paid on 14 days of reduced output | $3,333 daily sales x 5.1 percent x 14 days. | 2,380 |
| 1 cook replaced after the third bad Saturday | Cost to replace 1 hourly employee. | 5,864 |
| Total | Sum of the lines above, or $1,338 a day across 14 days. | $18,727 |
5 days out of service
Delivery truck
| Line item | How it is calculated | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Roadside service call | Midpoint of the published $300 to $1,000 call range. | 650 |
| Drive tire, mounted and balanced | Midpoint of $400 and $700. | 550 |
| Fixed operating cost while parked, 5 days | 5 days x 250 miles x $2.336 per mile. | 2,920 |
| Deliveries pushed to a marketplace at 30 percent | $600 a day of delivery volume x 30 percent x 5 days. | 900 |
| Driver paid while the route sits | 5 days x 8 hours x $21.95. | 878 |
| Wholesale accounts short shipped, 5 days | $3,333 daily sales x 10 percent x 5 days. | 1,667 |
| Total | Sum of the lines above, or $1,513 a day across 5 days. | $7,565 |
Sources
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Average hourly earnings, food services and drinking places: $21.95
Current Employment Statistics series CEU7072200003, all employees, average hourly earnings, food services and drinking places, June 2026.
https://data.bls.gov/timeseries/CEU7072200003National Restaurant Association
Cost to replace 1 hourly restaurant employee: $5,864
Turnover cost infographic, cost of replacing an hourly employee.
https://restaurant.org/NRA/media/Infographics/2022/turnover_restaurant_sprockets.pdfNational Restaurant Association
Occupancy costs run above 5 percent of sales
Restaurant Operations Report and Operations Data Abstract, occupancy costs as a share of sales for full service operations.
https://restaurant.org/research-and-media/research/research-reports/Commercial refrigeration service pricing
Walk-in compressor replacement: $1,800 to $7,500
Published walk-in cooler compressor replacement pricing for commercial units.
https://www.samcofm.com/blog/walk-in-cooler-compressor-replacement-costCommercial refrigeration service pricing
Emergency refrigeration service call: $300 to $1,200
Published after hours diagnostic and emergency service call pricing for walk-in refrigeration, plus $2,000 to $10,000 of product exposure per outage.
https://kitchenrepairhub.com/guides/walk-in-cooler-repair/U.S. Food and Drug Administration
FDA Food Code, 4 hour limit on time as a public health control
Food Code section 3-501.19. Time/temperature control for safety food held above 41F without temperature control must be discarded after 4 hours.
https://www.fda.gov/food/retail-food-protection/fda-food-codeCommercial kitchen equipment service pricing
Commercial range repair: $150 to $700 per call
Published thermocouple, ignition, and burner repair pricing for commercial gas ranges.
https://kitchenrepairhub.com/guides/ranges-cooktops-repair/American Transportation Research Institute
Marginal cost of operating a commercial truck: $2.336 per mile
An Analysis of the Operational Costs of Trucking, 2025 update.
https://truckingresearch.org/2025/07/an-analysis-of-the-operational-costs-of-trucking-2025-update/Commercial roadside assistance pricing
Commercial roadside service call: $300 to $1,000
Published 2026 roadside service call pricing for commercial vehicles.
https://www.logrock.com/commercial-truck-insurance/road-side-assistance-for-semi-trucks/Commercial tire pricing
Commercial truck tire, mounted: $400 to $700
Published commercial truck tire pricing, mounted and balanced.
https://tcttire.com/how-much-do-commercial-tires-typically-cost-in-texas/DoorDash
Third party marketplace commission: 15 to 30 percent per order
Merchant pricing, Basic through Premier partnership plans.
https://merchants.doordash.com/en-us/pricingFoody Finance · modeled assumption
Modeled operating profile, not a published figure
Single unit independent full service operation at $1,200,000 in annual sales across 360 operating days, or $3,333 a day. Volume reductions and delivery mix are stated assumptions used to run the arithmetic.
Published pricing ranges move with market, region, and equipment age. Where a source gives a range, the model uses the stated point inside it rather than the top of the band. Nothing here is a quote, an offer of credit, or a guarantee of approval. Questions on any figure: funding@foodyfinance.com.