Financial data for a cafeteria shows the following: Income from sales = $12,800, Food costs = $5,300, Number of meals served = 2,403. What is the food cost percentage for the operation?

To determine the food cost percentage for the operation, the following formula can be applied:

Food Cost Percentage = (Food Costs / Income from Sales) x 100

In this case, the food costs amount to $5,300, and the total income from sales is $12,800. By substituting these values into the formula, we have:

Food Cost Percentage = ($5,300 / $12,800) x 100

Calculating this gives:

Food Cost Percentage = 0.4140625 x 100 = 41.40625%

When rounded, this figure translates to approximately 41.4%. This percentage reflects the portion of income spent on food costs, helping evaluate the cost efficiency of the cafeteria operation. A lower food cost percentage generally indicates better management of food expenses relative to income generated from sales.