A quick reference for the words you will see throughout Cost Caster, and what each one is called in a kitchen.
Building blocks
Assembly
Anything you sell, shown as a Menu item. An assembly is built from a recipe of components, sub-assemblies, and modifiers.
Sub-assembly
Something you make in house and reuse across your menu, also called a Prep. A sub-assembly has its own recipe and drops into any assembly as a single line.
Component
A raw item you buy from a supplier, with a purchase price and a unit, shown as an Ingredient. Components are the foundation every other number builds on.
Modifier
A set of choices you offer on an assembly, such as a side, a size, or a syrup.
Option
A single choice inside a modifier, like one specific side or one syrup flavor. Each option can carry its own components and its own adjustment to price.
Recipes and structure
Recipe
The list of components, sub-assemblies, and modifiers that make up an assembly, each with a quantity.
Amber box
A highlighted field marking a unit or quantity Cost Caster could not determine from your description. Fill it in to complete the recipe.
Yield
An adjustment for what a recipe actually produces after cooking or portioning, so amounts reflect what reaches the customer rather than what went in.
Units and pricing
Conversion
A rule that translates between the unit you buy in and the unit you use in a recipe, such as a case to grams. Conversions keep quantities accurate as they flow through a recipe.
Sell price
What you charge the customer for an assembly.
Margin
The share of the sell price left after the assembly’s cost, shown as a percentage.