Restaurant Seasonal Cash Reserve
Reserve = months × max(0, fixed costs − cash contribution) + buffer
Gather recipe sheets, supplier invoices and stock counts. Include ingredients, service labour, and facility overhead. The starting figures are examples. Replace them with your own records.
Formula and worked example
Reserve = months × max(0, fixed costs − cash contribution) + buffer
| Input | Example |
|---|---|
| Low-season months | 3 |
| Monthly fixed cash costs | 8,000 |
| Monthly cash contribution in low season | 5,000 |
| Extra contingency cash | 3,000 |
| Calculated result | 12,000 |
Choose reliable inputs
Track purchased quantities, usable yield, labour and waste before deciding on a selling price. For this restaurant calculation, use recipe sheets, supplier invoices and stock counts and a consistent definition of one cover.
- Ingredients: include the portion belonging to this cover or reporting period, and record where the value came from.
- Service labour: include the portion belonging to this cover or reporting period, and record where the value came from.
- Facility overhead: include the portion belonging to this cover or reporting period, and record where the value came from.
Use the same currency for every money input. Do not mix weekly costs with monthly revenue, or count the same expense in both an itemised cost and allocated overhead.
How should seasonal reserves be estimated?
Model the months with low collections and unavoidable cash expenses. Update the assumptions with your own seasonal records.
Assumes the same monthly shortfall; use cash contribution rather than invoice profit.
What if this input changes?
If low-season months rises by 10%, this example changes by 900 . This shows the effect of one change; it does not predict what will happen.
Open the calculator, save your baseline, then change the input supported by the least reliable estimate in your records. Compare both scenarios before committing to a price or capacity promise.