Pizzeria Cost Tracker
Over the past year, menu prices at counter-service restaurants rose 3.2%. The costs climbing faster: gas for delivery (+34.2%), corrugated boxes (+8.9%), flour (+5.3%) and restaurant wages (+4.3%). About flat: cheese (+0.4%) and canned tomatoes and vegetables (+0.3%). Down: wholesale meat (−5.5%).
Government data through Sept. 2026. Updated monthly.
| What you pay for | Last 12 months | Last 3 years | 3-year trend |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gas for delivery What your drivers pay at the pump, and what mileage pay has to cover. Read Article | +34.2% | +13.1% | |
| Corrugated boxes What box makers charge, pizza boxes included, before your distributor’s markup. Read Article | +8.9% | +20.1% | |
| Flour The mill price behind your flour invoice. Read Article | +5.3% | −6.9% | |
| Restaurant wages What the going rate for your crew is doing. Read Article | +4.3% | +12.2% | |
| Cheese Wholesale cheese, which follows the CME block price. Read Article | +0.4% | +3.3% | |
| Canned tomatoes and vegetables The canner price behind sauce and canned toppings. | +0.3% | +3.7% | |
| Wholesale meat The meat-packer price that sausage and pepperoni makers pay. | −5.5% | +8.1% | |
| Menu prices How fast menu prices like yours are rising across the country. Read Article | +3.2% | +10.8% |
How to use this
These are national price indexes, not your invoice. They tell you which way a cost is moving and how fast. When a supplier sends a price increase, check it against the row here. If a cost is rising faster than menu prices, that's the line squeezing your margin, and the place to look first.
Boxes, flour, cheese, canned goods and meat are producer prices: what manufacturers charge distributors, before the distributor's markup. Gas and menu prices are what consumers pay. Wages are the average hourly pay at restaurants and bars.
Where the numbers come from
Every figure is calculated from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Twelve-month and three-year changes compare the latest month with the same month one and three years earlier. Data through Sept. 2026 (wages through Aug. 2026), pulled 2026-11-01.
- Corrugated boxes: Prices corrugated box makers charge (BLS producer price index, corrugated and solid fiber boxes), series PCU322211322211
- Gas for delivery: Pump prices for gasoline, all types (BLS consumer price index), series CUUR0000SETB01
- Flour: Prices flour mills charge (BLS producer price index, flour milling), series PCU311211311211
- Restaurant wages: Average hourly pay, all employees at restaurants and bars (BLS, seasonally adjusted), series CES7072200003
- Cheese: Prices cheese makers charge (BLS producer price index, cheese manufacturing), series PCU311513311513
- Canned tomatoes and vegetables: Prices canners charge (BLS producer price index, fruit and vegetable canning), series PCU311421311421
- Wholesale meat: Prices meat processors charge (BLS producer price index, meat processed from carcasses), series PCU311612311612
- Menu prices: What customers pay at counter-service restaurants (BLS consumer price index, limited service meals and snacks), series CUUR0000SEFV02
Download the data (CSV). Free to use; please credit Oven Scars and link this page. Typical costs as a share of sales are on Pizzeria Benchmarks.
Free cheat sheet: 15 pizzeria cost benchmarks on one page
Prime cost, labor, delivery and rent, each with its source and a blank for your shop’s number. Enter your email and the download opens right away.
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