Definition
Pour cost band
A target range for pour cost percentage used to flag drinks or categories that need pricing or recipe attention, for example 18-24% on many cocktail programs.
Worked example
Cocktail band 18–22%, beer 24–28%, wine by the glass 28–35%. A $14 cocktail with $3.50 recipe cost (25%) sits above the cocktail band, either reprice, reformulate, or accept it as a marketing pour with eyes open. Document the band in writing so weekly reviews compare drinks to the same target instead of debating what “feels high.”
When operators use this
Write the band by category before you argue about a drink. Packaged beer is often thinner than cocktails; that is mix, not failure. pour cost is the ratio. what if scenario is how you test a price or pour change against the band. beer inventory software is where beer category cost belongs.
Common mistakes
One house target across liquor, beer, and wine hides a well problem inside a beer-heavy week. Copying a consultant band without a few clean inventory periods does the same. Treat any default range as a hypothesis and revise it after you can count.
How ExactPour handles it
ExactPour shows drink and category pour cost against the program so outliers are obvious. What-if pricing scenarios estimate margin impact before you reprint the menu, and AI briefs can call out items that drifted outside the band after a cost change.
Qualification
Bands are concept-specific; a sports bar and a craft cocktail room can both be healthy at different bands. Treat any default as a starting hypothesis and revise after a few clean inventory periods.