Book excerpt: Professional foodservice managers are faced with a wide array of challenges on a daily basis. Controlling costs, setting budgets, and pricing goods are essential for success in any hospitality or culinary business. Food and Beverage Cost Control provides the tools required to maintain sales and cost histories, develop systems for monitoring current activities, and forecast future costs. This detailed yet reader-friendly guide helps students and professionals alike understand and apply practical techniques to effectively manage food and beverage costs. Now in its seventh edition, this extensively revised and updated book examines the entire cycle of cost control, including purchasing, production, sales analysis, product costing, food cost formulas, and much more. Each chapter presents complex ideas in a clear, easy-to-understand style. Micro-case studies present students with real-world scenarios and problems, while step-by-step numerical examples highlight the arithmetic necessary to understand cost control-related concepts. Covering everything from food sanitation to service methods, this practical guide helps readers enhance their knowledge of the hospitality management industry and increase their professional self-confidence.