ROME Intelligence
Restaurant metrics glossary
Every number ROME shows, defined in owner language — what it tells you, how it's calculated, and why it matters. These definitions are generated from the same formulas the product runs, so they can't drift.
GAAP Sales
The money that actually came in — what you sold, after discounts and comps, before sales tax.
How it’s calculated · the sum of line totals over the scope's order lines. GAAP Sales here = net recognized sales: item sales less discounts and comps, excluding sales tax. In this dataset comped items ring at $0 (no revenue recognized) and all amounts are pre-tax, so this equals gross item sales.
Why it matters · Every other percentage on your P&L is measured against this number — if it's off, everything downstream is off.
Checks
How many tables or parties you served — every check is one group paying one bill.
How it’s calculated · Distinct orders (one check = one table/party) in the scope.
Why it matters · Traffic in its rawest form: when sales move, checks tell you whether it was more visits or bigger tickets.
Covers
How many individual guests walked through the door — a table of four is one check, four covers.
How it’s calculated · the sum of party sizes over the scope's checks (one cover = one guest).
Why it matters · Covers drive prep, portions, and staffing — it's the demand number your kitchen actually feels.
Avg Check (per table)
What the typical table spends with you — the number a $1 dessert attach or a smart reprice moves.
How it’s calculated · the sum of check subtotals divided by checks — average spend per table, not per guest.
Why it matters · The fastest revenue lever that doesn't require more guests — small per-table gains compound across every service.
Food %
Of every dollar you sell, how many cents the ingredients cost — creeping up means portions, waste, or supplier prices need a look.
How it’s calculated · the sum of line costs divided by the sum of line totals over the scope's order lines — the audit engine's exact food-cost formula (comped items keep their cost).
Why it matters · A single creeping point of food cost quietly takes thousands per year off a typical restaurant's bottom line.
Labor %
Of every dollar you sell, how many cents go to payroll — the fastest tell for over- or under-staffed days.
How it’s calculated · the sum of labor_cost divided by gross sales. Labor isn't attributable to menu items or customer attributes, so this measure only groups by Date or Location.
Why it matters · Labor is your biggest controllable cost — matching staffing to demand is usually the quickest win an operator has.
Prime %
Food and labor together — the industry's health-check number; most full-service spots aim for about 60% or less.
How it’s calculated · Food % + Labor % — the audit engine's prime cost. Grouped only by Date or Location (labor isn't item- or customer-attributable).
Why it matters · Prime cost is the single best one-number read on whether a restaurant is fundamentally healthy.
Recoverable Margin (ROME)
ROME's headline: the dollars per month the audit found leaking that you could realistically get back.
How it’s calculated · The audit engine's headline: the sum of the quantified profit leaks for the scope, monthly basis. Runs the full audit on the scope's data — grouped only by Location.
Why it matters · It turns 'we should tighten up' into a ranked to-do list with a dollar figure on every line.
Want these numbers computed from your own data? Book a walkthrough → · More questions? See the FAQ.