In order to make money in the restaurant business, prime costs should generally be in the 60 percent to 65 percent range. How that breaks down between food and labor is less important than achieving a prime cost maximum that produces a satisfactory profit.
The standard mileage rate is by far the easiest to use. With the standard mileage rate, you take the deduction of a specified number of cents for every business mile you drive. The IRS sets the standard mileage rate each year. The 2017 Mileage Rate is 53.5 cents per mile. To figure out your mileage deduction, simply multiply your business miles by the standard mileage rate for the specific year. Example: Ed, a salesperson, drove his car 20,000 miles for business during 2017.
Each year, the IRS releases an optional standard mileage rate. As of July 1, 2008, that rate is 58.5 cents per mile traveled for business purposes, 27 cents per mile for medical and moving travel, and 14 cents per mile for travel for charitable purposes. You can use the standard mileage rate as a benchmark to reimburse employees for business travel. For tax purposes, itâs much less complicated to go by the standard rates than to require employees to keep track of their actual vehicle expenses.