What Does Premium Meal Prep Really Cost? Let’s Break It Down (2026 Update)

Feb 17
2 min read

Updated: Feb 18

At Lentsch Culinary Services, we believe in transparency, not just in the ingredients we use but also in the way we do business. Trust is a cornerstone of what we do.

A lot has been said about the cost of doing business in Seattle, particularly regarding minimum wage and the expenses involved in running a high-quality meal prep service.

We fully support paying a living wage and believe that great food comes from great people who are compensated fairly. This is not a complaint, it’s an honest breakdown of the true cost of premium meal prep in Seattle and why our services are priced the way they are.

To illustrate this, let’s take a look at our most common meal prep order:

3 meals, each with 3 portions

The Cost Breakdown

Key Considerations

Delivery Fee: A fixed cost FREE for the first 10 miles. Then any additional miles we charge $3 per mile after that.
Labor Costs: We pay an average of $30 per hour, plus 18% in payroll taxes and benefits.
Pantry Costs: On average, we use $9 worth of staple ingredients (spices, oils, flour, etc.) per client per week. This cost is not passed on to our clients.
Kitchen Rental: We operate out of a fully licensed commercial kitchen, which costs $11 per hour per workstation. This cost covers water, gas, garbage, storage, and equipment.
Transaction Fees: Our accounting software takes 3.5% of every dollar we sell.

Cost of Meal Prep for 3 Meals (3 Servings Each)

Sales Revenue

$285.00 – 3 meals with 3 portions (Each meal up to the first 3 servings are free!)

$00.00 – Delivery-FREE

$285.00 – Total Revenue

Expenses

Labor Breakdown

0.5 hrs – Menu Writing

0.5 hr – Grocery shopping

3 hrs – Meal preparation, packaging, nutrition & recipe writing

0.25 hrs – Delivery

4.25 hrs total

Labor Cost

$153.00 – Base pay (4.25 hrs @ $30/hr)

$27.54 – Payroll taxes & benefits (PTO, Insurance, L&I etc 18%)

$180.00 – Total labor cost

Supplies & Packaging

$9.00 – Pantry Expense (i.e. flour ,sugar, oil, spices etc)

$11.74 – Compostable & recyclable packaging

$7.50 – Delivery bag

$7.00 Delivery Mileage Expense (10 Miles at $0.70 per mile)

$5.50 – Ice pack & printed recipes

$40.74 – Total supply costs

Kitchen Rent

3 hours – Commissary kitchen usage and storage space

$11 per hour

$33.00 – Total kitchen rental cost

Transaction Fees Our Business Pays

$9.98 – Processing fee (3.5%)

Sub Totals

Total Sales: $285

Expenses

Labor Cost: $180

Supplies & Packaging $40.74

Rent: $33

Transaction Fees: $9.98

Total Expenses: $263.72

Total Cost: $263.72 (92.53% of Revenue)

Profit: $21.29 (7.46% Profit Margin)

Why We Do This

At Lentsch Culinary Services, we are committed to delivering fresh, high-quality, locally sourced meals that are fully customized to your lifestyle. Our pricing reflects the care, expertise, and labor that goes into each meal we prepare.

We know that meal prep is more than just food, it’s about convenience, nutrition, and peace of mind. Let us take this off your plate so you can enjoy delicious, chef-prepared meals without the hassle.