Canteen costing aims to determine the expense of supplying food and associated services to staff or patrons. To ascertain the cost per service unit, an appropriate metric reflecting the canteen's output must be chosen. A frequently employed service unit is the meal served, as each meal signifies a complete service delivery. Depending on operational specifics, alternative units like 'per plate', 'per lunch', or 'per dinner' may also be utilized. Cost-per-meal calculations are instrumental in managing canteen expenditures and establishing fair pricing.