Los Angeles, California
Running a taqueria in LA? Know how many orders pay for today.
Free. No sign-up.
Labor is set to the $18.42 City of Los Angeles minimum wage: two people for 8 hours is $294.72. The $12 average order is only an example. Change any number.
Rent, insurance, subscriptions, loan payments
What you pay staff on a normal day
What one customer spends, on average
Food and drink cost as a % of the check
30 = open every day. 26 = closed one day a week. 22 = closed two.
Customers to break even today
91 customers
That is $1,092 in sales.
Your costs today$756
$462 fixed + $295 labor
Each customer contributes
$8.40
What is left after cost of goods
We divide your monthly fixed costs by the 26 days you open. Then we add one day of labor cost. Each customer covers only what is left after cost of goods. That is why the number is higher than your costs divided by the average sale.
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The free fix
The free fix, from KANJIN (kanjin.app), a digital stamp card and back office for small shops: Free break-even tracker.
Know each night if the taqueria covered its costs
Type the figures from the calculator above into the free back office once. Each day's sales then show whether the taqueria made its target. Print the page and tape it by the back door, so every shift knows the number.
Free plan, no time limit. No card needed.
Short answer
How many orders does my Los Angeles taqueria need each day to cover its costs?
Add up one day of rent and wages, divide it by what each order leaves after meat, tortillas and salsa, and round up. At the $18.42 Los Angeles minimum wage, two people on an 8-hour shift cost $294.72 before the first taco.
Your day is mostly paid for before you open
Rent, the grill and the people on the schedule cost the same on a slow Tuesday and a busy Friday night.
So one number matters most. How many orders do you need before the day stops losing money?
Type your own rent, wages and average order into the calculator above. The answer is your daily target.
The City of LA wage is higher than the state wage
Since July 1, 2026, the minimum wage in the City of Los Angeles is $18.42 an hour. It applies to all employers in the city.
The California minimum wage is $16.90 an hour in 2026. That rate is for places with no higher local wage.
Check which one covers your address. Two people for 8 hours is $294.72 at the LA rate and $270.40 at the state rate.
Paid sick leave belongs in the labor line
In the City of Los Angeles, each worker gets at least 48 hours of paid sick leave a year.
Add a little to your daily labor for those hours, so a sick day does not break your target.
Check the number every day
A target you worked out once and then forgot does not help on a slow night.
The free break-even tracker keeps your target with your shop. Each day's sales show whether you made it. Print it and tape it by the back door for every shift.
How to work out your taqueria's daily break-even in Los Angeles
- Add up one day of fixed costs.
Take your monthly rent, insurance and bills, and divide by the days you open.
- Pick the right wage.
Inside the City of Los Angeles: at least $18.42 an hour. Elsewhere in California: at least $16.90, unless your city sets more.
- Find what one order leaves.
Your average order before tax, minus the meat, tortillas, salsa and box in it.
- Divide and round up.
The day's costs divided by what one order leaves. That is how many orders you need to cover the day.
The local numbers, with sources
- City of Los Angeles minimum wage
- $18.42 an hour since July 1, 2026, for all employers
- Source: City of Los Angeles, Office of Wage Standards, Minimum Wage and Paid Sick Leave, checked 2026-11-09.
- California minimum wage
- $16.90 an hour since January 1, 2026, where no higher local wage applies
- Source: California Department of Industrial Relations, Minimum Wage FAQ, checked 2026-11-09.
- Los Angeles paid sick leave
- At least 48 hours of paid sick leave a year for each worker
- Source: City of Los Angeles, Office of Wage Standards, Minimum Wage and Paid Sick Leave, checked 2026-11-09.
Common questions
What is the minimum wage in Los Angeles now?
$18.42 an hour since July 1, 2026, in the City of Los Angeles, for all employers. The rate changes every July 1.
Is the LA rate the same as the California minimum wage?
No. California's minimum wage is $16.90 an hour in 2026. The City of Los Angeles sets a higher rate, $18.42, for work inside the city.
How do I work out my taqueria's break-even point?
Divide one day of fixed costs and wages by what one average order leaves after food and packaging. Round up. That is how many orders you need each day.
Does the break-even tracker cost anything?
No. It is part of the free KANJIN back office, with no time limit. Type your costs once, and your target is there each time you sign in, on any device.
Do it for your own shop, free
Set your daily target once. Each day’s sales show whether you made it.
Type each day’s sales and supplier costs, and see how the week went in one chart.