EXERCISE 7–17 Calculating and Interpreting Activity-Based Costing Data [LO2, LO3] Jane’s Cookhouse is a popular restaurant located in a scenic setting. The owner of the restau- rant has been trying to better understand costs at the restaurant and has hired a student intern to conduct an ABC study. The intern, in consultation with the owner, identified three major activities. The intern then completed the first-stage allocations of costs to the activity cost pools, using data from last month’s operations. The results appear below:

 

Activity Cost Pool	Activity Measure	Total Cost	Total Activity
Serving a party of diners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	Number of parties served	$12,000	5,000 parties
Serving a diner  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	Number of diners served	$90,000	12,000 diners
Serving a drink. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	Number of drinks ordered	$26,000	10,000 drinks

 

The above costs include all of the costs of the restaurant except for organization-sustaining costs such as rent, property taxes, and top-management salaries. A group of diners who ask to sit at the same table are counted as a party. Some costs, such as the costs of cleaning linen, are

 

 

 

 

 

 

the same whether one person is at a table or the table is full. Other costs, such as washing dishes, depend on the number of diners served.

Prior to the ABC study, the owner knew very little about the costs of the restaurant. She knew that the total cost for the month (including organization-sustaining costs) was $180,000 and that 12,000 diners had been served. Therefore, the average cost per diner was $15.

Required:

1.               According to the ABC system, what is the total cost of serving each of the following par- ties of diners?

a.       A party of four diners that orders three drinks in total.

b.       A party of two diners that does not order any drinks.

c.       A lone diner who orders two drinks.

2.               Convert the total costs you computed in (1) above to costs per diner. In other words, what is the average cost per diner for serving each of the following parties?

a.       A party of four diners that orders three drinks in total.

b.       A party of two diners that does not order any drinks.

c.       A lone diner who orders two drinks.

3.               Why do the costs per diner for the three different parties differ from each other and from the overall average cost of $15.00 per diner?