Gino's Restaurant is a popular restaurant in Boston, Massachusetts. The owner of the restaurant has been trying to better understand costs at the restaurant and has hired a student intern to conduct an activity-based costing study. The intern, in consultation with the owner, identified the following major activities:
Activity Cost Pool................................Activity Measure
Serving a party of diners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Number of parties served
Serving a diner. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Number of diners served
Serving drinks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Number of drinks ordered
A group of diners who ask to sit at the same table is 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.
Data concerning these activities are shown below:

Prior to the activity-based costing study, the owner knew very little about the costs of the restaurant. She knew that the total cost for the month was $313,600 and that 32,000 diners had been served. Therefore, the average cost per diner was $9.80 ($313,600 ÷ 32,000 diners = $9.80 per diner).
Required:
1. Compute the activity rates for each of the three activities.
2. According to the activity-based costing system, what is the total cost of serving each of the following parties of diners?
a. A party of four diners who order three drinks in total.
b. A party of two diners who do not order any drinks.
c. A lone diner who orders two drinks.
3. Convert the total costs you computed in part (2) 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 who order three drinks in total.
b. A party of two diners who do not order any drinks.
c. A lone diner who orders two drinks.
4. Why do the costs per diner for the three different parties differ from each other and from the overall average cost of $9.80 per diner?

Transcribed Image Text:

Serving a Party Serving a Diner Serving DrinksTotal $69,600 Total cost. . $32,800 Total activity..8,000 parties $211,200 $313,600 32,000 diners 58,000 drinks