Mark Kelnhofer is the President and CEO of Return On Ingredients® LLC and is an international speaker and author on recipe costing, menu engineering, and cost controls. Return On ingredients specializes is the managerial accounting approach to recipe costing including ingredients, labor and overhead. Prior to Return On Ingredients, Mark was brought into the Bravo/Brio Restaurant Group (NASDAQ:BBRG) to implement a cost control system based on manufacturing processes from his past industry experience. After implementation, BBRG experienced five consecutive years of cost reductions resulting in millions of dollars in savings. Mark started Return On Ingredients® LLC in January 2009 based on those same principles.

In 2016, Mark became Lecturer for The Ohio State University for their Hospitality Management program. He currently instructs food, beverage, and labor cost controls, hospitality accounting, beverage management, and several industry practicum courses. Prior to Ohio State, he instructed hospitality courses at Georgetown University, Ohio University, Hocking College, and the Midwest Culinary Institute at Cincinnati State Community College.

Mark is also an international speaker and author on restaurant and foodservice cost management. He has spoken to more than 135 tradeshows and events, authored several books, numerous articles, and podcasts. Published articles in industry publications include Catering, Foodservice Equipment and Supplies, FSR, Today’s Restaurant News, Entrepreneurial Chef, Food Business Puerto Rico, and Las Vegas Food & Beverage Professional. Additionally, he volunteers frequently for the Ohio Restaurant & Hospitality Alliance (OHRA) ProStart program for the area’s high school students who are entering the industry.

Mark holds a Masters in Business Administration (2005) and a Bachelor of Arts majoring in Accounting and Business Administration (1993) from Ohio Dominican University in Columbus, Ohio. Mark is also an Certified Food & Beverage Executive (CFBE) as well as a Certified Bourbon Steward. Past recognition also includes being named the 2025 Industry Educator of the Year by the Ohio Restaurant & Hospitality Alliance (ORHA), Top 100 Food & Beverage Leader by the Global Summit on All Things Food (GSAF) in 2021, as well as Best of the Rest Industry Thought Leader by the National Restaurant Association (NRA) in 2020.