The term percent means "part of a hundred".

The use of percentages to express a rate is common practice in the food-service industry. For example, food and beverage costs, labor costs, operating costs, fixed costs, and profits are usually all stated as a percentage to establish standards of control.

To indicate that any number is a percentage, the number must be accompanied by a percent sign (%).

Example: If 34 percent of the customers in a restaurant favor nutritious entrées, a part of the whole number of customers is being expressed. The whole is represented by 100 percent. In this example, all of the customers that enter the restaurant represent 100 percent.