Menu engineering
Example: A bistro that re-staged its 4 'puzzle' items (high margin, low sales) with better photos and descriptions saw a 22% lift in their sales mix within 6 weeks — no price changes.
treating each dish as a portfolio decision, not a P&L line
A 50-year-old restaurant analysis (Kasavana & Smith, 1990) that plots every menu item on a 2×2 of contribution margin (\$ per sale) against menu-mix share (popularity), splitting at the median to label each dish a Star, Plowhorse, Puzzle, or Dog with a different recommended action.
Why it matters
Operators usually look at average prime cost or average price; menu engineering is what turns those averages into per-item decisions. Drop the Dogs, re-cost the Plowhorses, re-photograph the Puzzles, protect the Stars. The Menu Engineering Matrix runs the math on your own data.
Frequently asked
What is menu engineering?
Menu engineering is a 50-year-old restaurant analysis (Kasavana & Smith, 1990) that plots every menu item on a 2×2 of contribution margin ($ per sale) against menu-mix share (popularity), splitting at the median to label each dish a Star, Plowhorse, Puzzle, or Dog with a different recommended action.
Why does menu engineering matter for a restaurant?
Operators usually look at average prime cost or average price; menu engineering is what turns those averages into per-item decisions. Drop the Dogs, re-cost the Plowhorses, re-photograph the Puzzles, protect the Stars. The Menu Engineering Matrix runs the math on your own data.
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