For independent restaurant and cafe owners
Restaurant Menu Engineering Calculator: Food Cost and Margin Matrix
Portion costs in, Stars, Plowhorses, Puzzles and Dogs out.
Your dishes
| Dish | Plate cost | Menu price | Number sold | Food cost | Margin | Class | Remove |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 29.3% | $9.90 | Plowhorse | |||||
| 37.3% | $9.40 | Plowhorse | |||||
| 42.6% | $19.50 | Puzzle | |||||
| 24.4% | $6.80 | Dog | |||||
| 21.3% | $12.60 | Puzzle |
Overall food cost
31.9%
Total margin
$7,244
Avg margin per dish sold
$10.50
The profit line
Popularity line
14.0%
Share of items sold
StarsPopular, high margin
Popular and profitable. Keep the recipe and portion consistent, give it the best spot on the menu, and test a small price rise.
None
PlowhorsesPopular, low margin
Popular but thin margin. Trim the plate cost, pair it with a high-margin side, or raise the price in small steps.
- Cheeseburger$9.90 margin, 44.9% of sales
- Fish tacos$9.40 margin, 26.1% of sales
PuzzlesSlow, high margin
Profitable but slow. Rename it, describe it better, move it to a prime spot, or have servers recommend it.
- Ribeye$19.50 margin, 6.5% of sales
- Pasta primavera$12.60 margin, 13.8% of sales
DogsSlow, low margin
Neither popular nor profitable. Remove it, rework it, or raise the price so the few who order it are worth serving.
- House salad$6.80 margin, 8.7% of sales
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What it does
- Food cost percentage and contribution margin for every dish.
- The classic menu-engineering matrix: Stars, Plowhorses, Puzzles and Dogs, with what to do about each.
- Keep an ingredient price book so one supplier price change updates every dish.
Questions
What do I need to get started?
For each dish: what it costs to make, what you charge, and roughly how many you sell in a period. The matrix appears as soon as you have a few dishes in.
How are Stars and Dogs decided?
Each dish is compared with your menu’s average popularity and average margin, the standard menu-engineering method. The thresholds are shown on screen.