Menu
Sort your dishes into 4 categories — what to keep, what to cut, what to promote. Menu engineering with the BCG matrix.
Food List
| Food name | Sales count | Contribution Margin (₼) | Category | Recommendation | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ⭐ Star | Keep it, raise the price and move it to a more prominent position on the menu. | ||||
| 🐴 Plow Horse | Reduce cost, optimise portion size and garnish. | ||||
| 🧩 Puzzle | Increase promotion, add waiter recommendations and visibility. | ||||
| 🧩 Puzzle | Increase promotion, add waiter recommendations and visibility. | ||||
| 🐴 Plow Horse | Reduce cost, optimise portion size and garnish. | ||||
| 🐕 Dog | Remove from the menu or completely rethink the recipe. |
Understanding Menu Engineering
Manage your menu with data, not intuition.
What Is Menu Engineering?
Menu engineering means analysing dishes by sales volume and profit margin to optimise the menu.
Process
1. Collect sales data
2. Calculate CM for each dish
3. Compare against averages
4. Assign to 4 categories
BCG Matrix
The Boston Consulting Group matrix adapted for restaurants:
⭐ Star
High sales + high margin
🐴 Plow Horse
High sales + low margin
🧩 Puzzle
Low sales + high margin
🐕 Dog
Low sales + low margin
Strategies
⭐ Star → Protect
Raise the price, move it to front of menu, have waiters recommend it.
🐴 Plow Horse → Optimise
Reduce cost, shrink portion size, change the garnish.
🧩 Puzzle → Promote
Increase menu visibility, add set and recommendation mechanics.
🐕 Dog → Remove
Delete from menu or completely rethink the recipe.
DK Agency Tip
In a menu, 20% of dishes generate 80% of sales. If you don't measure this rule every month, you'll be subsidising weak dishes with strong ones.
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