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Free restaurant menu engineering matrix

Type the price, the food cost and the units sold for each dish. The tool works out the profit on every plate and compares it with your menu average. Then it puts each dish in one of four groups: Star, Plowhorse, Puzzle or Dog. Pick your currency and start typing.

  • No sign-up
  • Any currency
  • Saved in your browser
  • Nothing sent to us

Your dishes

One menu section at a time

Star € 8.40 profit · 28.6% of units
Plowhorse € 6.80 profit · 36.6% of units
Puzzle € 12.40 profit · 7.6% of units
Dog € 5.60 profit · 13.4% of units
Puzzle € 14.80 profit · 5.4% of units
Dog € 3.70 profit · 8.5% of units

Food cost means the ingredients on that one plate. Units sold is how many you sold in the same time. Four weeks or more is best.

Your matrix

Start with your Puzzles. The profit is good, but not many guests order them.

  • Star 1
  • Plowhorse 1
  • Puzzle 2
  • Dog 2

← Sells less Popularity Sells more →

Dishes counted
6
Units sold
1,120
Total sales
€ 12,712.50
Total profit
€ 8,609.50
Average profit per dish sold
€ 7.69
Average share of units sold
16.7%

The dashed lines are your own averages. A dish on a line can go either way, so talk about it with your kitchen.

What to do next

Each group needs a different action

The matrix only sorts your dishes. The money comes from what you do next. Here is the short answer for each of the four groups.

Star

Popular, with a good profit

Keep it the same: same recipe, same portion, same supplier. Give it the best place on the menu. Tell new guests about it. Never put it in a discount.

Plowhorse

Popular, but a small profit

Guests already want it, so you have room to change it. Make the plate cost lower, or raise the price a little and watch the sales. Sell it with a drink or a side dish with a good profit.

Puzzle

A good profit, but few orders

The profit is there, but the orders are not. Give it a better name and a better description. Move it higher in the section. Add a photo. Ask your staff to offer it for two weeks.

Dog

Few orders, small profit

This is usually the dish to cut. It takes prep time, fridge space and a line on the menu. Keep it only if it does another job, for example the vegan dish or a plate for children.

Watch out

Six mistakes that give wrong results

Menu engineering is simple maths. Most wrong answers come from bad numbers, not from the formula.

  1. 01

    Mixing the whole menu together

    A soup can never beat a steak on profit. Compare starters with starters.

  2. 02

    Using only one week of sales

    One quiet week can turn a Star into a Puzzle. Use four weeks or more.

  3. 03

    Looking only at food cost percentage

    A cheap dish sold twice earns less than a dish sold fifty times. You pay the rent with money, not with percent.

  4. 04

    Forgetting add-ons and side dishes

    A burger that always goes out with fries is worth more than its own line shows.

  5. 05

    Cutting every Dog at once

    Some dishes bring a whole table to you. Ask your staff first.

  6. 06

    Changing ten things at the same time

    Change one price, wait four weeks, then run the matrix again. Now you know what worked.

Questions

Menu engineering questions

What is a menu engineering matrix?
It is a chart with four boxes. It sorts your dishes by profit and by how many guests buy them. Dishes that sell well and earn well are Stars. Popular dishes with a small profit are Plowhorses. Dishes with a good profit and few orders are Puzzles. Slow dishes with a small profit are Dogs.

How do I calculate menu engineering?
Take the price and take away the food cost. This is the profit on the plate. Then divide the units of that dish by all units sold. This is its share of sales. Compare both numbers with your menu average. Above average in both is a Star.

Is this menu engineering tool free?
Yes. It is free. No sign-up and no card. Your dishes stay in your own browser, so we do not get them. The rest of Tabres is free too.

Which currency can I use?
Any currency in the list. Search for it, and every number on the page changes. The maths is the same in every currency.

Should I use food cost or full cost?
Use food cost, also called plate cost. It is the ingredients in that one dish. Rent, wages and power are not part of the matrix. Use the same rule for every dish, so the groups stay fair.

How often should I run a menu engineering matrix?
Once a month is good, and again after a price change or a menu change. Use at least four weeks of sales, so one quiet week does not move a dish into the wrong box.

How many dishes should I enter?
One menu section at a time, for example starters or main dishes. If you compare a soup with a steak, the averages move apart and you cannot see the real picture.

Does Tabres do this for me automatically?
Yes. Tabres reports show your best sellers, your worst sellers and your trending dishes from real orders. Menu analytics show what guests opened but did not order. Both are free with your account.
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