Menu engineering sorts every dish by two numbers: how many you sell and how much each one leaves you after food cost. Type each dish's price, food cost per portion and the number sold last month. The matrix marks each one a Star, Plowhorse, Puzzle or Dog with the classic Kasavana and Smith rules, and says what to do about it.
Last updated
Your menu matrix
Example numbersPlowhorses · 3
Popular, below-average margin
Stars · 2
Popular and above-average margin
Dogs · 1
Not popular, below-average margin
Puzzles · 2
Above-average margin, not popular
Top row: popular. Right column: margin at or above the average.
| Dish | Margin | Mix | Food cost | Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Classic burger | $10.50 | 28.0% | 30% | Star |
| Crispy chicken sandwich | $9 | 20.7% | 31% | Plowhorse |
| Steak frites | $15 | 6.0% | 40% | Puzzle |
| Salmon bowl | $13 | 9.3% | 32% | Star |
| Chicken Caesar salad | $9 | 10.7% | 25% | Plowhorse |
| Mac and cheese | $7 | 17.3% | 22% | Plowhorse |
| Fish tacos | $11 | 4.7% | 27% | Puzzle |
| Veggie wrap | $6.50 | 3.3% | 35% | Dog |
Stars: Keep them as they are. Give them the best spot on the menu, keep the recipe and portion consistent, and test a small price rise.
Plowhorses: Don't drop them; guests come for them. Lower the cost (portion, garnish, cheaper side), raise the price a little, or pair them with a high-margin side or drink.
Puzzles: Help them sell: a better spot on the menu, a clearer name and description, a photo, a staff recommendation, or suggest them with a popular dish. Check the price isn't the problem.
Dogs: Remove them, or rework the recipe and price. Keep one only if it has a reason, like a regular's favourite or a dish that makes a big order.
Margin here is price minus food cost (8 dishes, 1500 sold). Labor and packaging are not in it.
Put your Stars where customers order
Make a Menuthere ordering page with your menu and a QR code. You can mark top dishes, suggest a dish when another goes into the cart, and see every dish sold in Analytics.
Mains with mains, starters with starters. For each dish type the menu price, the food cost of one portion and how many you sold in the period.
Each dish is compared with two lines: the average margin per dish sold, and 70% of an equal share of sales. That puts it in one of four boxes.
Copy the result or download it as a CSV. Change prices, placement or recipes, then run the next month's numbers.
The rules are the ones Michael Kasavana and Donald Smith published at Michigan State University in 1982. They judge a dish by the money it leaves, not by its food cost percentage. For the full method, read the menu engineering guide.
These are the tool's example numbers, not a benchmark. The restaurant sold 1,500 mains for $20,930, leaving $14,467 after food cost. The profit line is $14,467 ÷ 1,500 = $9.64 a dish, and the popularity line is 100% ÷ 8 × 70% = 8.75% of mains sold.
| Dish | Price | Food cost | Sold | Margin | Menu mix | Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Classic burger | $14.50 | $4.60 | 420 | $9.90 | 28.0% | Star |
| Salmon bowl | $19.00 | $6.10 | 140 | $12.90 | 9.3% | Star |
| Crispy chicken sandwich | $13.00 | $3.90 | 310 | $9.10 | 20.7% | Plowhorse |
| Chicken Caesar salad | $12.00 | $3.20 | 160 | $8.80 | 10.7% | Plowhorse |
| Mac and cheese | $9.00 | $2.10 | 260 | $6.90 | 17.3% | Plowhorse |
| Steak frites | $26.00 | $10.40 | 90 | $15.60 | 6.0% | Puzzle |
| Fish tacos | $15.00 | $4.20 | 70 | $10.80 | 4.7% | Puzzle |
| Veggie wrap | $10.00 | $3.60 | 50 | $6.40 | 3.3% | Dog |
Questions owners ask
Checked against
Make your own ordering page with a QR code. Mark top dishes, suggest a side when a main goes into the cart, and see every dish sold.