Menu engineering: know your winning and losing items and rework your menu
The best-selling item is not always the most profitable. Menu engineering splits your items into four groups by popularity and margin, so you know what to promote, remove or reprice.
The four groups
Compare each item to the average popularity and average margin:
| Group | Popularity | Margin | What to do |
|---|---|---|---|
| Star | High | High | Feature it and keep quality |
| Plowhorse | High | Low | Raise the price slightly or cut cost |
| Puzzle | Low | High | Improve position and description, promote it |
| Dog | Low | Low | Consider removing or replacing |
The data you need
You need two numbers per item: how many sold over a period, and its margin after recipe cost. Without recipe cost the split is guesswork. RAWA has best-seller reports, and recipes give each item's cost, so you get both numbers in one place.
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Start a free 7-day trial — no cardCommon questions
How often should I review the menu?
Say every three months, or when ingredient prices change.
How do I know an item's margin?
Selling price minus recipe cost; in RAWA recipes give the cost.
Should I drop low sellers?
Not always; if the margin is high, improve its presentation first.
Are there best-seller reports?
Yes, best-seller reports.