Your staff can make or break your profit. If they steer guests toward low-margin dishes, you earn less - even with a full restaurant. Teach them to talk about the dishes that really make money.
Why training staff on margins matters
Your staff has more influence on your profit than you think. A good waiter subtly steers guests toward profitable dishes. An untrained waiter recommends what he likes himself - often the expensive ingredients with lower margins.
💡 Example:
You have two steaks on the menu:
- Ribeye €32 - food cost 45% (low margin)
- Bavette €28 - food cost 28% (high margin)
If your staff recommends the bavette instead of the ribeye, you earn €4.20 more per guest.
Identify your winners and losers
Before you start training, you need to know which dishes are winners. Calculate the food cost of all your dishes and make two lists:
- Winners: Dishes with food cost under 30%
- Losers: Dishes with food cost above 35%
- Average: Everything in between
Focus your training on promoting winners and slowing down losers.
💡 Example calculation:
Pasta carbonara - menu price €18.50 incl. VAT:
- Selling price excl. VAT: €18.50 ÷ 1.09 = €16.97
- Ingredient costs: €4.80
- Food cost: (€4.80 ÷ €16.97) × 100 = 28.3%
This is a winner!
Create a cheat sheet for your team
Your staff doesn't have time for complicated calculations. Create a simple list they can remember:
- Green list: Dishes they can actively recommend
- Red list: Dishes they only sell if the guest asks for them
- Yellow list: Neutral dishes
Post this list in the staff room and make sure everyone knows it.
Train sales techniques without being pushy
Nobody likes pushy salespeople. Teach your team subtle techniques:
💡 Examples of good recommendations:
- "The cod is really fresh today" (high-margin fish)
- "Our pastas are very popular" (good margins)
- "May I recommend the entrecôte?" (better margin than ribeye)
- Suggestive selling: "Would you like fries or potatoes with that?" (side dishes often have high margins)
- Upselling: "For €3 extra you get the large portion" (more margin on larger portions)
- Cross-selling: "Pairs perfectly with a glass of our house wine" (drinks have high margins)
⚠️ Heads up:
Train your team to never speak negatively about dishes. Instead of "That steak is expensive" they say "The bavette is also really delicious and a bit lighter."
Use daily specials strategically
Daily specials are perfect tools to push high-margin dishes. Your chef can be creative with them and your staff can recommend them enthusiastically.
- Use cheap seasonal ingredients for low purchasing costs
- Tell a story: "Today our chef..."
- Price them competitively but keep the margin high
Motivate your team with insight
Explain why this matters. If your team understands that their recommendations influence profit (and therefore their job and salary), they'll cooperate.
💡 Calculation example for your team:
"If you steer 5 more guests per evening toward the pasta instead of the steak:"
- Extra profit per evening: 5 × €4 = €20
- Per week (6 days): €120
- Per year: €6,240
That's enough for a nice Christmas bonus!
Measure and adjust
Keep track of which dishes you sell. If you see that sales of high-margin dishes are increasing, your training is working. If not, you need to adjust.
- Weekly check: Which dishes sold best?
- Ask for feedback: How do guests respond to recommendations?
- Retrain: Pass on new dishes or changed margins
An app like KitchenNmbrs can help you quickly see which dishes have the best margins, so you can always give your team the right information.
How do you train your staff? (step by step)
Calculate food cost of all dishes
Make a list of all your dishes with their food cost percentage. Divide them into: green (under 30%), yellow (30-35%), red (above 35%). This becomes your basis for all training.
Create a simple cheat sheet
Put the green dishes on a list your staff can recommend. Add short sales arguments like 'fresh today' or 'chef's favorite'. Post this where everyone can see it.
Train sales techniques
Teach your team to recommend subtly without being pushy. Practice phrases like 'May I recommend the...?' and 'Pairs perfectly with...' Role-play different situations during team meetings.
Monitor and adjust weekly
Check each week which dishes sold best. If high-margin dishes are increasing, your training is working. Give feedback to your team and update the cheat sheet when the menu changes.
✨ Pro tip
Start with your 3 best-selling dishes. If your team can 'push' those toward better alternatives, you've already captured 60% of your profit improvement.
Calculate this yourself?
In the KitchenNmbrs app you can do this in just a few clicks. 7 days free, no credit card.
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Frequently asked questions
Should I tell my team about margins and profit?
Yes, but keep it simple. Explain that some dishes generate more revenue than others, and that this helps keep the business healthy. You don't need to give exact figures.
What if guests still want the expensive dish with low margin?
Then you sell it. The point is that your team steers toward better options when there's doubt or questions. Forcing it backfires and damages your reputation.
How often should I update the cheat sheet?
Check monthly whether your margins still add up. Suppliers change prices, seasons change. Update the list immediately when the menu changes or you add new dishes.
Does this also work for drinks?
Absolutely! Drinks often have high margins. Train your team to recommend house wine, craft beers, or signature cocktails instead of branded drinks with low margins.
What if my team finds this annoying to do?
Explain that this isn't about pushing, but about advising guests well. A satisfied guest with a delicious dish will come back. Focus on quality and service, not sales.
Can I give bonuses for selling certain dishes?
You can, but be careful. Too direct incentives can lead to pushy behavior. Better is a team bonus if overall profitability increases.
📚 Sources consulted
- EU Verordening 852/2004 — Levensmiddelenhygiëne (2004) — Official source
- EU Verordening 853/2004 — Hygiënevoorschriften voor levensmiddelen van dierlijke oorsprong (2004) — Official source
- EU Verordening 1169/2011 — Voedselinformatie aan consumenten (2011) — Official source
- NVWA — Hygiënecode voor de horeca (2024) — Official source
- NVWA — Allergenen in voedsel (2024) — Official source
- Codex Alimentarius — International Food Standards (2024) — Official source
- FSA — Safer food, better business (HACCP) (2024) — Official source
- BVL — Lebensmittelhygiene (HACCP) (2024) — Official source
- Warenwetbesluit Bereiding en behandeling van levensmiddelen (2024) — Official source
- WHO — Foodborne diseases estimates (2024) — Official source
Food Standards Agency (FSA) — https://www.food.gov.uk
The HACCP standards shown in this application are for informational purposes only. KitchenNmbrs does not guarantee that displayed values are current or complete. Always consult the FSA or your local authority for the latest regulations.
Written by
Jeffrey Smit
Founder & CEO of KitchenNmbrs
Jeffrey Smit built KitchenNmbrs from 8 years of hands-on experience as kitchen manager at 1NUL8 Group in Rotterdam. His mission: give every restaurant owner control over food cost.
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