Ever wonder which dishes actually make you money? Most restaurant owners assume their popular items are profit makers, but that's rarely the case. A menu scorecard reveals your true money makers in under 10 minutes.
What is a menu scorecard?
A scorecard shows three critical numbers for each dish: sales volume, profit per portion, and total contribution to your bottom line. You'll quickly spot which dishes build wealth and which drain your profits.
💡 Example scorecard:
Top 5 dishes from bistro The Kitchen (per week):
- Steak: 45 portions × €12 margin = €540
- Salmon: 38 portions × €8 margin = €304
- Pasta: 52 portions × €5 margin = €260
- Burger: 41 portions × €6 margin = €246
- Caesar salad: 29 portions × €7 margin = €203
Surprising: pasta sells the most, but steak generates the most revenue.
What numbers do you need?
Three numbers tell the whole story:
- Portions sold: Weekly or monthly volume from your POS
- Margin per portion: Menu price minus ingredient costs (excluding VAT)
- Total contribution: Volume multiplied by margin
Pull sales data from your POS system and calculate margins manually. Or use tools like KitchenNmbrs for automatic calculations.
⚠️ Note:
Always work with prices excluding VAT. That €28 dish is actually €25.69 before tax. Skip this step and you'll overestimate profits.
How do you calculate the margin per dish?
Simple math reveals your real profit:
Margin = Menu price (ex VAT) - Total ingredient cost
💡 Example calculation:
Steak priced at €32 including 9% VAT:
- Price ex VAT: €32 ÷ 1.09 = €29.36
- Ingredient cost: €17.50 (protein, sides, sauce, garnish)
- Margin: €29.36 - €17.50 = €11.86
Weekly contribution: 45 portions × €11.86 = €533.70
What do you do with money losers?
From years of working in professional kitchens, I've seen too many chefs keep dishes that bleed money. Low-selling, low-margin items waste menu space and tie up inventory.
- Raise prices: Test if demand holds at higher margins
- Cut ingredient costs: Source cheaper alternatives without sacrificing quality
- Remove completely: Sometimes elimination is the answer
Remember the 80/20 rule: roughly 20% of dishes drive 80% of profits. Double down on winners.
💡 Real-world example:
Restaurant The Taste analyzed their 18-dish menu:
- 5 dishes: 75% of total profit
- 8 dishes: break-even performers
- 5 dishes: consistent money losers
They cut the losers and promoted the winners. Result: 15% profit increase with reduced complexity.
How often should you update this?
Scorecards need regular refreshing:
- Monthly reviews: Track overall performance trends
- New dish launches: Evaluate after 2-3 weeks
- Price changes: Update when supplier costs or menu prices shift
Modern systems provide real-time data without manual calculations or spreadsheet maintenance.
How to create a scorecard? (step by step)
Collect sales data
Get from your POS system how many of each dish you sold in the past week or month. Note this per dish in a simple list or spreadsheet.
Calculate the margin per dish
For each dish: selling price excl. VAT minus all ingredient costs. Don't forget garnishes, sauces and oil. This is your profit per portion.
Calculate the total contribution
Multiply number sold × margin per portion. This shows which dishes contribute most to your total profit, even if they sell less.
Rank by total contribution
Sort your dishes from highest to lowest total contribution. The top 5 are your goldmines, the bottom 5 are candidates for adjustment.
Take action on money losers
Dishes with low sales and low margin cost you money. Raise the price, lower the costs, or remove them from the menu. Focus your energy on the top performers.
✨ Pro tip
Track your top 5 profit generators by total contribution over the past 30 days, not just popularity. A dish selling 40 portions at €12 margin beats one selling 65 portions at €6 margin every time.
Calculate this yourself?
In the KitchenNmbrs app you can do this in just a few clicks. 7 days free, no credit card.
Was this article helpful?
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to include all dishes in the scorecard?
Focus on your 10-15 main dishes first. These typically drive 80% of food profit. Add sides and beverages later once you've optimized your core offerings.
What if a popular dish has low margin?
Try reducing ingredient costs without compromising quality first. If that fails, test a modest price increase or use it as a loss leader to sell higher-margin items.
How do I know if my margins are good?
Healthy main dish margins range from €8-€15 per portion, depending on your concept. More importantly, keep total food costs under 35% of revenue.
Can I apply this method to beverages?
Absolutely. Beverages often deliver 70-80% margins, making them excellent profit drivers that can offset lower-performing food items.
📚 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.
Automate your daily kitchen controls
Manual controls take time and miss errors. KitchenNmbrs automates temperature logging, inventory management, and HACCP checks. Try it free for 14 days.
Start free trial →