Running dual menus without proper ingredient overlap can destroy your profit margins and create inventory chaos. Smart operators share 70-80% of ingredients between restaurant and delivery menus. This cuts waste, reduces inventory costs, and simplifies operations.
Start with your most popular restaurant ingredients
Examine your 10 most-used ingredients in the restaurant. These typically include: onions, garlic, olive oil, tomatoes, cheese, herbs, and your primary protein sources. These become the foundation of your delivery offerings.
💡 Example restaurant with bistro menu:
Top restaurant ingredients:
- Chicken fillet: 15kg/week
- Pasta: 8kg/week
- Mushrooms: 6kg/week
- Cream: 12 liters/week
- Parmesan: 2kg/week
Delivery menu: Pasta carbonara, chicken-mushroom risotto, Caesar salad
Choose dishes that travel well
Not every restaurant dish survives the delivery journey. Skip dishes that get soggy, fall apart, or lose their texture during transport. Focus on:
- Pastas and risottos - maintain heat and flavor
- Braised dishes - actually improve during transport
- Salads - pack dressing separately
- Burgers and wraps - sturdy construction
- Curries and sauced dishes - perfect for delivery
⚠️ Watch out:
Skip fried items (get soggy), delicate fish (falls apart), and dishes with multiple textures on one plate.
Calculate overlap efficiency
Track how many delivery menu ingredients you already purchase for the restaurant. Solid overlap hits 70-80%. This delivers:
- Higher purchase volumes = better pricing
- Fewer supplier relationships
- Reduced inventory costs
- Less waste from faster turnover
💡 Overlap calculation:
Restaurant: 45 different ingredients
Delivery menu: 25 ingredients with 20 overlap
Overlap: 20/25 = 80% - excellent!
Optimize portion sizes for delivery
Delivery portions often differ from restaurant servings. Home diners frequently order for multiple meals or share portions. Consider:
- Slightly larger portions - increases order value, boosts perceived value
- Family-style options - 2-4 person servings
- Separate sides - gives customers flexibility
Include packaging costs in your food cost
Delivery creates additional costs that don't exist in restaurant service. Build these into your cost calculations:
💡 Packaging costs for pasta:
- Pasta + ingredients: €4.20
- Packaging (container + lid): €0.35
- Cutlery + napkins: €0.15
- Bag + stickers: €0.10
Total cost price: €4.80 (was €4.20 in restaurant)
Test and measure your overlap strategy
Launch with 5-8 delivery dishes featuring maximum overlap. Based on real restaurant P&L data from similar operations, you should see measurable improvements within 4 weeks. Track:
- Has your total waste decreased?
- Have purchase prices improved through volume?
- How much time do you save on purchasing and inventory?
- What's the food cost per delivery dish vs. restaurant?
A food cost calculator like KitchenNmbrs shows cost prices for both menus side by side and helps optimize the overlap.
How do you create an overlap delivery menu? (step by step)
Analyze your current ingredients
Make a list of your 15 most-used restaurant ingredients. Note how much you use per week and what they cost. This becomes the foundation of your delivery menu.
Select delivery-suitable dishes
Choose 5-8 dishes that travel well and use at least 70% of the same ingredients. Think pastas, risottos, curries, and hearty salads.
Calculate cost price including packaging
Add packaging costs (€0.50-€0.80 per dish) to each ingredient cost. Price your delivery items so your food cost stays under 35% despite platform fees.
✨ Pro tip
Launch your delivery menu with exactly 3 dishes that share 80% ingredients with your top restaurant sellers, then add 2 new dishes every 6 weeks based on cost performance data.
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
How much overlap should there be between my restaurant and delivery menu?
Target 70-80% overlap in ingredients. Less than 60% creates too much complexity and waste. More than 90% can make your delivery menu too restrictive.
Can I use the same portion sizes for delivery as in the restaurant?
Usually not. Delivery customers often expect slightly larger portions for their money, and you don't have sides or bread to make the plate appear 'full'.
How do I factor packaging costs into my food cost?
Add packaging costs (€0.50-€0.80 per dish) to your ingredient costs. Divide this total by your selling price excluding VAT for your actual food cost percentage.
Do I need different suppliers for my delivery menu?
No. The goal is using identical suppliers for larger volumes and better pricing. You may only need a new supplier for packaging materials.
What if my most popular restaurant dishes aren't suitable for delivery?
Find dishes using the same base ingredients but different preparation methods. For example: steak becomes beef curry, delicate fish becomes fish & chips.
Should I price delivery dishes the same as restaurant dishes?
Factor in packaging costs, delivery platform fees, and potentially larger portions. Most operators price delivery 10-15% higher than restaurant equivalents.
📚 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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