A popular avocado toast selling 240 portions weekly might actually be costing your brunch restaurant money if its profit margin sits below your menu average. Menu engineering reveals which breakfast and lunch dishes truly drive revenue versus those just filling seats. You'll discover exactly which items deserve prime menu real estate and which need immediate attention.
What is menu engineering for brunch restaurants?
Menu engineering sorts your dishes into 4 categories using two key metrics:
- Popularity: How often customers order it
- Profitability: How much profit each portion generates
This creates 4 distinct quadrants:
- Stars: Popular + profitable (promote heavily)
- Plowhorses: Popular + low profit (adjust pricing or costs)
- Puzzles: Unpopular + profitable (boost visibility)
- Dogs: Unpopular + low profit (replace or eliminate)
Step 1: Gather your sales data
Menu engineering requires at least 4-6 weeks of data. Track these numbers for each dish:
- Total portions sold
- Menu price (excluding VAT)
- Food cost per portion
💡 Sample brunch data (6 weeks):
- Eggs Benedict: 180 portions, €14.50 excl. VAT, €4.20 cost
- Avocado toast: 240 portions, €11.00 excl. VAT, €3.80 cost
- Pancakes: 90 portions, €9.50 excl. VAT, €2.10 cost
- Quinoa bowl: 45 portions, €12.80 excl. VAT, €4.50 cost
Step 2: Calculate popularity and profitability
Popularity calculation:
Popularity % = (Individual dish portions / Total portions sold) × 100
Profitability calculation:
Gross profit = Menu price (excl. VAT) - Food cost per portion
💡 Working example:
Total portions: 555
- Eggs Benedict: 180/555 = 32.4% popularity, €10.30 profit
- Avocado toast: 240/555 = 43.2% popularity, €7.20 profit
- Pancakes: 90/555 = 16.2% popularity, €7.40 profit
- Quinoa bowl: 45/555 = 8.1% popularity, €8.30 profit
Step 3: Determine the averages
Find your average popularity percentage and average profit per dish. Items above average score 'high', those below score 'low'.
💡 Average calculations:
- Average popularity: 25%
- Average profit: €8.30
Final classifications:
- Eggs Benedict: High popularity + High profit = STAR
- Avocado toast: High popularity + Low profit = PLOWHORSE
- Pancakes: Low popularity + Low profit = DOG
- Quinoa bowl: Low popularity + High profit = PUZZLE
Step 4: Take action per category
Stars (maximize promotion):
- Feature prominently on menu layout
- Train servers to suggest them first
- Create seasonal variations
Plowhorses (boost profitability):
- Increase price by €1-2
- Source cheaper ingredients without quality loss
- Reduce portion sizes strategically
⚠️ Pricing warning:
Adjust popular dish prices gradually. Small €0.50-1.00 increases prevent customer backlash while protecting margins.
Puzzles (increase visibility):
- Relocate to prime menu spots
- Write compelling descriptions
- Photograph for social media promotion
- Brief staff on selling points
Dogs (eliminate or replace):
- Swap for trending alternatives
- Remove entirely from regular menu
- Convert to limited-time specials
Brunch-specific considerations
Brunch menus face unique challenges that affect engineering decisions:
- Daypart variations: Morning coffee items versus hearty lunch plates
- Seasonal shifts: Cold bowls in summer, warm comfort food in winter
- Social media appeal: Photogenic dishes drive new customer acquisition
From years of working in professional kitchens, I've seen brunch restaurants struggle most with balancing Instagram-worthy presentations against actual profitability.
💡 Brunch action roadmap:
- Eggs Benedict (Star): Launch salmon and spinach variants
- Avocado toast (Plowhorse): Price increase from €12.00 to €13.50
- Quinoa bowl (Puzzle): Top menu placement plus Instagram campaign
- Pancakes (Dog): Replace with seasonal French toast options
How often should you repeat this?
Rerun your menu engineering analysis every 3-4 months. Customer tastes shift, ingredient costs fluctuate, and seasonal preferences evolve. Today's Dog category dish might become next quarter's surprise Star.
Tools like KitchenNmbrs automatically track food costs per dish, eliminating manual profit calculations while providing real-time profitability insights.
How do you apply menu engineering? (step by step)
Gather 6 weeks of sales data
Note for each dish: number of portions sold, selling price excl. VAT, and ingredient costs. This data forms the basis for your analysis.
Calculate popularity and profit per dish
Popularity = (portions sold / total) × 100. Profit = selling price excl. VAT - ingredient costs. This gives you the two axes for your analysis.
Determine averages and categorize
Calculate average popularity and profit. Dishes above/below average become Stars, Plowhorses, Puzzles, or Dogs.
Take action per category
Promote Stars, make Plowhorses more expensive, place Puzzles more visibly, replace Dogs. Test changes step by step.
Repeat every 3-4 months
Menu engineering is not a one-time action. Seasons and trends change, so repeat regularly to keep your menu optimized.
✨ Pro tip
Analyze your top 8 selling dishes over the past 12 weeks first - these typically represent 75-85% of total revenue. Once optimized, you'll have captured most profit opportunities before tackling smaller volume items.
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 historical data ensures accurate menu engineering results?
Minimum 4-6 weeks provides reliable baseline data for most dishes. For seasonal items or newer menu additions, extend to 8-12 weeks to account for customer adoption curves and eliminate random sales spikes.
What should I do if ingredient costs spike for a Star dish?
Stars transitioning to Plowhorses need immediate attention. Gradually raise menu prices by €0.50-1.00 increments or substitute expensive ingredients with comparable alternatives. Monitor sales closely during adjustments.
Can menu engineering work for coffee and beverage programs?
Absolutely, but use 'pour costs' instead of food costs in calculations. Remember alcoholic beverages carry 21% VAT versus 9% for food items. Coffee drinks often show different patterns than food due to habit-driven purchasing.
Should I factor in preparation time differences between dishes?
Yes, labor intensity significantly impacts true profitability. A 15-minute prep dish costs more than a 5-minute assembly, even with identical food costs. Add €15-20 hourly labor costs to your calculations for complete accuracy.
How do I handle dishes that are popular only during specific dayparts?
Analyze breakfast-only items separately from all-day offerings since they compete in different contexts. A morning-only Star might justify dedicated menu space even with lower overall volume than lunch items.
What if customers strongly resist removing a Dog category dish?
Some dishes carry emotional value beyond profitability metrics. Try repositioning as a weekend special or 'chef's choice' item first. This maintains customer satisfaction while reducing food waste and kitchen complexity.
📚 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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