I'll admit it - most restaurants carry at least three dishes that barely sell and eat away at profits. These Dogs occupy valuable menu real estate while contributing nothing to your bottom line. Remove them and you'll free up space for profitable alternatives that actually boost your average margin per dish.
What are Dogs and why do they hurt your margin?
Menu engineering sorts dishes into categories using two metrics: popularity and profitability. Dogs fail on both counts. Guests rarely order them, and they generate minimal revenue per sale.
⚠️ Note:
Dogs drain resources beyond their poor margins. They consume prep space, force you to stock slow-moving ingredients, and add unnecessary complexity to your operations.
Identify your Dogs
You'll need two data points for each dish: popularity (order frequency) and profitability (food cost percentage or absolute margin).
💡 Example identification:
Restaurant serving 1000 covers monthly:
- Lamb dish: ordered 15 times (1.5%) - 38% food cost
- Fish special: ordered 12 times (1.2%) - 42% food cost
- Vegetarian pasta: ordered 8 times (0.8%) - 35% food cost
All three qualify as Dogs: terrible popularity combined with excessive food costs
Calculate the current impact of Dogs
Total up what Dogs cost you in missed margin opportunities. From years of working in professional kitchens, I've seen this simple comparison reveal shocking losses. Compare their food costs against your successful dishes' averages.
💡 Example calculation:
Lamb dish (Dog) versus Steak (Star):
- Lamb dish: €32 menu price, €12 ingredients = €17.36 margin*
- Steak: €34 menu price, €9.50 ingredients = €21.70 margin*
- Per-portion difference: €4.34
*Excluding VAT calculations
Project the margin impact after removal
Removing Dogs redirects guests toward other menu items. Best outcome: they select your Stars (popular and profitable). Worst outcome: they pick Plowhorses (popular but less profitable).
- Conservative scenario: 70% select Stars, 30% pick Plowhorses
- Optimistic scenario: 90% choose Stars, 10% choose Plowhorses
- Realistic scenario: 80% go for Stars, 20% select Plowhorses
💡 Example projection:
35 monthly Dog sales redistributed as:
- 28 Star orders (80%) generating €4.34 extra margin = €121.52
- 7 Plowhorse orders (20%) generating €2.10 extra margin = €14.70
Monthly margin boost: €136.22 = €1,635 annually
Include indirect benefits
Dog removal delivers advantages beyond direct margin gains:
- Reduced inventory: Eliminate ingredients used exclusively for Dogs
- Lower waste: No more spoiled ingredients from slow turnover
- Streamlined kitchen: Less complexity means chefs focus on popular items
- Improved menu: Space opens up for potentially profitable new dishes
⚠️ Note:
Avoid removing all Dogs simultaneously. Test by temporarily dropping one Dog and monitoring how it affects other dish sales.
Tools for menu engineering
Food cost calculators help you track each dish's profitability and monitor popularity trends. These tools eliminate spreadsheet maintenance while showing which dishes generate revenue versus which ones drain profits.
How do you calculate the margin impact? (step by step)
Identify your Dogs
Make a list of dishes with low popularity (under 3% of total sales) and high food cost (above 35%). These are your Dogs that can come off the menu.
Calculate current Dog revenue and margin
Add up how much revenue your Dogs generate per month and what their total margin is. Also note how many of each you sell per month.
Project replacement with better dishes
Estimate which dishes guests will choose if Dogs disappear. Calculate the margin difference per portion between Dogs and their replacements, multiply by number of sales.
✨ Pro tip
Run a 30-day test by removing your worst-performing Dog and measuring the exact margin impact on your three most popular dishes. You'll get real data instead of estimates.
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
What if guests specifically ask for a Dog I've removed?
This rarely occurs since Dogs are unpopular by definition. Train staff to suggest profitable alternatives that share similar flavors or ingredients with the removed Dog.
Can I replace Dogs with new dishes instead of just removing them?
Absolutely - that's often the smarter approach. Use freed menu space to test new dishes with Star potential rather than simply shrinking your offerings.
How do I verify my margin calculations are accurate?
Start with a single Dog removal for one month. Track whether your total margin actually increases as projected before removing additional items.
Should I factor in fixed ingredient costs?
Yes, include purchasing costs for ingredients used exclusively in Dog dishes. Add these savings to your total margin improvement calculation for a complete picture.
What's a realistic margin improvement from removing Dogs?
Results vary based on your Dog count and their performance level. Most restaurants see 2-5% total margin improvement after eliminating genuine Dogs.
How do seasonal Dogs affect my calculations?
Track Dogs across full seasons before removal since some dishes perform better during specific months. A winter soup might be a summer Dog but a winter Star.
📚 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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