Menu engineering is about promoting your most profitable dishes. If you redistribute your menu space in favor of your Stars (popular and profitable), it can significantly increase your overall margin. You can calculate exactly how much extra profit this generates.
What are Stars in menu engineering?
Stars are dishes that are both popular and profitable. They sell well and deliver strong returns. These dishes deserve more attention on your menu.
💡 Example Star dish:
Ribeye steak - €38.50 menu price:
- Sells: 45 times per week
- Food cost: 28% (€9.30 ingredients)
- Margin per portion: €19.33
- Total margin per week: €870
The margin impact calculation
You calculate the impact by measuring the shift in sales. If you give Stars more prominence, their sales increase at the expense of less profitable dishes.
Formula:
Margin impact = (Extra Star sales × Star margin) - (Reduced other dish sales × Other dish margin)
💡 Calculation example:
You give your ribeye (Star) more space, so sales increase from 45 to 55 per week:
- Extra ribeye sales: 10 units
- Ribeye margin: €19.33 per unit
- Reduced pasta sales: 8 units (margin €8.50)
Impact: (10 × €19.33) - (8 × €8.50) = €125.30 per week
Factors that influence the impact
Not every menu adjustment has the same effect. These factors determine the actual impact:
- Position on menu: Top right is seen most
- Visual attention: Boxes, colors, images
- Description: Appetizing copy sells more
- Price anchor effect: Expensive items make other items more attractive
⚠️ Note:
Always measure a baseline period of at least 4 weeks before making changes. Seasonality and events can skew your numbers.
Practical adjustments for more Star sales
Concrete ways to give your Stars more space:
- Move to top right: Prime real estate on the menu
- Add visual elements: Box, color, or icon
- Expand description: More text = more attention
- Group related items: Increase cross-selling
- Remove poor performers: More space for Stars
ROI of menu redesign
A professional menu redesign costs between €500-2000. You'll earn this back quickly if you promote your Stars better.
💡 ROI example:
Menu redesign costs: €1,200
- Extra margin per week: €125
- Per month: €500
- Paid back in: 2.4 months
After that: €6,000 extra margin per year
Measure and adjust
Track your results to see if the changes work. Measure these KPIs:
- Sales per dish: Is your Star sales increasing?
- Average check value: Increasing due to pricier dishes?
- Total margin per day: The ultimate goal
- Mix percentage: What percentage chooses Stars?
With a system like KitchenNmbrs you can see directly which dishes generate the most margin and make data-driven decisions about your menu.
How do you calculate the margin impact? (step by step)
Measure your current sales and margins
Track for 4 weeks how many of each dish you sell and what the margin per portion is. This is your baseline to measure the impact against.
Estimate the shift in sales
Determine how much more of your Star you expect to sell and how much less of other dishes. Be conservative: 10-20% shift is realistic.
Calculate the net margin impact
Multiply the extra Star sales by its margin, subtract the lost margin from other dishes. This gives you the net impact per week.
✨ Pro tip
Focus first on your top 5 best-selling dishes. If you optimize those, you've already captured 80% of your potential profit.
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 can I maximize with menu engineering?
Good menu engineering can increase your total margin by 5-15%. With €500,000 annual revenue, this means €1,500-4,500 extra profit per year.
How long before I see results?
Usually you'll see shifts in your sales mix within 2-4 weeks. Give it at least a month before you definitively assess the impact.
What if guests order less because of the changes?
Test small changes first. If your total sales drop, go back to the previous version. Not every adjustment works for every restaurant.
Do I need to adjust my prices for menu engineering?
Not necessarily. Menu engineering is mainly about steering choices within your existing prices. Price changes are a separate strategy.
How often should I adjust my menu?
Check your sales figures and margins each quarter. Adjust if dishes change categories (from Star to Dog for example).
📚 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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