Every January, restaurant owners face the same dilemma: which dishes deserve professional photography this year? Most make this decision based on gut feeling or personal favorites. Smart operators use menu engineering data to guide their photography budget toward dishes that actually drive revenue.
What is menu engineering?
Menu engineering analyzes your dishes using two key metrics: popularity and profitability. This creates four distinct categories:
- Stars: popular and profitable (promote heavily!)
- Plowhorses: popular but not profitable (fix pricing or costs)
- Puzzles: not popular but profitable (boost visibility)
- Dogs: not popular and not profitable (remove or redesign)
💡 Example menu analysis:
Restaurant with 12 dishes, data from the past 3 months:
- Steak: 180 sold, 32% food cost (Star)
- Pasta carbonara: 220 sold, 38% food cost (Plowhorse)
- Sea bass: 45 sold, 28% food cost (Puzzle)
- Vegetarian lasagne: 35 sold, 36% food cost (Dog)
Conclusion: Steak deserves professional photography, lasagne can be removed from the menu.
Allocating photography budget through menu engineering
Professional food photography runs €150-400 per dish. With 15 menu items, you're looking at €2,250-6,000 total. Menu engineering ensures every euro works harder:
- Stars get premium photography: These revenue generators deserve maximum investment
- Puzzles get enhanced presentation: Great photos can boost their popularity
- Plowhorses get standard photos: They sell already—focus on cost reduction instead
- Dogs get zero budget: Don't photograph dishes you might eliminate
⚠️ Note:
Use at least 3 months of sales data for reliable results. Seasonal items can distort your analysis.
Running the popularity and profitability calculations
You'll need two numbers for each dish:
Popularity calculation:
Popularity % = (Individual dish sales / Total covers) × 100
Profitability calculation:
Gross margin € = Net selling price - Raw ingredient costs
💡 Calculation example:
Steak in restaurant with 1,200 covers per month:
- 180 steaks sold = 15% popularity
- Selling price: €32.00 incl. VAT = €29.36 excl. VAT
- Ingredient costs: €9.40
- Gross margin: €29.36 - €9.40 = €19.96 per piece
Total contribution: 180 × €19.96 = €3,593 per month
Building your photography priority system
Rank dishes based on menu engineering results. A pattern we see repeatedly in restaurant financials shows that this approach increases photography ROI by 40-60%:
- Priority 1 (Stars): Premium photography with styling and props - €300-400 per dish
- Priority 2 (Puzzles): Quality photography to drive popularity - €200-300 per dish
- Priority 3 (Plowhorses): Basic professional shots - €150-200 per dish
- Priority 4 (Dogs): No budget allocation, consider menu removal
💡 Budget allocation example:
Restaurant with €3,000 photography budget:
- 3 Stars × €350 = €1,050 (35%)
- 4 Puzzles × €250 = €1,000 (33%)
- 5 Plowhorses × €190 = €950 (32%)
- 3 Dogs × €0 = €0 (0%)
Total: €3,000 - optimally allocated
Tracking ROI from your photography spend
Run another menu engineering analysis 2-3 months after your photo shoot. Monitor these key changes:
- Did Puzzles gain popularity with better visuals?
- Are Stars generating even more revenue?
- Which dishes moved between categories?
Food cost tracking tools like KitchenNmbrs make monitoring these metrics straightforward, so you can measure exactly how your photography investment affected dish performance.
How do you use menu engineering for photography investment?
Collect 3 months of sales data
Note per dish: number sold, selling price, ingredient costs. Count the total number of covers in this period. This data forms the basis for your analysis.
Calculate popularity and profitability
Popularity = (dish sold / total covers) × 100. Profitability = selling price excl. VAT minus ingredient costs. Place each dish in the correct category (Star, Plowhorse, Puzzle, Dog).
Allocate photography budget by priority
Stars get the highest budget (€300-400), Puzzles average budget (€200-300), Plowhorses basic budget (€150-200), Dogs no budget. Invest where the greatest impact is expected.
✨ Pro tip
Analyze your 8 highest-grossing dishes from last year's December sales data first. These revenue champions during peak season deserve 70% of your 2024 photography budget allocation.
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 sales data do I need for reliable menu engineering?
At least 3 months of consistent data for accurate results. For seasonal dishes, analyze 6-12 months to identify true patterns rather than temporary fluctuations.
What should I do with popular but unprofitable dishes?
These Plowhorses need immediate attention—raise prices, reduce portion costs, or negotiate better supplier rates. Hold off on premium photography until you've fixed the profitability issue.
Should I always remove Dogs from my menu?
Not necessarily. Some Dogs serve dietary restrictions or complete your cuisine story. Consider whether you can transform them into Puzzles through recipe changes or replace them entirely.
How often should I repeat this menu engineering analysis?
Run quarterly analyses to spot trends and seasonal changes. After major updates like new photography or price adjustments, reassess after 6-8 weeks to measure impact.
📚 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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