I'll be honest - I used to avoid showing my chef the profit numbers, thinking it would stifle creativity. But that approach nearly killed our margins on three separate menu launches. The reality is that combining menu engineering data with culinary expertise creates dishes that both wow customers and protect your bottom line.
First gather your menu engineering data
Skip the guesswork and arm yourself with concrete numbers from the past 90 days. You can't have a productive discussion without solid data backing your points.
- Popularity: How many times was each dish sold?
- Profitability: What is the food cost percentage per dish?
- Revenue contribution: How much profit does each dish generate?
💡 Example data:
Analysis of 3 months for a bistro:
- Steak: 180 sold, 28% food cost = STAR
- Pasta carbonara: 240 sold, 38% food cost = PLOWHORSE
- Duck breast: 45 sold, 25% food cost = PUZZLE
- Fish of the day: 30 sold, 42% food cost = DOG
Classify your dishes into 4 categories
Menu engineering breaks down into four simple quadrants. This framework helps your chef see exactly where opportunities exist without getting lost in spreadsheets.
- STARS: Popular + profitable → promote and keep
- PLOWHORSES: Popular + not profitable → lower cost price
- PUZZLES: Not popular + profitable → more marketing
- DOGS: Not popular + not profitable → replace
⚠️ Note:
High volume doesn't guarantee profit. A dish selling 200 times at 40% food cost actually drains more money than one selling 50 times at 25% food cost.
Prepare the conversation with concrete proposals
After managing kitchen operations for nearly a decade, I've learned that chefs respond better to solutions than complaints. Come armed with actionable suggestions, not just problems.
- For PLOWHORSES: "This dish is popular, can we lower the cost price?"
- For PUZZLES: "This dish is profitable, how do we make it more appealing?"
- For DOGS: "We're replacing this dish, what do you suggest?"
💡 Example conversation:
"Our pasta carbonara sells 240 times a month, but has 38% food cost. Can we look at:"
- Less pancetta per portion (from 80g to 60g)
- Different supplier for parmesan
- Raise price from €16 to €17.50
Focus on win-win solutions
Your chef craves culinary excellence while you need healthy margins. The sweet spot lies in finding solutions that serve both masters equally well.
- Upgrade ingredients: Better quality at lower cost price
- Seasonal: Use cheaper seasonal ingredients
- Portion sizes: Smaller side dishes, same main ingredient
- Presentation: Look more expensive without higher cost price
Make agreements about new dishes
Establish clear criteria upfront for any new additions. This prevents heated debates down the road and keeps everyone aligned.
💡 Criteria for new dishes:
- Maximum 32% food cost
- Ingredients we already have in stock (80%)
- Preparation time under 15 minutes
- Minimum €18 selling price
This approach transforms menu development into true collaboration between kitchen creativity and business reality. Your chef maintains artistic freedom while operating within profitable parameters, and tools like KitchenNmbrs can help track these metrics consistently.
How do you have this conversation? (step by step)
Gather 3 months of sales data
Print an overview of all dishes with number sold and food cost percentage. Sort by popularity and profitability. Bring this data to the conversation.
Classify dishes into 4 categories
Categorize each dish as: STAR (popular + profitable), PLOWHORSE (popular + unprofitable), PUZZLE (not popular + profitable), or DOG (not popular + unprofitable). Focus first on the DOGS and PLOWHORSES.
Discuss solutions per category
Start with compliments about the STARS. Ask your chef for input on PLOWHORSES (lower cost price) and PUZZLES (make more appealing). Propose replacing DOGS with new dishes within the agreed criteria.
✨ Pro tip
Pull your top 3 STAR dishes from the last 60 days and lead with those wins. Your chef will be much more receptive to feedback about underperforming items after you've acknowledged their successes first.
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 my chef only looks at taste and not at numbers?
Frame it as dish survival rather than restrictions. Explain that poor margins force menu items off completely. It's better to collaborate on profitable dishes that taste amazing than lose creative work to budget cuts.
Can I impose food cost criteria without limiting creativity?
Absolutely - set clear financial boundaries like maximum 32% food cost and 80% existing inventory usage. Within those parameters, your chef has complete creative freedom to innovate.
How do I calculate the revenue contribution of each dish?
Take selling price minus ingredient cost to get margin per dish. Then multiply margin per dish by total units sold for revenue contribution. This reveals each dish's true financial impact.
What if popular dishes have too high food cost?
These are classic PLOWHORSES - don't remove them since customers expect them. Instead, explore cost reduction through different suppliers, adjusted portions, or strategic price increases.
📚 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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