87% of restaurant owners analyze their menu performance but only 23% actually adjust pricing based on the data. That gap between analysis and action is where profit gets left on the table. Your menu engineering results only matter if you act on them.
The four quadrants of menu engineering
Menu engineering sorts your dishes into four buckets based on how popular they are and how much money they make:
- Stars: Popular and profitable (keep them)
- Plowhorses: Popular but not profitable (raise prices)
- Puzzles: Profitable but not popular (promote them)
- Dogs: Not popular and not profitable (remove them)
💡 Example:
Your bistro sells these dishes per week:
- Steak: 45x sold, €8 profit per plate → Star
- Pasta carbonara: 50x sold, €2 profit per plate → Plowhorse
- Duck breast: 8x sold, €12 profit per plate → Puzzle
- Fish of the day: 5x sold, €1 profit per plate → Dog
Raising prices for Plowhorses
Plowhorses sell well but barely make you money. You've got two moves: bump up the price or cut your costs.
⚠️ Watch out:
Don't raise the price more than 10-15% at once. Customers notice big jumps.
First, figure out how much you need to add:
- Current profit per plate: €2
- Target profit per plate: €6
- Gap: €4 more needed
- New selling price: €4 higher
💡 Example calculation:
Pasta carbonara currently sells for €16.50:
- Ingredient costs: €5.50
- Current profit: €16.50 - €5.50 = €11 gross, €2 net after all costs
- New price: €20.50 (+€4)
- New profit: €6 net per plate
Promoting Puzzles without lowering prices
Puzzles make good money but nobody orders them. Don't slash the price—that kills your margin. Get more people to order them instead.
- Better menu placement: Put them at the top of a section
- More appealing description: "Tender duck breast with fig jus" beats "Duck" every time
- Staff recommendations: Train your servers to push these dishes
- Make it a special: Feature it as today's highlight
Removing Dogs or completely reworking them
Dishes that don't sell AND don't make money are bleeding you dry. After managing kitchen operations for nearly a decade, I've seen too many restaurants keep dogs around out of stubbornness.
⚠️ Watch out:
Don't remove more than 20% of your menu at once. Customers want choice.
Three ways to handle Dogs:
- Remove them: Cut them from the menu
- Adjust the recipe: Cheaper ingredients, smaller portions
- Raise the price: Make them profitable, even if they stay unpopular
Protecting and maximizing your Stars
Your Stars print money. Protect them, but don't leave profit on the table either.
- Raise prices carefully: €1-2 every 6 months
- Add a premium version: "Deluxe Steak" with extra sides
- Prime menu placement: Give them the best real estate
- Monitor ingredient quality: Customers expect consistency
💡 Example Star optimization:
Your steak is a Star (45x per week, €8 profit):
- Raise price from €28 to €30
- Extra profit: €2 per plate
- Per week: 45 x €2 = €90 extra
- Per year: €90 x 52 = €4,680 extra revenue
Timing your price adjustments
Timing matters as much as the amount you adjust.
- New menus: Seasonal changes provide natural cover
- Gradually: Spread changes over 3-6 months
- Test first: Start with your least popular items
- Monitor feedback: Track if sales numbers shift
Tools like KitchenNmbrs show you the profitability impact immediately after each price change.
How do you adjust your pricing? (step by step)
Analyze your menu engineering data
Divide your dishes into the four quadrants: Stars, Plowhorses, Puzzles, and Dogs. Look at sales numbers from the last 3 months and profit per dish.
Determine your actions per category
Plowhorses get higher prices, Puzzles get better promotion, Dogs are removed or adjusted, Stars are protected and carefully optimized.
Roll out adjustments gradually
Start with the least risky changes. Monitor the impact on sales numbers and adjust the next dishes when you update your menu.
✨ Pro tip
Test price increases on your 5 lowest-selling profitable dishes over the next 30 days. You'll learn how customers react without risking your moneymakers.
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 raise prices without losing customers?
A 5-10% increase usually flies under the radar. More than 15% at once and you'll see pushback. Better to raise €1 twice than €2 once.
What if a dish has both Star and Dog characteristics?
Look at absolute numbers, not just percentages. A dish sold 3x per week with €10 profit brings less value than one sold 30x with €3 profit. Volume often trumps margin.
How often should I analyze and adjust my menu?
Run your numbers every 3 months but only adjust prices during menu updates, typically twice yearly. You can make small tweaks between cycles if the data screams for it.
📚 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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