A Dog dish is neither popular nor profitable — the worst of both worlds. Many entrepreneurs keep these dishes out of habit, but they're costing you money. In this article, you'll learn how to use numbers to decide whether you should eliminate a Dog or if it can be saved.
What exactly is a Dog?
In menu engineering, you categorize dishes based on two factors: popularity and profitability. A Dog scores low on both.
💡 Example:
Your Caesar salad with chicken:
- Sales: 8 units per week (3% of total)
- Food cost: 38%
- Average restaurant food cost: 30%
Conclusion: This is a Dog
Dogs are dangerous because they quietly eat away at your profit. Every time someone orders this dish, you earn less than you could.
The numerical analysis
For every Dog, you do three calculations:
1. Profitability per portion
Calculate how much you actually earn per portion:
💡 Example:
Caesar salad:
- Selling price: €16.50 incl. VAT = €15.14 excl. VAT
- Ingredients: €5.75
- Profit margin per portion: €15.14 - €5.75 = €9.39
2. Total impact per month
Multiply by the number of sales:
- 8 portions per week = 32 per month
- Current profit: 32 × €9.39 = €300 per month
- Possible profit with better food cost: 32 × €11.50 = €368
- Missed: €68 per month = €816 per year
3. Opportunity costs
What could that space on your menu generate with a better dish?
⚠️ Note:
Don't just calculate missed profit. A Dog takes up menu space that a Star could fill.
Repositioning: when it makes sense
Sometimes you can save a Dog through adjustments. This makes sense if:
- Popularity is just below the threshold (for example 8% instead of 10%)
- You can drastically lower the food cost without losing quality
- The dish is seasonal and performs well in certain months
Three repositioning strategies
1. Optimize ingredients
💡 Example:
Improve Caesar salad:
- Replace expensive shrimp (€3.20) with chicken (€1.80)
- Less parmesan (€0.90 → €0.60)
- New food cost: €4.25 instead of €5.75
New margin: €10.89 per portion
2. Raise the price
Increase the price by €2-3. With low popularity, you'll barely notice it in sales, but your margin will increase significantly.
3. More prominent on the menu
Place the dish higher on the menu or give it a better description. Sometimes the problem is visibility, not taste.
Removing: the definitive solution
Remove a Dog if:
- Repositioning costs more than it saves
- The dish consistently stays below 5% popularity
- Food cost stays above 40% despite adjustments
- Your menu is too large (more than 25 dishes)
💡 Example calculation:
Remove Caesar salad and replace with pasta (Star):
- Current salad profit: €300/month
- Expected pasta profit: €580/month
- Difference: €280/month = €3,360/year
Practical implementation
If you decide to remove it:
- Alert your team - they need to know what they can no longer offer
- Use up remaining ingredients - offer the dish as "while supplies last"
- Monitor reactions - sometimes a dish turns out to be a hidden favorite
- Replace with something better - don't leave an empty spot on your menu
Removing Dogs isn't a loss — it's making room for winners. Your menu becomes sharper, your kitchen more efficient, and your profit higher.
How do you analyze a Dog dish? (step by step)
Gather the basic data
Note for the dish: number of sales per week, ingredient costs per portion, and selling price excl. VAT. You need these numbers for all further calculations.
Calculate the actual profit margin
Subtract the ingredient costs from the selling price excl. VAT. Multiply this by the number of sales per month to see the total monthly profit from this dish.
Compare with alternatives
Calculate what a more popular dish could generate in the same menu spot. The difference shows you the real cost of keeping this Dog.
✨ Pro tip
Review your Dogs every 3 months. Seasons, trends, and supplier prices change, so a Dog today could become a Puzzle or even a Star in a quarter.
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 dish?
If fewer than 5% of your guests ask for it, it's not a significant loss. You can offer it as a daily special when you have the ingredients on hand for other dishes anyway.
How long should I wait after making adjustments before removing a Dog?
Give adjustments at least 6-8 weeks. Less than that is too short to see patterns, longer than 3 months costs you too much profit if it doesn't work.
Can a seasonal dish be a Dog?
Yes, but analyze it separately by season. An ice cream dessert that performs poorly in winter but is a Star in summer should obviously be kept.
Should I consult my chef before removing Dogs?
Absolutely. Your chef often knows why a dish isn't performing and can suggest alternatives. Plus, they'll be working with the changes, so involve them in the decision.
How many Dogs can I remove from my menu at once?
Maximum 2-3 at a time. Too many changes at once confuse your guests and staff. Spread it out over a few months.
📚 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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