A Puzzle dish is profitable but sells poorly. By strategically lowering the price you can make it more popular without losing profit. The art is to find the minimum price where the dish remains profitable but becomes more attractive to guests.
What is a Puzzle dish?
In menu engineering, a Puzzle dish is:
- High profitability: Low food cost, good margin
- Low popularity: Gets ordered infrequently
- Potential: Can become a Star with the right price
💡 Example Puzzle dish:
Beef tenderloin with truffle sauce for €42.00 (incl. 9% VAT)
- Ingredient costs: €12.50
- Selling price excl. VAT: €38.53
- Food cost: 32.4% (excellent margin)
- Sales: 3 portions per week (too few)
Problem: Too expensive, which is why it doesn't get ordered
The minimum price formula
To turn a Puzzle into a Star you need two boundaries:
- Lower bound: Minimum price for desired margin
- Upper bound: Maximum price guests will accept
Minimum price formula:
Minimum selling price excl. VAT = Ingredient costs ÷ (Desired food cost % ÷ 100)
⚠️ Attention:
Divide by the food cost %, don't multiply! This is the most common mistake in price calculations.
Practical calculation
Take the beef tenderloin example and calculate different scenarios:
💡 Scenario calculation:
Ingredient costs: €12.50
At 35% food cost:
- €12.50 ÷ 0.35 = €35.71 excl. VAT
- €35.71 × 1.09 = €38.92 incl. VAT
At 33% food cost:
- €12.50 ÷ 0.33 = €37.88 excl. VAT
- €37.88 × 1.09 = €41.29 incl. VAT
Market research and competition
Check what comparable dishes cost at competitors:
- Look at 3-5 similar restaurants in your area
- Pay attention to portion sizes and quality level
- Determine the acceptable price range for this type of dish
If competitors sell beef tenderloin for €35-40, then €42 is indeed too high.
Test the new price
Implement the adjusted price and monitor:
- Week 1-2: Baseline sales at new price
- Week 3-4: Optionally promote via staff
- Month 2: Evaluate whether it has become a Star
💡 Star criteria:
- Sales increase to 8+ portions per week
- Food cost stays below 35%
- Guests order it more frequently
- Staff promotes it more easily
Alternative approach: add value
Sometimes it's better to add value than to lower the price:
- Upgrade side dishes without much extra cost
- Better presentation or garnish
- Compelling menu description
This way you maintain the margin but make the dish more attractive.
How do you calculate the minimum price for a Puzzle dish?
Determine your ingredient costs exactly
Add up all costs: main ingredient, side dishes, sauces, garnish and oil. Don't forget any single component that goes on the plate.
Choose your maximum food cost percentage
For fine dining usually 28-33%, for casual dining 30-35%. The higher your food cost, the lower your minimum price can be.
Calculate the minimum selling price
Divide ingredient costs by desired food cost percentage. Multiply by 1.09 for VAT. This is your absolute lower limit.
Check competitor prices
Research what comparable dishes cost at 3-5 competitors. Your minimum price must fall within the market range.
Test and monitor sales figures
Implement the new price and track sales for 4-6 weeks. A true Star sells at least 2x as much as before.
✨ Pro tip
Monitor not just the number of portions sold, but also the total profit per week of the dish. Sometimes you earn more with a lower price due to higher volume.
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 minimum price is still too high for the market?
Then you need to lower ingredient costs by finding cheaper alternatives, serving smaller portions, or removing the dish from the menu.
How much must sales increase to go from Puzzle to Star?
A Star must be in the top 30% best-selling dishes. Usually this means at least doubling your current sales.
Is it better to adjust the ingredients than to lower the price?
Yes, sometimes it's smarter to use cheaper ingredients or adjust the portion size so you can maintain the current price.
How do I know if a price reduction is successful?
Monitor sales figures for 4-6 weeks. If sales increase significantly and your total profit per week is higher, it's successful.
Should I adjust all Puzzle dishes at the same time?
No, test one dish at a time. This way you can determine the best approach per dish and learn which strategy works best.
📚 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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