Menu additions can make or break your food costs. Price wrong and you'll either scare away customers or lose money on every single plate. Testing new dishes as specials first gives you real data before committing to permanent menu placement.
Why test as a special first?
Jumping straight to your fixed menu is pure gambling. You're flying blind on guest preferences, price sensitivity, and kitchen workflow impact. Specials give you actual numbers to work with instead of guesswork.
💡 Example:
You want to add a new pasta carbonara. Food cost €7.50, selling price €24.50.
- Week 1 as special: 8 out of 120 guests order it
- Week 2 adjusted price €26.50: 12 out of 115 guests
- Week 3 different garnish: 18 out of 130 guests
Now you know: price €26.50, adjusted garnish, expect 15% of guests.
Daily special vs. weekly special: what do you choose?
Go with a daily special for:
- Dishes using ingredients that spoil fast
- Seasonal items you want to test quickly
- Complex preparations your kitchen hasn't mastered yet
- Small ingredient batches you've already purchased
Pick a weekly special for:
- Dishes with stable, long-lasting ingredients
- Standard techniques your team already knows
- Bigger test samples (you need more data points)
- Serious candidates for your permanent menu
⚠️ Note:
A daily special on quiet Monday tells you nothing about busy Saturday performance. Test on days that represent your typical service.
What numbers do you collect during the test?
Track everything during your test period:
- Units sold: Raw numbers matter
- Percentage of total covers: 10 out of 100 guests = 10%
- Real food cost: Does it match your calculations?
- Prep time per portion: Kitchen efficiency matters
- Staff feedback: Can they execute it smoothly during rush?
- Guest comments: Both praise and complaints count
💡 Example test data:
Weekly special 'Grilled dorade' - tested for 5 days:
- Sold: 47 portions out of 380 guests = 12.4%
- Food cost: €9.20 (€0.70 higher than estimated due to cutting loss)
- Preparation time: 8 minutes per portion
- Guest reaction: 3 compliments, 1 complaint about portion size
Conclusion: Raise price from €28 to €30, increase portion slightly.
When do you add it to the fixed menu?
After managing kitchen operations for nearly a decade, I've learned a dish earns its permanent spot when it hits these benchmarks:
- At least 8-12% of guests order it consistently
- Food cost stays under 35% at your target price
- Kitchen executes it smoothly during peak hours
- Ingredients stay available year-round from suppliers
- Guest feedback tilts positive overall
Hit all five criteria? You've got a winner for your fixed menu.
💡 Example decision:
After 3 weeks of testing 'Pulled pork burger':
- Average 15% of guests order it
- Food cost 29% at €19.50 selling price
- Kitchen handles it well
- Pork always available
- Lots of positive feedback
Decision: Add to fixed menu.
What if the test flops?
Failed tests teach you as much as successful ones. Common issues and fixes:
- Low sales (under 8%): Probably too niche for your crowd
- High food cost: Bump the price or rework ingredients
- Kitchen struggles: Simplify the recipe or change cooking methods
- Guest complaints: Tweak flavor, portion size, or plating
Every 'failure' gives you intel about your customers' preferences and limits.
How do you test a new dish systematically?
Calculate your food cost and test price
Add up all ingredients and calculate your food cost percentage. Set your selling price so your food cost is between 28-35%. This is your starting price for the test.
Choose daily special or weekly special
Daily special for perishable ingredients or complex dishes. Weekly special for shelf-stable ingredients and dishes you seriously consider for the fixed menu.
Collect test data for at least 5 days
Track: number sold, percentage of total guests, actual food cost, preparation time, and guest reactions. This data helps you decide if the dish is ready for the fixed menu.
✨ Pro tip
Run new dishes through a 48-hour staff tasting period before any guest testing. Your team will catch flavor issues, portion problems, and execution challenges that could tank your test results.
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 long should I test a dish as a special?
At least 5 service days for reliable data, spread across different weekdays. Weekly specials need 2-3 weeks to account for random fluctuations and customer behavior patterns.
What if my special doesn't sell at all?
Dig into the why: pricing too high, confusing menu description, or just wrong for your clientele. Change one variable at a time and test again.
Can I test multiple new dishes simultaneously?
Don't. Test one dish at a time for clean data. Multiple new items muddy your results and make it impossible to identify what actually works.
Should I train staff before testing a new dish?
Absolutely, especially for complex preparations. Your team needs to explain it confidently to guests and execute it properly. Bad service kills good test results.
How do I know if 10% sales is good enough?
10% is solid for new dishes. Under 8% often means too niche, above 15% is excellent. Compare against your current top performers for context.
What's the minimum number of portions I should sell during testing?
Aim for at least 30-40 portions total across your test period. Fewer than that and you're making decisions on too small a sample size.
📚 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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