Menu Engineering: Designing Profitable Menus
Engineer your menu using contribution margin and item popularity. Apply design psychology to direct attention to the most profitable choices.
Menu Engineering Matrix
Stars
High popularity, high margin — promote heavily and protect quality.
Plow Horses
High popularity, low margin — adjust portion/costing or raise price.
Puzzles
Low popularity, high margin — improve naming, placement, and storytelling.
Dogs
Low popularity, low margin — remove or rework.
Metrics
Contribution Margin
Popularity
Turn insights into profit
Use our Menu Costing tool to model margins and set winning prices.
FAQs
How often should I recalibrate prices?
Review quarterly or whenever food costs shift > 5–8%. Update costing sheets and watch contribution margin trends.
What’s a good target margin?
Depends on concept, but aim for 70–75% gross margin on Stars; fix Plow Horses via portion control or price nudges.
How many items per section?
Keep 6–8 per section to reduce choice overload and direct attention to profitable picks.
Resources & Templates
Internal Links
Downloads
Case Examples
| Item | Popularity | CM | Class | Action |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spicy Chicken Bowl | High | High | Star | Feature at eye level; test +$1 |
| Truffle Fries | High | Low | Plow Horse | Reduce portion 10% or +$0.50 |
| Vegan Pita | Low | High | Puzzle | Rename, move to top-right, add photo |
| Lemon Tart | Low | Low | Dog | Remove or bundle with coffee |