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Menu Engineering Matrix

See which menu items are making you money, which ones aren't, and what to do about it.

Menu Items
Example data — replace with your own or
Item NamePrice ($)Food Cost ($)Sold/Week
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The Matrix
HIDDEN GEMKEEP PUSHINGRETHINK THESEPOPULAR BUT THINProfit per serve ($)Qty sold per periodWagyu BurgerCaesar SaladTruffle Fri…Lobster Lin…
ItemPriceCostMarginCOGS%QtyRevenueProfitZone
Wagyu Burger$28.00$8.50$19.5030.4%45$1260$878Keep Pushing
Caesar Salad$18.00$3.50$14.5019.4%70$1260$1015Popular But Thin
Truffle Fries$16.00$4.80$11.2030.0%35$560$392Rethink This
Lobster Linguine$42.00$18.00$24.0042.9%12$504$288Hidden Gem
Keep Pushing (Wagyu Burger)

This is doing everything right. Keep it front and centre on the menu. Feature it in your marketing. Don't discount it. Protect the recipe and the price.

Hidden Gem (Lobster Linguine)

You make great money every time someone orders this — the problem is not enough people do. Feature it as a special. Get your staff to recommend it. Photograph it properly for socials. Improve the menu description.

Popular But Thin (Caesar Salad)

Customers clearly love this, but it's not making you enough per serve. Look at the ingredient cost — can you swap something cheaper without killing the dish? Can you reduce the portion slightly? Can you bump the price $1–2?

Rethink This (Truffle Fries)

Not selling and not making money. Honestly ask whether this needs to be on the menu. Could you replace it with something better? Rework the dish? Every slot on your menu is real estate — this one isn't earning its keep.

4
Items Analysed
$17.30
Avg Contribution Margin
30.7%
Average COGS%
Caesar Salad
Best Performer
Lobster Linguine
Lowest Profit
$3584
Total Weekly Revenue
$2573
Total Weekly Profit
1
Keep Pushing
1
Hidden Gem
1
Popular But Thin
1
Rethink This
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