Menu engineering

What is Menu Engineering?
Our Menu Engineering service is a comprehensive approach to optimizing your menu, which includes:

• Sales and profitability analysis: We thoroughly analyze which items on your menu are the most popular and which generate the highest margins. We review sales history, dish frequency, and actual food cost to get a complete picture.
• Creating a product matrix: Based on the collected data, we develop a product matrix that clearly identifies which items should be promoted, modified, or possibly removed.
• Menu Design: We don’t just analyze — we act! Using the product matrix and data analysis, we propose changes in the layout, appearance, and presentation of your menu. The goal is to design the menu to naturally guide Guests’ attention to the most profitable and popular items. In this process, we collaborate with experienced graphic designers who create menus from scratch, focusing on both functionality and aesthetics.

Why invest in Menu Engineering?
A professional approach to Menu Engineering can bring surprising results. Our experience shows that such actions can improve performance by 10-15%. By investing in this service, you gain:

• Increased profitability: You will focus on dishes that bring the highest income.
• Optimized offer: Your menu will be more balanced and attractive to Guests.
• Better resource utilization: You will concentrate on ingredients and dishes that generate the most value.
• Sales growth: An intuitive and well-designed menu layout will encourage Guests to order more profitable items. Precise data for decision-making: You will always know which dishes are your "stars" and which require intervention.

Creating a menu from scratch
If you are at the stage of opening a new venue or planning a complete concept overhaul, we can also help you design a menu that is optimized for sales and profitability from the start. Together, we will create a menu that perfectly matches your vision and Guest expectations.

10 YEARS ON THE MARKET

Do you want your menu to work for you?

Don’t lose potential profits! Contact Bon Vivant Advisory (BVA) and learn how Menu Engineering can revolutionize your restaurant’s finances. We’re ready to help you create a menu that not only delights the palate but also increases your revenue!

Consultation: 1h / 250 PLN net. The first consultation (1h) is free.

Frequently Asked Questions

What exactly is Menu Engineering and why is it so important?
Menu Engineering is a strategic approach to designing and optimizing a menu that combines sales psychology with financial analysis. Its goal is not only the menu’s aesthetics but primarily maximizing profits by consciously directing Guests’ attention to dishes that are both popular and most profitable. It’s not just a list of dishes — it’s a powerful marketing tool that directly impacts your revenue without the need to raise prices or increase customer numbers.

What data is needed to conduct effective Menu Engineering?
Two key types of data are necessary for successful Menu Engineering: the precise food cost of each menu item (i.e., the cost of ingredients used to prepare the dish) and sales data for each dish over a specified period (e.g., month or quarter). Based on this information, we can calculate the popularity and profitability of individual items, which forms the basis for creating a product matrix and further recommendations.

What is a “product matrix” and how does it help optimize a menu?
The product matrix is an analytical tool that divides all your menu items into four categories based on their popularity and profitability:

• Stars – Very popular and very profitable dishes—should be showcased and promoted.
• Plow Horses – Very popular but less profitable dishes—worth tweaking ingredients or prices to improve margins without losing popularity.
• Puzzles – Less popular but highly profitable dishes—worth boosting through better menu placement or promotion.
• Dogs – Low popularity and low profitability—consider removing them to make space for more profitable options.

This matrix makes it easy to see which dishes are your “business engines” and which are budget drains that should be modified or removed.

What changes can I make after a Menu Engineering analysis?
After analysis and matrix creation, you can introduce several strategic changes:
Visual redesign of the menu – Adjusting layout, dish placement, using frames, graphics, or bold text to draw attention to Stars and Puzzles.

• Price adjustments – Slightly increasing Plow Horse prices or reducing Puzzle prices (if it may boost popularity).
• Dish description changes – Using more appealing and suggestive names and descriptions to highlight high-margin dishes.
• Ingredient/recipe adjustments – Making subtle ingredient changes to low-margin dishes to lower food costs without losing quality.
• Removing unprofitable items – Eliminating Dogs that don’t bring profit and take up menu and storage space.
• Introducing new dishes – Replacing removed items with potentially high-margin options.