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Advanced Restaurant Menu Engineering Matrix Form

Business Type: Fine Dining / High-Volume Hospitality

 

The Goal: To find the "Stars" (High Profit, High Popularity) and the "Dogs" (Low Profit, Low Popularity).

 

1. The Strategy (The Logic)

  • Contribution Margin (CM): Menu Price minus Recipe Cost. This is the actual cash left to pay the rent.
  • Popularity Index: How many units were sold compared to the average of all items.
  • The Matrix Logic:
    • High Profit + High Popularity = STAR (Leave it alone.)
    • High Profit + Low Popularity = PUZZLE (Needs better marketing.)
    • Low Profit + High Popularity = PLOWHORSE (Price increase needed.)
    • Low Profit + Low Popularity = DOG (Remove from menu.)

2. The Advanced Menu Table (With Numbers)

Menu Item

Units Sold

Recipe Cost

Menu Price

Contribution Margin (CM)

Total Gross Profit per Item

Menu Matrix Status

A
B
C
D
E
F
G
1
Ribeye Steak
150
$12.50
$38.00
$25.50
$3,825.00
⭐ STAR
2
Pasta Primavera
120
$3.50
$18.00
$14.50
$1,740.00
🐎 PLOWHORSE
3
Ahi Tuna Tartare
45
$7.00
$26.00
$19.00
$855.00
🧩 PUZZLE
4
Grilled Chicken
60
$6.00
$16.00
$10.00
$600.00
🐕 DOG
5
TOTALS
375
 
 
 
$7,020.00
 

Total Gross Profit

$7,020.00

Total Units Sold

375

Average Sales

93.75

Weighted Average CM

$18.72

Form Template Insights

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The Formulas

A. The Contribution Margin (Column E)

  • Formula: =(Menu Price - Recipe Cost)
  • The Insight: Even though the Pasta has a better food cost %, the Ribeye brings in nearly double the actual cash ($25.50 vs $14.50).

B. The Matrix Logic (The "Brain" of the Form)

This formula compares each item against the Average CM ($18.72) and Average Sales (93.75).

  • Formula (Simplified): =IF(AND(CM > AvgCM, Sales > AvgSales), "STAR", IF(AND(CM > AvgCM, Sales < AvgSales), "PUZZLE", IF(AND(CM < AvgCM, Sales > AvgSales), "PLOWHORSE", "DOG")))

C. Visual Alerts (Conditional Formatting)

  • Blue Background: ⭐ STAR (These are your "Money Makers").
  • Yellow Background: 🧩 PUZZLE (Tastes great, high profit, but nobody is ordering it—tell the servers to push this!).
  • Red Text: 🐕 DOG (These are taking up space in your fridge and on your menu—kill these items).

D. The Weighted Average CM

Use the SUMPRODUCT function to find the Weighted Average instantly:

  • Formula: =SUMPRODUCT(Sales Range, CM Range) / SUM(Sales Range)
 

Why this is "Expert Level" for your Platform

  1. Decision Support: A Chef usually thinks a dish is good if it "tastes great." This form tells the Chef if the dish is actually paying the bills.
  2. Dynamic Benchmarking: As the restaurant gets busier or food prices change, the Average CM and Average Sales update automatically. A "Star" today might become a "Plowhorse" tomorrow if inflation eats the margin.
  3. Marketing Strategy: It tells the owner exactly where to spend their energy. You don't need to discount "Stars," but you might want to run a "Daily Special" on a "Puzzle" to move it into the Star category.

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