MENU ENGINEERING MATRIX GENERATOR
Menu engineering: which items earn more?
Enter prices, food costs and monthly units sold. Compare gross profit across menu items before changing prices or promotions.
A free tool from QSolve — running on the Windows and Android devices already in use.
This browser simulation uses fixed formulas and rules. No AI request is made to produce these results.
Example menu figures, not financial advice or an industry benchmark.
The menu items
Compare up to 8 selected items.
Recipe costing
Advanced scenario. Synthetic examples only. Separate inputs from the quick calculator above; nothing is uploaded or saved.
Assumptions and calculation notes
Use matching units: kg/g, l/ml, or unit/unit. Yield is the usable share of purchased ingredients. Copy food cost to the matrix; packaging is separate. Excludes labour, rent and other costs.
Figures and meaning
What to check next
How this is calculated
Items are grouped by gross profit per unit and monthly units sold, using the entered menu averages. Edit a row to compare a pricing scenario. The calculation keeps entered sales volumes fixed; demand may change after a real price adjustment.
Gross profit per unit = selling price - recipe food cost. Food cost % = recipe food cost / selling price x 100. Popularity benchmark = average units sold across all items. Profit benchmark = average gross profit per unit across all items.
How each item is judged
Gross profit per unit
Selling price minus recipe food cost — what the item puts in the till before rent, wages and utilities, and the number a menu decision actually moves.
Monthly units sold
Popularity is counted in units rather than in ringgit, so a cheap item that sells hard still shows up as popular. That is what separates a Plowhorse from a Puzzle.
Averages from this menu
Both benchmarks are the average of the items entered. Editing a row moves the averages, so a single price change can move more than one item between quadrants.
Both benchmarks come from the menu entered, not from an industry figure.
How each tool works & FAQ
What does this matrix compare?
Gross profit per unit and monthly units sold against the averages of the selected items. It does not cover every operating cost.
Should I remove every Dog item?
No. Review its role, demand, preparation and stock needs first. A quadrant alone does not decide the action.