How we analyze every dish on your menu
Menu engineering is built on a single, powerful insight: not all dishes are equal. Understanding which dishes belong in which category — and what to do about it — is the core of everything we do.
Two axes. Four categories. One clear picture.
Every dish on your menu can be evaluated on two dimensions: how often it sells relative to other items (popularity) and how much it contributes to your bottom line after food cost (contribution margin).
The intersection of these two dimensions places every dish into one of four categories. Each category calls for a different strategic response — and together, they reveal the complete financial picture of your menu in a way that no single metric can.
This framework was developed in academic research on restaurant management and has been applied across the industry for decades. What we bring is the ability to apply it to your specific kitchen, your specific clientele, and the specific economic realities of operating in Argentina today.
What each quadrant means — and what to do
Understanding the category is only the first step. The real work is deciding what action each category calls for in the context of your specific restaurant.
Stars are your menu's most valuable assets. They sell frequently and contribute meaningfully to your bottom line. The strategic response is to protect them: ensure they remain on the menu, position them prominently in the layout, and make certain your kitchen can execute them consistently at any volume. Stars should be the anchor of your suggestive selling training.
Plowhorses are popular but don't contribute much margin. They're often beloved dishes that feel untouchable — but they represent an opportunity. The response is to examine whether the food cost can be reduced through recipe modification, portion adjustment, or supplier renegotiation, or whether the price can be raised slightly without affecting demand.
Puzzles are high-margin dishes that don't sell enough. The question is why. Is it a positioning issue — the dish is buried in the menu or poorly described? Is it a training issue — your staff doesn't recommend it? Or is it a product issue — the dish genuinely doesn't resonate with your clientele? The answer determines whether to reposition, retrain, or retire.
Dogs sell infrequently and contribute little margin when they do sell. They are the primary candidates for removal from the menu. Each Dog that remains requires purchasing its ingredients, training staff to prepare it, and occupying space on the menu that could be used to highlight a Star or Puzzle. Removing Dogs simplifies operations without meaningful revenue loss.
The analysis is the beginning, not the end
The four-quadrant framework tells you where each dish stands today. What it doesn't tell you is what to do about it in the context of your specific restaurant, your kitchen team, your supplier relationships, and your clientele's expectations.
That's where the consulting work happens. We translate the analytical output into concrete, executable decisions — and we stay through implementation to make sure those decisions produce the results the analysis predicted.
