Menu Engineering Matrix
Stop guessing which dishes pay the rent. Enter each item price, cost, and units sold, and see every dish sorted into Stars, Plowhorses, Puzzles, and Dogs — by both profit and popularity — with total profit by class.
This calculator provides estimates for educational use only. It is not tax, legal, or financial advice. Figures are based on current IRS rules — verify against IRS.gov or consult a licensed professional. See our full disclaimer.
Menu Items
Enter each item's selling price, food/liquid cost, and typical units sold.
Menu Engineering Matrix
Profit by Class
Stars earn the most and should be featured. Plowhorses drive traffic but need re-pricing or cost cuts. Puzzles are profitable but hidden — promote them. Dogs lose money or tie up effort.
* Classic menu-engineering (BCG) analysis from your inputs. Contribution margin = price − cost. Popularity and margin are judged against the menu average. Educational reference, not advice.
What This Matrix Tells You
Four-Box Classification
Each item is placed by contribution margin and popularity against your menu average.
Profit by Class
See which box earns the most contribution margin so you know where to focus.
Restaurant & Bar Ready
Use food cost for dishes, pour cost (with mixers) for drinks.
Actionable
Feature Stars, fix Plowhorses, promote Puzzles, cut or rework Dogs.
Authoritative References
- Restaurant365 — Menu Engineering — the Stars/Plowhorses/Puzzles/Dogs framework used here.
- U.S. Small Business Administration — Assess Your Business — performance review frameworks.
- Industry food-cost and pour-cost ranges (retrieved 2026-08-13) documented in our restaurant and bar guides.
Estimates only. Contribution margin = price − cost from your inputs. Benchmarks are general rules of thumb, not a guarantee and not financial advice.
Menu Engineering FAQs
A classic BCG-style analysis that plots every menu item on two axes — contribution margin (price minus cost) and popularity (units sold). Items land in one of four boxes: Stars, Plowhorses, Puzzles, or Dogs. It shows which dishes earn and which just tie up kitchen effort.
Stars (high margin, high popularity) get featured. Plowhorses drive traffic but need re-pricing or cost cuts. Puzzles are profitable but hidden — promote them. Dogs lose money or waste effort and should be reworked or dropped.
Yes. Use the drink price and pour cost (including mixers) as the cost. The same four-box logic applies to cocktails, beer, and wine — and it pairs with watching your blended pour cost near 21%.
As many as you actively sell. The more items, the more accurate the menu average used to judge popularity and margin. You can add or remove rows freely.