Menu Engineering Report

Bella's Trattoria | Full Service Restaurant

Analysis Period

Nov 1 – Dec 15, 2024

⚠️ Needs Work — Opportunities Await

64

Menu Health Score

42

Menu Items

$9.47

Avg Contribution Margin

31.2%

Avg Food Cost

Top Opportunity

Reprice 8 Plow items to capture $14,200/year

Estimated Annual Impact

$21,840

Menu Matrix Dashboard

Stars/Plows/Puzzles/Dogs

Popularity Threshold: 2.38% menu mix | Profitability Threshold: $9.47 contribution margin

⭐ Stars

14 (33%)

High Popularity + High Profit

Action: Protect & Promote

🧩 Puzzles

7 (17%)

Low Popularity + High Profit

Action: Market & Promote

🐴 Plows

12 (29%)

High Popularity + Low Profit

Action: Reprice or Reengineer

🐕 Dogs

9 (21%)

Low Popularity + Low Profit

Action: 86 or Reinvent

Distribution Analysis

Your menu is Plow-heavy at 29% (target: 20%). This indicates significant pricing opportunities — your most popular items are underpriced. Stars at 33% is slightly below ideal (target: 40%). Focus on repricing Plows to convert them to Stars and removing low-performing Dogs.

Category Analysis

Performance by Section

Category	Items	Avg Food Cost	Avg CM	Revenue %	Health
Appetizers	8	27.4%	$8.92	14.2%	Strong
Salads	5	26.1%	$9.84	8.5%	Strong
Pasta	10	24.8%	$11.45	28.3%	Strong
Chicken	5	32.6%	$10.12	15.8%	Average
Seafood	4	36.8%	$9.24	11.2%	Weak
Beef/Veal	4	35.2%	$12.85	12.4%	Average
Desserts	6	23.5%	$6.42	9.6%	Average

⭐ Star Items

14 Items — Protect & Promote

These are your winners — high popularity AND high profit. Feature these prominently and don't change them without good reason.

Chicken Parmesan

$22.95

📊 6.8% of sales 💰 $14.92 CM 🍽️ 28.4% food cost

⭐

Protect & Promote — Feature in prime menu position

Room to test $1 increase given low food cost

Fettuccine Alfredo

$18.95

📊 5.4% of sales 💰 $13.78 CM 🍽️ 22.1% food cost

⭐

Protect & Promote — Excellent margin performer

Consider $1.50 increase — very low food cost

Lasagna Classica

$19.95

📊 4.9% of sales 💰 $12.85 CM 🍽️ 26.8% food cost

⭐

Protect & Promote — Signature dish, prime positioning

Calamari Fritti

$14.95

📊 4.2% of sales 💰 $10.28 CM 🍽️ 26.5% food cost

⭐

Protect & Promote — Top appetizer performer

Caesar Salad

$12.95

📊 3.8% of sales 💰 $9.58 CM 🍽️ 24.2% food cost

⭐

Protect & Promote — Reliable margin driver

+ 9 more Star items (Spaghetti Bolognese, Bruschetta, Tiramisu, Chicken Marsala, etc.)

🐴 Plow Items

12 Items — Reprice or Reengineer

Popular but low margin — your customers love these, but they're dragging down profitability. Priority for price increases.

Veal Piccata

$26.95 → $29.95

📊 3.6% of sales 💰 $8.12 CM (below avg) 🍽️ 38.2% food cost

💲

Raise price $3.00 — food cost too high for current price

+$3.00 × 42/week = $6,552/year impact

Shrimp Scampi

$24.95 → $27.95

📊 3.2% of sales 💰 $7.85 CM (below avg) 🍽️ 36.8% food cost

💲

Raise price $3.00 — seafood costs warrant premium

+$3.00 × 38/week = $5,928/year impact

Eggplant Parmesan

$17.95 → $19.95

📊 2.9% of sales 💰 $8.45 CM (below avg) 🍽️ 29.8% food cost

💲

Raise price $2.00 — perceived value supports increase

+$2.00 × 34/week = $3,536/year impact

Meatball Appetizer

$11.95 → $13.95

📊 2.8% of sales 💰 $7.24 CM (below avg) 🍽️ 31.5% food cost

💲

Raise price $2.00 — shareable format supports premium

+$2.00 × 32/week = $3,328/year impact

Salmon Oreganata

$27.95 → $30.95

📊 2.6% of sales 💰 $8.95 CM (below avg) 🍽️ 35.4% food cost

💲

Raise price $3.00 — fish prices rising, pass through

+$3.00 × 30/week = $4,680/year impact

+ 7 more Plow items requiring price adjustments

🧩 Puzzle Items

7 Items — Market & Promote

Hidden gems with high margins but low sales. These need better positioning, server training, or marketing attention.

Osso Buco

$34.95

📊 1.4% of sales (low) 💰 $16.45 CM (high!) 🍽️ 32.8% food cost

📣

Feature as Chef's Special — high margin opportunity

Train servers to recommend, add table tent feature

Lobster Ravioli

$28.95

📊 1.8% of sales (low) 💰 $14.82 CM (high!) 🍽️ 28.5% food cost

📣

Promote heavily — excellent margin, premium appeal

Feature on social media, server incentive contest

Panna Cotta

$9.95

📊 1.2% of sales (low) 💰 $7.85 CM (high for dessert!) 🍽️ 18.2% food cost

📣

Server suggestion priority — best dessert margin

Train to recommend over Tiramisu for speed/margin

+ 4 more Puzzle items (Gnocchi Sorrentina, Carpaccio, Affogato, Caprese)

🐕 Dog Items

9 Items — 86 or Reinvent

Low popularity AND low profit — these items are taking up menu space, kitchen bandwidth, and inventory without contributing. Candidates for removal or complete overhaul.

Linguine Primavera

$16.95

📊 0.8% of sales 💰 $7.12 CM 🍽️ 32.4% food cost

🗑️

86 — Under 10 sold/week, vegetable waste concern

Customers choosing Eggplant Parm or Fettuccine instead

Chicken Francese

$21.95

📊 1.1% of sales 💰 $8.24 CM 🍽️ 33.8% food cost

🔄

Reinvent — Cannibalized by Chicken Parm and Marsala

Consider removing or making a special-only item

Baked Ziti

$15.95

📊 0.9% of sales 💰 $6.85 CM 🍽️ 34.2% food cost

🗑️

86 — Customers choosing Lasagna instead

Overlaps with Lasagna, simpler to remove

Spumoni

$7.95

📊 0.6% of sales 💰 $4.15 CM 🍽️ 28.5% food cost

🗑️

86 — Only 7 sold/week, freezer space wasted

Customers choosing Tiramisu or Cannoli

+ 5 more Dog items (Minestrone, Antipasto Salad, Cheese Ravioli, etc.)

🗑️ Recommended for Removal

Item	Weekly Sales	Reason	Recommendation
Linguine Primavera	8 units/week	Low sales, vegetable waste, overlap	Remove
Baked Ziti	11 units/week	Cannibalized by Lasagna	Remove
Spumoni	7 units/week	Low demand, freezer space	Remove
Minestrone Soup	9 units/week	Low sales, prep intensive	Seasonal Only

Pricing Recommendations

$14,232/yr potential

⚠️ Estimated Food Costs

Recipe cost cards were not provided. Food costs are estimated using industry benchmarks by category. Verify actual food costs before implementing major price changes on high-volume items.

Want exact numbers? We can add recipe costing to your project for a complete picture.

Item	Current	Suggested	Change	Annual Impact
Veal Piccata High food cost, premium protein	$26.95	$29.95	+$3.00	+$6,552
Shrimp Scampi Seafood prices warrant premium	$24.95	$27.95	+$3.00	+$5,928
Salmon Oreganata Fish price increases, pass through	$27.95	$30.95	+$3.00	+$4,680
Eggplant Parmesan Perceived value supports increase	$17.95	$19.95	+$2.00	+$3,536
Meatball Appetizer Shareable format supports premium	$11.95	$13.95	+$2.00	+$3,328
Fettuccine Alfredo Very low food cost, high volume Star	$18.95	$20.45	+$1.50	+$4,212

💰 Total Pricing Opportunity

Implementing these price changes would generate approximately $274/week additional contribution margin, or $14,232/year.

Menu Layout Recommendations

Eye Magnet Optimization

📍 Top Right Position (Primary Eye Magnet)

Currently Featured

Daily Specials
Soup of the Day

Recommended

Chicken Parmesan ($22.95)
Osso Buco ($34.95)

Move your highest-margin Star and best Puzzle to prime visual real estate.

📍 First Item in Pasta Section

Currently Featured

Spaghetti Marinara

Recommended

Lobster Ravioli ($28.95)

Anchor each section with a high-margin Puzzle to set price expectations higher.

📍 Dessert Menu

Currently Featured

Tiramisu (first)
Spumoni
Cannoli

Recommended

Panna Cotta (first — best margin)
Tiramisu
Remove Spumoni

Lead with highest-margin dessert, remove Dogs.

Implementation Checklist

4-Week Plan

🎯 Week 1: Quick Wins

☐ Train servers on Puzzle item recommendations (Osso Buco, Lobster Ravioli, Panna Cotta)

☐ Create table tent featuring Osso Buco as Chef's Special

☐ Add Lobster Ravioli and Panna Cotta to social media this week

💲 Week 2: Price Adjustments

☐ Update menu with new prices for 6 Plow items +$14,232/yr

☐ Reprint menus with new pricing

☐ Update POS system with new prices

☐ Brief servers on price changes and talking points

📋 Week 3-4: Menu Redesign

☐ Remove 4 Dog items (Linguine Primavera, Baked Ziti, Spumoni, Minestrone)

☐ Sell through existing inventory on removed items

☐ Reorganize menu layout per recommendations

☐ Move Chicken Parm and Osso Buco to prime positions

Impact Summary

$14,232

Price Adjustments

$4,800

Puzzle Promotion Est.

$21,840

Total Annual Opportunity

Next Steps

Step 1: Review pricing recommendations with your team
Step 2: Implement Week 1 server training immediately
Step 3: Schedule menu reprint for Week 2 price adjustments
Step 4: Sell through Dog item inventory before removal
Step 5: Schedule follow-up in 60 days to measure impact

💼 Need Implementation Support?

Our Implementation Support add-on ($750) includes 30 days of support to help you execute these recommendations, including menu design review, server training materials, and weekly check-ins.

Data Limitations

The following limitations affected this analysis. Providing additional data would improve accuracy:

Recipe cost cards not provided — food costs estimated using industry benchmarks. Actual plate costs may vary.
Vendor invoices not provided — unable to verify current ingredient pricing or recent increases.
6 weeks of POS data analyzed — recommend re-analysis after 12+ weeks for seasonal patterns.