Restaurant profit optimization
Full Stack Comparison

They Show You What's Broken.
We Show You How to Fix It.

MarginEdge is one expensive tier with dashboards. RPS is a complete ecosystem — free tools, affordable products, and hands-on consulting that grows with you from day one to franchising.

Free Tools Menu Costing Full Operations Consulting Expansion

The Core Difference

Data Dump vs Action Plan

Same numbers. Completely different outcomes.

What MarginEdge Says

Food Cost Report

"Your food cost is 34.2% this period."

Labor Report

"Labor is at 31.8% of sales."

Next Steps

"...that's it. Figure out what to do yourself."

What RPS Says

Food Cost + Action

"Your food cost is 34.2%. Your burger bun vendor switched — that's costing you $847/month. Switch back or renegotiate. Priority #1."

Labor + Action

"Labor is 31.8%. You're overstaffed Tuesday lunch by 2.4 hours. Cut one prep shift — saves $312/week. Priority #2."

Next Steps

"This week: Call vendor, adjust Tuesday schedule. Projected impact: +$1,400/month."

The Insight Gap

MarginEdge shows you the problem. RPS shows you the problem, tells you why it's happening, calculates the dollar impact, and gives you the exact fix. That's the difference between a dashboard and a profit system.

Full Stack Comparison

Their One Tier vs Our Ecosystem

We meet you where you are — and grow with you

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Your Stage MarginEdge Restaurant Profit Systems
Just Starting Need to diagnose the problem $300/month
or nothing
10-Minute Tuneup™
FREE
Learning the Fundamentals Need SOPs & systems training $300/month
same thing
Stop the Bleed E-Book
$9.99 one-time
Menu Costing Only Live food & alcohol costs + AVT pricing $300/month
same thing
Live Menu Engine™
$299 + $10/mo
Full Operations Menu + Sales + Inventory + Labor + Banking $300/month
same thing
Restaurant Machine™
$50/mo or $599
Need Expert Help Audits, training, hands-on support ❌ Not offered
you're on your own
Consulting Services
Menu, Labor, Supplier audits
Scaling / Franchising 1 → 10 locations ❌ Not offered
figure it out
Expansion Consulting
Financing, legal, buildout

The Lifecycle Difference

MarginEdge has one product at one price. Take it or leave it. RPS has an entry point for every stage — from free diagnostics to franchise development. We're not just a software vendor. We're your profit partner for the entire journey.

RPS Products

Menu Engine vs Restaurant Machine

Two products for two different needs

Live Menu Engine™

Price

$299 setup + $10/month (or $999 one-time)

What It Does

Live food & alcohol costing. Update vendor prices once — every recipe updates automatically. Contribution margins per item. Menu engineering matrix. AVT pricing calculations.

Best For

Operators who need menu costing solved but handle labor, inventory, and banking separately or manually.

Restaurant Machine™

Price

$50/month or $599 + $10/month

What It Does

Complete 6-piston operating system: Menu + Sales Mix + Inventory + Labor + Banking + Insights. Theoretical vs Actual COGS. SPLH benchmarks. Priority Actions with $ impact. Command Center reports.

Best For

Operators who want one connected system that tracks everything and tells them exactly what to do — like having a CFO in a spreadsheet.

Product Ladder

Start Free. Scale When Ready.

Every tier builds on the last — no wasted effort

Free Tier

10-Minute Tuneup™

$0

Prime cost diagnostic, recipe cost cards, labor hour budget, break-even analysis. Find your biggest leak in 10 minutes.

Start Free
Starter

Stop the Bleed E-Book

$9.99

Full playbook with SOPs, checklists, and done-for-you templates. Food cost control, labor optimization, theft detection.

Get E-Book
Growth

Live Menu Engine™

$299+$10/mo

Real-time menu costing for food & alcohol. Update vendor prices once — every recipe updates. Contribution margins per item.

Learn More
Enterprise

Restaurant Machine™

$50/mo

Full suite: Menu + Sales + Inventory + Labor + Banking. Theoretical vs Actual COGS. Priority Actions. Command Center reports.

Learn More

Beyond Software

We're Here For You — Not Just Your Data

MarginEdge hands you a dashboard. We roll up our sleeves.

Hands-On

Prime Cost Audits

We dig into your numbers, find the leaks, and build you a custom action plan. Not a report — a roadmap with dollar amounts attached to every fix.

Expert Help

Menu Engineering

We rebuild your menu from scratch — pricing, placement, margins, psychology. Average client sees 3-5 point margin improvement in 90 days.

Done For You

Labor Optimization

PrimeShift audit analyzes your schedules, finds overstaffing, and builds optimized templates by daypart. Typical savings: $500-2,000/month.

Negotiation

Supplier Audits

We analyze your invoices, identify price creep, and negotiate with vendors on your behalf. Scripts, emails, leverage tactics — we handle it all.

Growth

Expansion Consulting

Going from 1 to 10 locations? We help with financing, legal structure, leaseholds, brand systems, and operational playbooks for scale.

Flexible

Hourly Consulting

Just need advice? Book time with an operator who's been in your shoes. No contracts, no minimums — just answers when you need them.

MarginEdge Can't Do This

MarginEdge is software. Period. When you're stuck, you get a help article. RPS gives you a human who's run restaurants — someone who can look at your P&L, walk your line, and tell you exactly what to fix. That's the difference between a vendor and a partner.

Common Questions

Frequently Asked

What operators want to know before switching

What's the difference between Menu Engine and Restaurant Machine?
Menu Engine ($299 + $10/mo) does live food & alcohol costing, contribution margins, and menu engineering. Restaurant Machine ($50/mo) is the full suite — Menu + Sales Mix + Inventory + Labor + Banking + Command Center reports with Priority Actions.
Does RPS do invoice scanning like MarginEdge?
Not yet. But most independents find our insights and action recommendations save more money than invoice entry time. And at 1/6 the price, you could hire someone to enter invoices and still come out ahead.
Can I start free and upgrade later?
Absolutely. Start with the 10-Minute Tuneup (free), upgrade to the E-Book ($9.99), then Menu Engine, then Restaurant Machine. Each tier builds on the last — nothing wasted.
What if I need hands-on help?
That's what makes RPS different. We offer Prime Cost Audits, Menu Engineering, Labor Optimization, Supplier Negotiation, and Expansion Consulting. MarginEdge can't do any of that.
Do I own my data with RPS?
Yes. Everything lives in YOUR Google Drive. Cancel anytime and keep all your data. With MarginEdge, your data lives on their servers — cancel and it's gone.
Is RPS only for small restaurants?
We serve 1-10 location independents best. Our Expansion Consulting helps operators grow from single-unit to multi-unit to franchise. MarginEdge targets bigger chains — and charges accordingly.

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Ready to Dig In?

More tools and resources to help you decide

Ready to Stop the Bleed?

Start with our free 10-Minute Tuneup. Find your biggest profit leak in one session — no credit card, no commitment. Or talk to a consultant who's been in your shoes.

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One email a week with a new calculator, template, or tiny system you can test on your next shift.

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