Food Cost & Menu Engineering

Ember & Oak Bistro • Real-time profitability optimization

Actual Food Cost %
30.2%
+1.8% vs target
Theoretical Food Cost %
27.6%
-0.4% optimized
Food Cost Variance
$24.4K
+$6.1K vs week prior
2.6% variance rate
Waste & Spoilage
$9.2K
-12% vs last month
1.0% of food revenue
Portion Compliance
84.2%
-3.8% Fish Tacos drift
Target: ≥90%

Menu Engineering Matrix

Stars (4)
Plowhorses (6)
Puzzles (3)
Dogs (2)

Food Cost Variance Bridge

Primary drivers: Avocado spike ($6.1K), portion drift ($4.2K), waste ($3.8K)

Top Items by Contribution Margin

Item Category Quadrant Popularity CM $ CM % Food Cost % Action
Braised Short Rib Entree Star 342 $18.40 68.1% 24.2% Promote
Truffle Fries Appetizer Star 428 $6.20 72.4% 18.6% Maintain
Fish Tacos Entree Plowhorse 516 $8.90 51.2% 33.8% Reprice +$2
Caesar Salad Appetizer Plowhorse 389 $7.10 54.6% 29.4% Portion control
Wagyu Burger Entree Puzzle 124 $14.20 61.8% 26.1% Feature/upsell
Lobster Bisque Appetizer Puzzle 86 $9.80 58.3% 28.9% Menu repositioning
Seasonal Vegetable Medley Side Dog 58 $3.10 42.1% 38.2% Consider 86
Vegan Power Bowl Entree Dog 47 $4.60 38.7% 42.6% Eliminate

Commodity Price Exposure (30d)

Summer LTO Performance vs Core Menu

Traffic Lift +11.2%
Margin Dollar Lift +2.1%
Food Cost % Delta +4.6%

Insight: Summer LTO drove strong traffic but insufficient margin conversion. LTO food cost 34.8% vs. 27.6% core menu average. Recommend: reprice or reformulate high-cost LTO items.

Top Modifier Margin Impact

Add Avocado
1,248 attachments • $3.00
+$2,184
58% margin
Extra Bacon
892 attachments • $2.50
+$1,538
69% margin
Grilled Shrimp
324 attachments • $6.00
+$972
50% margin
Gluten-Free Bun
186 attachments • $1.50
+$114
41% margin

Waste & Spoilage by Category