Pricing Your Menu Faster: A Practical Workflow

Pricing is a short workflow, not a project

Many owners put off menu pricing because they imagine it as a project that takes a weekend. For most dishes it is five short steps, and with the right starting point you can get through the menu in a single sitting.

The workflow

1. Load costs. Enter the ingredient costs per dish. Use the presets as a starting point: they give you typical ingredients and quantities, which you then adjust to your real recipe, portion and supplier prices.
2. Set a target. Choose a target food cost for the concept. A range of 28–35% is common, depending on the concept and the average ticket.
3. Get a suggested price. price = cost ÷ target share.
4. Check against the market. Compare the suggestion with what nearby venues charge for similar dishes.
5. Confirm. Review every suggested change before it goes live. Nothing should change by itself.

A worked example (illustrative)

A dish has an ingredient cost of €4.50.

• At a 30% target: 4.50 ÷ 0.30 = €15.00.
• At 33%: 4.50 ÷ 0.33 = €13.64.
• At 28%: 4.50 ÷ 0.28 = €16.07.

So the choice of target moves the price by over two euros. That is not a problem; it is the decision you are making. Which one fits depends on the role of the dish and what guests are prepared to pay.

What to do when the numbers disagree

Sometimes the suggested price is far from what the neighbours charge. Do not assume either side is right. Check, in this order:

• Is the cost right? Re-check the quantities and the supplier price. Most disagreements come from a cost that is too high or too low.
• Is the comparison fair? A different portion, quality or format changes what a price means.
• Is the dish a draw or a filler? A dish that brings people in can accept a lower margin. A side dish should usually carry a higher one.

If the price is above the market and the cost is right, consider reducing the portion or the cost instead of reducing the margin silently.

Suggestions are a starting point

Pricora's suggestions are a starting point: you decide the final price based on your guests and your costs. The aim of the workflow is to save you the arithmetic and put the right comparison in front of you at the right time.

Make it a habit

Do the workflow in full once. After that, repeat it for the dishes whose cost changes, and review the whole menu when the season changes or you add new dishes.

Takeaway

Load costs, set a target, get a price, check the market and confirm. Fifteen minutes is enough to start, and a habit keeps it current.