The menu is the most important document in a restaurant. It decides the kitchen, the stock, the team you hire and how much you earn on every plate. After 3 decades in kitchens, these are the 12 steps we follow to plan a menu that sells.
Before you write a single dish
- Start with the concept. Who are your guests, what do they want and what will they pay?
- Know your kitchen. Space, equipment and team size decide what you can cook well at speed.
- Check the competition. What do nearby places serve, and where is the gap?
Building the menu
- Keep it short. Most kitchens cook 25–40 dishes far better than 100.
- Share ingredients. Each ingredient should appear in several dishes to cut stock and waste.
- Balance the sections. Starters, mains, sides, desserts and drinks in sensible proportions, with clear vegetarian and non-vegetarian options.
- Create signature dishes. Two or three dishes that define the restaurant.
Making it work
- Write standard recipes. Quantities, method, cooking time and a plating photo for every dish.
- Cost every dish. Use proper food costing to find the cost of each plate.
- Price with purpose. Set prices from cost, competition and the value guests see.
- Design the layout. Put high-margin dishes where eyes land first and keep descriptions short and clear. Menu engineering helps here.
- Run food trials. Cook, taste, time and adjust every dish before it goes live.
After launch
Review sales every month. Keep what sells and earns, rework what sells but does not earn, and remove what does neither. A menu is never finished.
Related services: want an expert to build or fix your menu? See our restaurant menu consultant service, and our commercial kitchen design consultant service for a kitchen that matches the menu.
Need help with your menu?
A consultant chef can plan, trial and cost your menu with your team. Send a 60-second brief or call +91 98194 53152.
