Menu Planning & Recipe Costing Guide

A well-designed menu does more than list dishes—it controls costs, reduces waste, speeds up service, and guides customers toward choices that work for both their satisfaction and your profitability. Poor menu planning does the opposite.

This guide covers the practical fundamentals of menu design and recipe costing for UK restaurants, cafés, pubs, and catering businesses. From balancing variety with operational simplicity, to costing recipes accurately and engineering your menu for better margins.

In This Guide

Menu Design Principles

Good menu design balances what customers want, what your kitchen can deliver, and what makes financial sense. Get this balance wrong and something suffers.

Know Your Customer

Who are you feeding? A student café needs different dishes to a fine-dining restaurant. Consider:

Price sensitivity
Time available (quick lunch vs leisurely dinner)
Dietary preferences and restrictions
What they're celebrating or seeking

Design for your actual customers, not imaginary ones.

Know Your Kitchen

Every dish you add needs:

Storage space for ingredients
Prep time and skills
Equipment during service
Staff training

A brilliant dish your kitchen can't consistently execute is worse than a simpler dish done perfectly every time.

Balance and Variety

Offer enough variety that different customers find something appealing, but not so much that you're trying to be everything to everyone. Include:

A range of proteins (meat, fish, vegetarian)
Light and substantial options
Different price points
Something for dietary restrictions

Operational Flow

Consider how dishes cook and plate during service. If everything needs the same piece of equipment at the same time, service will suffer. Balance:

Grill vs oven vs hob dishes
Prep-heavy vs cook-to-order items
Cold vs hot starters
Plating complexity

How Many Dishes Should Be on Your Menu?

More isn't better. Every dish you add increases complexity, stock, and potential waste. The best menus are focused and executed brilliantly.

The Case for Fewer Dishes

Less stock: Fewer ingredients to buy, store, and potentially waste.
Better execution: Kitchen team knows every dish inside out.
Faster training: New staff learn quicker.
Consistent quality: Less can go wrong.
Easier purchasing: Simpler ordering, better supplier relationships.

Typical Menu Sizes

Fine dining: 4-6 starters, 6-8 mains, 4-6 desserts
Casual restaurant: 6-10 starters, 10-15 mains, 4-6 desserts
Pub: 6-8 starters, 8-12 mains, 4-6 desserts
Café: 8-15 main items, lighter offering
Quick service: 10-20 items total

These are guidelines—your concept determines the right size.

Signs Your Menu Is Too Big

• Ingredients going out of date regularly
• Staff can't remember all the dishes
• Inconsistent quality on some items
• Some dishes hardly ever ordered
• Kitchen stressed during service
• Long ticket times

The 80/20 Rule

Typically, 20% of your dishes generate 80% of sales. The rest often exist "just in case" someone wants them. Review your sales mix—if dishes aren't selling, question why they're on the menu at all.

Seasonal Menu Planning

Seasonal menus keep your offering fresh, align with ingredient availability, and give natural moments to adjust pricing and refresh your proposition.

Why Seasonal Works

Better ingredients: Seasonal produce is fresher, tastier, and often cheaper.
Customer interest: Regular changes give customers reasons to return.
Price reset opportunities: New menu = natural moment to adjust prices.
Marketing moments: New seasonal menu is news worth sharing.

Planning the Seasons

Typical restaurant seasons:
Spring: March-May (lighter, fresh, asparagus, lamb)
Summer: June-August (salads, BBQ, seafood, berries)
Autumn: September-November (game, squash, comfort food returning)
Winter: December-February (hearty, warming, festive)

What to Change

You don't need to change everything. Consider:

Core dishes: Keep year-round (signature items, customer favourites)
Seasonal additions: 3-5 dishes that rotate
Daily specials: Flexibility to use seasonal ingredients

This balances freshness with operational stability.

Transition Planning

Don't change overnight. Plan 4-6 weeks ahead:

Test new dishes before they go live
Train staff on new items
Run down stock of outgoing ingredients
Cost new dishes thoroughly
Update menus, allergen info, and systems

Our Seasonal Planning Guide covers broader seasonal business planning for Devon and Cornwall.

Recipe Costing

Accurate recipe costing is the foundation of profitable pricing. Guessing is how margins quietly disappear.

The Costing Process

Step 1: List every ingredient (including oils, seasonings, garnishes)
Step 2: Calculate portion cost for each ingredient
Step 3: Account for waste (prep loss, cooking shrinkage)
Step 4: Add all portion costs for total dish cost
Step 5: Calculate food cost percentage against selling price

Calculating Portion Costs

Portion Cost = (Pack Price ÷ Usable Portions) × Amount Used

Example: 2kg bag of chips costs £3.50, gives 10 portions of 180g:
£3.50 ÷ 10 = £0.35 per portion

Do this for every ingredient, including the small stuff that's easy to forget.

Accounting for Waste

Raw weight isn't usable weight:
Vegetables: 10-30% peeling/trimming loss
Meat: 20-40% cooking loss (shrinkage)
Fish: 40-60% if filleting whole fish
Herbs: 30-50% (stems, wilted leaves)

A 200g raw chicken breast yields ~150g cooked. Cost the usable amount.

Common Mistakes

Forgetting small ingredients: Oil, butter, seasoning—they add up to 5-15% of costs.
Using purchase weight: Cost what you actually serve.
Stale prices: Supplier prices change—update your costings.
Ignoring accompaniments: If bread and butter come with the dish, they're in the cost.

Our Food Cost & Margin Guide covers pricing and profitability in more detail.

Recipe Cards & Specifications

Recipe cards ensure consistency, enable accurate costing, and make training straightforward. Every dish should have one.

What to Include

Recipe name and photo: Clear identification
Ingredients list: Every ingredient with exact quantities
Method: Step-by-step preparation
Portion size: Exact weights for proteins, sides
Plating diagram/photo: How it should look
Allergen information: Which of the 14 allergens are present
Costings: Cost per ingredient and total dish cost

Why Recipe Cards Matter

Consistency: Every chef makes the dish the same way.
Training: New staff have a reference.
Costing: Easy to update when prices change.
Allergen compliance: Documented for inspection.
Quality control: Clear standard to check against.

Keeping Cards Updated

Recipe cards are only useful if they're accurate. Update them when:

Supplier prices change significantly
You change ingredients or suppliers
You adjust portions or presentation
You modify the recipe

Review all cards at least quarterly, or whenever you change menus.

Format Options

Paper cards: Laminated for kitchen use, easy to reference during service.
Digital systems: Easier to update, can calculate costs automatically.
Hybrid: Master copies digital, printed reference in kitchen.

Whatever system you use, make sure it's actually used—a perfect system nobody follows is worthless.

Menu Engineering

Menu engineering uses sales data and margin analysis to optimise what you offer and how you present it. Small changes can significantly improve profitability.

The Four Categories

Classify every dish by popularity and profitability:

Stars: High margin, high popularity—your best dishes. Promote and protect these.
Plowhorses: Low margin, high popularity—customers love them but they don't make money. Can you improve margin?
Puzzles: High margin, low popularity—profitable when sold but nobody orders them. Better positioning?
Dogs: Low margin, low popularity—why are they on the menu? Remove them.

Promoting Stars

Your high-margin, popular items deserve prominence:

Position in the "golden triangle" (top right of menu)
Use boxes, borders, or highlights
Train staff to recommend them
Feature on specials boards
Include in set menus or deals

Fixing Plowhorses

Popular but low-margin dishes need attention:

Can you reduce portion slightly?
Can you substitute cheaper ingredients without affecting quality?
Can you increase the price? (Test carefully)
Is the recipe costed correctly?

Sometimes you keep a plowhorse because it draws customers who then order profitable items.

Selling Puzzles

High-margin dishes that don't sell need better marketing:

Rename them (is the current name appealing?)
Improve the description
Change menu position
Have staff recommend them
Consider if the price puts people off

Removing Dogs

Low margin and low popularity = no reason to exist. Remove them:

Simplifies operations
Reduces stock requirements
Frees menu space for better dishes
Improves overall profitability

Sentiment ("we've always had it") isn't a business reason to keep a dish.

Menu Psychology

Eye movement: People scan menus in predictable patterns—prime positions get more attention.
Decoy pricing: A high-priced option makes others look reasonable.
Descriptions: Evocative descriptions increase perceived value and sales.
No currency symbols: "12" feels less expensive than "£12.00" (in some contexts).

Reducing Waste Through Menu Design

Smart menu design minimises waste before it happens. Every ingredient should have a purpose—preferably multiple purposes.

Cross-Utilisation

Design dishes so ingredients serve multiple purposes:

Roast chicken → chicken sandwich → chicken soup
Salmon fillet → salmon salad → salmon fishcakes
Vegetable trim → stock → soup base
Bread → croutons → breadcrumbs

Every ingredient should earn its place in multiple dishes.

Using Whole Products

Can you use more of what you buy?

Cauliflower leaves in salads or as garnish
Broccoli stems in stir-fries or soups
Chicken carcasses for stock
Fish bones for fish stock
Herb stems in stocks and sauces

Specials Strategy

Daily specials can be waste-reduction tools:

Use ingredients approaching use-by dates
Create dishes from trim and offcuts
Move slow-selling stock
Test new dishes before adding to menu

Position specials positively—"today's special" sounds better than "using up the leftovers."

Portion Analysis

Track what comes back on plates:

Consistently leaving chips? Serve less.
Always asking for more bread? Include more.
Salad garnish untouched? Stop serving it.

Wasted food is wasted money—and environmental damage.

Our Storage & Stock Management Guide covers stock control and waste reduction in more detail.

Catering for Dietary Requirements

Dietary requirements aren't optional extras—they're essential to serving modern customers. Plan for them from the start, not as afterthoughts.

Common Requirements

Vegetarian: No meat or fish.
Vegan: No animal products at all (including dairy, eggs, honey).
Gluten-free: No wheat, barley, rye, or contaminated oats.
Dairy-free: No milk, cheese, butter, cream.
Allergies: The 14 declared allergens—life-threatening for some customers.

Designing Inclusive Menus

Rather than adapting dishes on request:

Include naturally vegetarian/vegan dishes (not just "without the meat")
Design dishes that are easily modified
Keep sauces/dressings separate where possible
Mark allergens clearly on menus
Train staff to handle dietary requests confidently

Allergen Management

You must be able to tell customers which of the 14 allergens are in every dish. This means:

Knowing exactly what's in every recipe
Checking bought-in products
Documenting allergen content (on recipe cards)
Training staff to answer questions
Preventing cross-contamination in the kitchen

Making It Work Operationally

Dietary requirements shouldn't derail service:

Stock reliable substitute ingredients
Have clear procedures for dietary orders
Use colour-coded boards/tickets for allergen orders
Never guess—if unsure, check

Our Food Safety Guide covers allergen compliance requirements in detail.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many dishes should be on my menu?

Quality beats quantity. Most successful restaurants offer 6-10 starters, 10-15 mains, and 4-6 desserts. Cafés might have 8-15 main items. Every dish you add increases complexity, stock requirements, and potential waste. A focused menu executed well outperforms an extensive menu done averagely. Review your sales—if dishes aren't selling, remove them.

How do I cost a recipe properly?

List every ingredient including oils, seasonings, and garnishes. Calculate the cost per portion for each (pack price divided by portions, multiplied by amount used). Add them all together. Account for prep waste (peeling, trimming) and cooking losses (shrinkage). Update costs when supplier prices change—stale costings lead to margin erosion.

How often should I change my menu?

It depends on your business. Seasonal menus (4 times yearly) work well for restaurants wanting freshness without constant change. Cafés might rotate specials weekly while keeping core items stable. The key is balancing customer interest with operational efficiency and staff training requirements. Don't change for change's sake.

How do I reduce food waste through menu planning?

Cross-utilise ingredients across multiple dishes so nothing sits unused. Design dishes that use whole products or find uses for trim. Keep your menu focused to avoid slow-moving stock. Use daily specials to move ingredients approaching their use-by date. Monitor what comes back on plates and adjust portions.

Should I offer a vegetarian/vegan menu?

Yes—at minimum, you should have genuine options (not just "without the meat"). Around 10-15% of UK diners identify as vegetarian, vegan, or flexitarian. Groups choose restaurants based on the person with the most restrictions. Not catering for dietary requirements loses business.

Need Ingredients That Support Your Menu?

Xlent Foods supplies the range of frozen, chilled, and ambient products you need to execute your menu consistently. From everyday essentials to specialist ingredients—we'll source what you need.

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