In hospitality, your menu is more than just a list of items — it’s one of your most powerful sales tools. A well-engineered menu can guide customer choices, highlight your most profitable dishes, and increase average order value without adding extra strain on your team.

At Places App, we’ve seen how even small tweaks can deliver a big impact. Below are the five key principles of menu engineering every restaurant and café should focus on — plus how each can create natural upsell opportunities.

1. Know Your Stars, Plowhorses, Puzzles, and Dogs

Menu engineering starts with analysing both profitability and popularity. Every item falls into one of four categories:

⭐ Stars – High Popularity, High Profit

These are your heroes: best-sellers with strong margins.
Example: A café’s Signature Flat White that customers order daily, delivering excellent profit.

Strategy:

• Highlight Stars visually in “sweet spots” (top right corner on a printed menu, first scroll on digital).
• Train staff to recommend them.
• Avoid unnecessary discounts — customers already love them.

Upsell Tip: Pair Stars with add-ons (e.g., offer a pastry with the flat white).

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🐴 Plowhorses – High Popularity, Low Profit

Customer favourites with thin margins.
Example: A classic burger that’s popular but costly to produce.

Strategy:

• Adjust portion sizes or recipes to improve profitability.
• Make careful price increases if possible.
• Bundle with higher-margin sides or drinks.

Upsell Tip: Encourage upgrades — “swap to sweet potato fries” or “add a craft beer.”

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❓ Puzzles – Low Popularity, High Profit

Items with great margins but low demand. Usually a marketing or visibility issue.
Example: A truffle pasta hidden deep in the menu that few customers try.

Strategy:

• Improve naming and descriptions (Decadent Truffle Tagliatelle sounds more tempting).
• Highlight visually or promote as a “chef’s recommendation.”
• Place near Stars to catch attention.

Upsell Tip: Train staff to recommend Puzzles when guests ask for suggestions.

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🐶 Dogs – Low Popularity, Low Profit

Unpopular items that add little value.
Example: A soup that sells rarely, requires extra ingredients, and has low margins.

Strategy:

• Consider removing Dogs altogether.
• Keep only if they serve a brand purpose (e.g., vegan option).
• Avoid giving them menu space over Stars or Puzzles.

Upsell Tip: Minimal — these are best simplified or cut.

📊 By categorising your dishes this way, you can prioritise Stars, rework Plowhorses, push Puzzles, and minimise Dogs — creating more space for upselling opportunities.

2. Menu Layout & Design Psychology

Where you place items is just as important as what you serve. Eye-tracking research shows diners are naturally drawn to certain areas — the top right corner of a menu or the first scroll of a digital list.

Strategy:

• Showcase Stars and Puzzles in these “sweet spots.”
• Use subtle highlights like boxes, icons, or chef’s picks.
• On digital menus, A/B test layouts to see which arrangement drives higher sales.

3. Language & Descriptions That Sell

Words create appetite. Descriptions should be sensory, concise, and enticing.

Example: Instead of “Grilled Salmon,” write “Chargrilled Salmon with Lemon Butter Glaze.”

Tips:

• Highlight provenance (“locally sourced,” “organic”).
• Use indulgent, sensory words (“crispy,” “creamy,” “signature”).
• Keep it short — too much text can overwhelm.

Strong descriptions not only sell better, they also make premium items more appealing, creating natural upsell potential.

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4. Smart Pricing Strategies

Pricing is about psychology as much as cost. Guests often gravitate toward the middle option — not the cheapest, not the most expensive.

Tactics:

• Use price anchoring: put a high-end item beside a mid-range one to make the latter feel like better value.
• Remove currency symbols to reduce price sensitivity.
• Offer bundles or add-on deals (e.g., sides + drinks).

Digital menus can automate this with upsell prompts: “Would you like fries with that?”

5. Leverage Technology for Upsells

Unlike static menus, technology can personalise and adapt in real time.

With Places App, for example:

• Upsell prompts appear at checkout for desserts, sides, or drinks.
• Dynamic recommendations suggest bestsellers or perfect pairings.
• Data insights show which items are your customers favourite— so you can adjust pricing, descriptions, or promotions quickly.

This transforms your menu from a static tool into an active sales channel.

🎯 The Bottom Line

Menu engineering isn’t about tricking guests — it’s about making choices easier, experiences better, and operations more profitable.

By combining item analysis (Stars, Plowhorses, Puzzles, Dogs) with smart design, persuasive language, strategic pricing, and technology-powered upsells, your menu becomes more than a list of dishes.

It becomes a silent salesperson that drives revenue shift after shift.

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