What's Your Menu PQ?

What is your Profitability Quotient (PQ)? If you answer "no" to any of the following questions, you could be leaving thousands of dollars in gross profit on the table.

1. Do you have an up-to-date, accurate standard recipe manual and is it incorporated into your daily routine?

2. Do you have an up-to-date, accurate food cost for every item sold on the menu?

3. Do you know your top 10 selling items on the menu, their costs and gross profit contribution?

4. Do you review sales mix reports from your point-of-sale system at least weekly?

5. In your operation, is gross profit margin more important than food cost?

6. Have you updated your menu in the last 34 months?

7. Do you know what category (i.e., Sandwiches) on the menu is the most popular?

8. Do you apply a profit strategy to layout and design in all your merchandising materials?

9. Is your pricing of menu items focused on gross profit contribution?

10. Do you use "special sheets" to communicate daily specials?

11. Is your wine list incorporated into your core menu?

12. Do you know what percentage of your guests order appetizers? beverages? sides? desserts?

13. Do you train your staff to sell suggestively and track their effectiveness?

14. Is your menu flexible so you can make changes quickly and inexpensively?

15. Do you know who your main competitors are?

16. Do you perform a competitive menu comparison with your direct competition?

17. Do you involve staff in your menu decisions?

18. Are your menus and related point-of-purchase material in full color?

If you answered no to any of these questions, you could be missing out on as much as 15% of your gross profit. Refer to additional menu articles and the online menu seminars for insights in these issues.