Most restaurants lose money due to poorly designed menus: dishes that don’t sell, dishes with low margins, and descriptions that don’t help guests decide. With just a few simple adjustments—based on real data—you can turn your menu into a profitability machine. Key Points 1. Align your menu with what people are looking for today Before thinking about photos or prices, you need to answer: 👉 Does your menu include the dishes your customers are actually searching for? The most practical (and free) way to find out is by using Google data. Recommended tool Google Keyword Planner (free): With this tool you can discover which dishes/food categories consumers in your city are searching for. How to use it in 60 seconds: Real example Thousands search for “tacos birria in Miami” → Few restaurants offer them.→ That dish could become your next star. How to capture that demand: 2. Identify which dishes actually generate profit A menu is a business tool—not just a list of dishes. To make smart decisions, categorize items into four groups: ⭐ Stars Profitable + very popular→ These should be menu highlights. 🐴 Workhorses Very popular + low margin→ Adjust portion size, ingredients or pricing. 🧩 High Potential Profitable + not ordered often→ Improve photo, description, or placement. 💀 Dead Items Neither profitable nor popular→ Remove or reinvent. What data you need: With that, you can automatically categorize your menu. Download the spreadsheet to classify your dishes In the video, I mention a ready-made Excel/Google Sheets template that automatically categorizes your dishes based on sales, margin, and popularity. Menu Item Classification Template This sheet allows you to: 3. Use the “Z” reading pattern Guests’ eyes move across a menu in a Z-shaped path: These four points are high-selling hotspots. What to place in each spot: Visual tricks that work: This technique blends consumer psychology with menu design. 4. Irresistible descriptions + smart pricing Words sell. In fact: 📊 Real data: Example: ❌ Grilled chicken✔️ 24-hour marinated chicken breast, grilled to perfection This alone can increase sales by 20–30%. Pricing strategies that increase your average ticket The most profitable restaurants apply these rules: This reduces “price comparison thinking” and increases the average ticket. 5. Review your menu every 3 months Your menu isn’t static—it’s a living system that must evolve. Each quarter, review: Successful restaurants iterate constantly. Conclusion Optimizing your menu is one of the most powerful and underestimated strategies to boost profitability.You don’t need to remodel your restaurant, change operations, or invest in advertising:👉 Just adjust what you already have so it sells better. And it works fast.