What is the best way to identify high-profit but low-selling menu items?

High-profit but low-selling items are usually identified by comparing each item's contribution margin with its sales volume. In practice, these are the dishes or drinks that make good money per sale but are ordered less often than stronger-performing items in the same menu section.

How to identify them

The standard method is menu engineering. You review item-level sales over a set period, calculate how much profit each item generates, and then compare that against how often the item sells.

• Pull sales data by item for a defined period, such as 30 or 90 days.
• Calculate contribution margin for each item by subtracting food or beverage cost from selling price.
• Rank items by sales volume within each category, such as starters, mains, desserts, or cocktails.
• Flag items that have above-average margin but below-average sales.

What operators usually look at next

Once those items are flagged, the next step is to understand why they are underperforming. In most restaurants, the cause is not the margin itself but visibility, naming, placement, or staff recommendation patterns.

• The item may be buried low on the menu or placed in a weak category position.
• The name or description may not clearly communicate value.
• The price may be acceptable, but guests may not immediately understand the portion, ingredients, or experience.
• Front-of-house teams may rarely mention or suggest it.

How it is typically improved

After identifying these items, operators usually test small changes rather than changing the recipe immediately. A better description, stronger placement, new photo, highlight label, or staff upselling script often improves sales without reducing margin.

For example, a café may find that a high-margin signature iced drink sells less than standard coffee options. Instead of discounting it, the team may move it higher on the digital drinks menu, add a more descriptive name, and label it as a house specialty.

Using digital menu systems to support the process

Digital menu systems make this work easier because items can be reviewed and adjusted quickly. Operators can refine descriptions, update visuals, mark featured products, and keep menu presentation more consistent across service periods or locations.

Use Menuviel to improve visibility for underperforming profitable items

With Menuviel's featured items, highlight labels, and centralized menu item management, restaurants can give high-margin but low-selling dishes better placement and clearer presentation without rebuilding the full menu. This is especially useful when testing stronger descriptions, adding item photos, or promoting a signature item across one or multiple digital menus.