Menu Mix Percentage

Menu mix percentage is the share of total units sold represented by a particular menu item during a defined period. It shows which dishes are most popular by sales volume and is used in menu engineering, purchasing and production planning.

Menu mix formula

Menu mix percentage = Item units sold ÷ Total units sold in the same category × 100.

Worked example

If a restaurant sells 1,000 entrées during a period and 120 are salmon, the salmon menu mix is:

120 ÷ 1,000 × 100 = 12%.

How chefs and managers use menu mix

• Identify high-volume dishes and plan mise en place.
• Forecast ingredient purchasing and production quantities.
• Compare item popularity before and after a menu change.
• Combine popularity with contribution margin to assess menu performance.

Menu mix is not the same as sales revenue percentage. A high-priced item may represent a larger share of revenue than its share of units sold.

Chef’s tip: Compare menu mix over equivalent trading periods and separate categories where appropriate. A lunch entrée should not be compared directly with all food sales if the categories and sales volumes differ.

Key distinction: Menu mix measures the proportion of units sold; contribution margin measures the money earned from an item after its variable food cost.