Use AI to Find the Profitable Items on Your Menu

What AI is useful for here

The owner writes down three things: units sold, portion cost and price. Or simply taps Ask assistant inside the Menu engineering report in Ritapos. What comes back is the item to put forward. You do not need a long analysis, you need a decision you can use before service starts today.

Putting an item forward does not mean discounting it. Sometimes the waiter's suggestion changes, sometimes the QR menu description gets stronger, sometimes the order in the display case is rearranged. Changing prices hour by hour is not what this page is about.

The right item is not always your best seller. A dish that sells a lot but carries a heavy cost often just keeps you visible without earning the business much. A more balanced item, paired with the right add-on, can turn into a better table today.

The add-on is part of the output. When the main item goes forward, it comes with a suggested drink, dessert, sauce or small extra. That suggestion has to be something that is really on the menu, that the kitchen can send out, and that the waiter feels comfortable offering.

This is where leadership matters. The owner picks the item, but if the team does not know how to say it, the decision never reaches the floor. A short pre-service huddle is enough: today we put this item forward, we ask about this add-on with it, and we do not get into prices.

What information to give it

You do not need a big spreadsheet for this decision. A few real facts per item are enough. If those facts are right, the output becomes the owner's pre-service talk for today.

• Item name, product group and the part of service where you want it pushed today.
• A sample of units sold, and which date or shift it comes from.
• Portion cost, a recipe note or the cost figure the kitchen gives you.
• Menu price, plus a note that the price will not change today.
• Stock or prep limit: how many portions can the kitchen send out comfortably?
• Candidate add-ons: a drink, dessert, sauce, side or small extra.
• A short suggestion line the waiter can actually say.
• The owner's goal: profit, using up stock, speed of service, a balanced display case or guest satisfaction.

AI prompts

Pick today's featured item

The owner knows which item to talk about before service starts.

Role: You are an assistant who turns a menu engineering report into a restaurant owner's decision for the day.
Facts given: [item name], [units sold], [portion cost], [price], [stock level]
Do not: Do not give percentages, do not suggest dynamic pricing, do not make up cost figures that were not provided.
Output format: The item to feature, why it was chosen, and a short line for the waiter to say.

Add the right add-on

A single item suggestion becomes a real basket suggestion at the table.

Role: You are an operations consultant who picks a suitable add-on to go with a main item on a restaurant menu.
Facts given: [main item], [available add-on candidates], [stock], [service style]
Do not: Do not suggest items that are not on the menu, do not tie it to a discount, do not promise bigger portions.
Output format: The add-on, the question the waiter asks, and what to check with the kitchen.

Move a high-cost item to the back

The team stops blindly recommending an item that sells well but weighs on your margins.

Role: You are a menu consultant who reads portion cost and sales performance together.
Facts given: [item], [units sold], [portion cost], [price], [alternative item]
Do not: Do not say to remove the item from the menu, do not declare a definite loss, do not write percentage promises.
Output format: A caution note, the alternative to recommend, and the figure the owner should double-check.

Write the waiter's suggestion line

The decision becomes a natural line your team can say during service.

Role: You are a service manager who writes a table-side suggestion without overselling.
Facts given: [featured item], [add-on], [guest type], [part of service]
Do not: Do not use pushy sales language, do not make health claims, do not mention a promotion that does not exist.
Output format: The waiter's line, a short alternative, and a phrase they should avoid.

Sharpen the QR menu description

The featured item shows up on screen in a way the guest immediately understands.

Role: You are a menu editor who makes a QR menu description clearer without putting sales pressure on the guest.
Facts given: [item name], [ingredients], [prep note], [reason for featuring it]
Do not: Do not change the price, do not add ingredients, do not write bold health claims.
Output format: A short description, a line suggesting the add-on, and a question to confirm with the kitchen.

What to do when the answer runs long

This guide is not about dynamic pricing. Instead of changing an item's price every hour, it looks at which item is worth recommending more deliberately today at the current price. For a restaurant owner, that is the quick and practical part.

There should be one output: which item goes forward and what gets offered with it. If the answer turns into five different promotions, the team is confused before service even begins. A good decision is clear enough for a waiter to say in one sentence.

If you do not know the portion cost, the decision may have to wait. In that case, ask the kitchen for a cost note first, then go back to the report. Choosing an item on a made-up cost just means selling the wrong item very well.

An add-on is not about forcing an extra sale at the till. It is about offering, at the right moment, something the guest might want anyway and the kitchen can send out. That is why the drink, dessert or sauce always comes from the real menu.

Use it with control forms and leadership

When you explain the item decision to your team, keep them involved. To run a better pre-service huddle, have a look at the democratic leadership guide.

You do not need to invent a new checklist for weekly follow-up. If you would rather work with what you already have, use the weekly manager checklist.

Sample output

The figures are examples. You fill in the form or the report yourself.

• Input: [Lentil soup, sold 38, portion cost 12, price 70.]
• Input: [Grilled chicken, sold 21, portion cost 58, price 210.]
• Output: [Feature the lentil soup today and offer a small salad with it.]
• Waiter line: [Our soup is fresh today, would you like a salad with it?]
• Check: [How many times was the add-on offered by the end of service?]

An item will not move if the team does not understand the decision. For a short pre-service talk, open the democratic leadership guide.

Do not bury the follow-up under paperwork. If you need to, add a single line to the weekly manager checklist.