Most Profitable Item On Menu?

I recently went for a job interview for a chef's position at a private club. The manager asked me what I thought the most profitable item was on the menu. I had only glanced at the menu, but knew it was a typical club-type menu; Sanwiches, salads, steaks, seafood. Period. I said it was probably what he sold the most of. Another club I worked at sold more NY strip steaks than anything else. So that was our most profitable item. He didn't like my answer, I didn't get the job. I also didn't know how to "cost." I only ordered from the lowest priced suppliers. I'm going on another interview tomorrow. Hints, tips, comments would be greatly appreciated.

Welcome to the party! You've come to the right place for answeres and opinions. First off, the item you sell most is not neccesarily the most profitable. It is possibly a mid-range seller with a huge markup, such as a chicken breast, or a sandwich. I'd advise you to check out some basic foods books to brush up on the fundamentals of food management. Check out the book forum here. There is also a thread on EP & AP that you should take a look at, I just don't remember where it is, but Nicko's great site has a good search option, so you should be able to find it. Costing is an important part of the chef's job. How much did we but it for, how much did we spend in labor to prep it, what food cost percentage is management shooting for. These are the things that seperate the successful from the rest. Good Luck!!

Hi Jeni,
I just started cooking school this month so I'm not an expert by any stretch of the imagination. However, one of my teachers said that the items that restaurants want to push the most are usually listed on the upper right side of the menu (that's where customers look first). If they want to push it it's probably because it's cheap to make or has the highest markup. Doesn't work all the time so be sure to read other related threads but it's worth a look nonetheless. Good luck!

I would think that the most profitable item on just about any menu would be some of the beverages like coffee, tea, or pop. Charge a fortune; very little prep time. My guess would be iced tea.

[Greg]

Actually, coffee and/or hot tea probably are the best for net profit for a single serving, depending on the quality. The mark-up is very high (a product cost in single digits is normal) to make up for the cost of free refills. Here's the thread Campchef mentioned ( you can find it in "The Inside Scoop"): http://www.cheftalkcafe.com/ubb/Forum3/HTML/000284.html
Personally, I don't usually take labor into account when costing because it's a variable. Different people with different skill levels can take more (or less) time to prep the same item. Add to that the fact that the cost of the food charged to you by purveyors also fluctuate and you have too many variables in the equation. To expound on Campchefs post: When the manager asked you what was most profitable, she/he meant net profit ($ amt. made after subtracting costs incurred to prepare an item), not gross profit ($ amt. of total sales of an item before costs). BTW, it's almost never going to be steak, which has a notoriously high food cost most of the time. Good luck on your interview and be prepared!

Hey Everyone...Thanks for your thoughtful replies. Looks like I have a bit of work to do. Now I know why some of the chefs I used to work with were always so busy with paperwork!

Everyone has excellent answers to your questions, I have one to add. Perhaps one of the most popular while most profitable dishes are those containing pasta.. especially when they are dinner special type pastas using scraps from fish fillets or extra vegetables. Pasta is cheap, not very labor intensive, and an icon in restaurants. Pasta rocks.

[Nick.Shu]

probably the best answer would of been: Show me your supplier costs and we will take it from there.

Why, because supply costs alter from place to place, depending on many factors like, suppliers, quality, availability and the such.

A good example is coca cola. Sometimes the suppliers can better give deals on the product than the manufacturer themselves.

It may of been prudent to base the knowledge on what you have already seen, but by the same token, if you based your costs on, say your school, you have to ask your self questions like, "does this establishment get the same volume discount as the the school, are they requesting the same quality etc.

It isnt that hard to work costings based on specific items and basing that on a generic or standard item weight.

In the case you described, a private club, the most profitable item would most likely be bar drinks. In some clubs these are the only profitable items. I have sold to clubs that had up to a 60% food cost but were supported by dues.

Pasta specials on the menu are generally a good utilization of product(fish, meat, etc.)also stews and soups. Our "house soup" in one place I worked was made from trimmed beef tenderloin chains. It was a low cost menu item but was a better seller then a lot of other categories[entrees, desserts, salads]. Another thing to keep in mind is that buying the lowest cost item from a vendor is not always the best answer... labor cost for more prep time, more waste or lower yields are reasons that a "chef" today has to work a calculator as good as a knife. Good luck on your next interview!

You got me thinking in the right direction. Never would have thought of bar drinks as the most profitable item, but it makes sense. I'm wondering about foods that are already prepared and delivered. One place I worked paid under $20. for a whole cheesecake, and charged 3.50 per slice. You could get 10-15 slices out of it. It was a huge seller, and there was no prep time other than to defrost slice, and garnish.

[mac.caligrill]

Thanks for the advice and helpful words all

[Jayme]

Salad is another frequently low cost item, frequently about a 9% item. I agree that liquor is probably a great answer- that is why servers are encouraged to push additional alcohol. Unusual interview question- unless this is a management position......

[shadowchef]

unusual question, but a great one at that. no offense to anyone here but asking a question like that can tell the hiring person if the chef knows much about food cost and profit. pastas as said have one of the greatest profit margins for income. your answer of "whatever sells the most" can be true but not always. that all depends on what is ordered from night to night. the answer he was looking for was probably based on "if i only sold one of each, which would have the highest profit margin alone" just my 2 cent. but thats what i think when i ask that question.

[Panonthefire]

the most profitable item on the menu will be the one with the lowest food cost.
I have a lamb shank that cost me 5,00$ with the sauce and veggies. I sell it for 26$. I make 21$ on every sell. I also have to deduct labor cost and energy cost. But I still make 21$ on every sell.

I have a filet mignon that cost me 8,50$ with sauce and veggie. I sell it at 28$. I make 19,50$ on every sell.

The lamb is the most profitable one because I make more money every time I sell one even if the price is lower than the filet mignon.

good luck with your interview.