What's the difference between a Plowhorse and a Puzzle?

A Plowhorse sells a lot but each sale contributes little profit. A Puzzle is the opposite: high profit per sale, but not many people order it. The fix for each is different — raise margin on Plowhorses, raise popularity on Puzzles.

How is 'popular' defined?

An item is popular if its share of total units sold is at least 70% of what it would get under a perfectly even split across every dish on the menu. With 10 dishes, an even split is 10% each, so the popularity threshold is 7%.

What counts as 'contribution margin' here?

Price minus cost, per dish — the cash amount each sale actually contributes toward covering fixed costs and profit, not a percentage. The average it's compared against is weighted by units sold, not a simple average across dishes.

Should I actually remove every Dog?

Not automatically. Some Dogs earn their place — a loss-leader that draws in a group, or a dish that unlocks other higher-margin orders. Menu engineering is a starting point for a conversation, not an automatic delete button.

Does this calculator store or send my data anywhere?

No — all calculations run locally in your browser; nothing is saved or transmitted.

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Menu Engineering Calculator

Enter price, cost and units sold for each dish and see which ones are Stars, Plowhorses, Puzzles or Dogs — the classic method for deciding what to keep, fix, or cut. Free, no signup.

Menu mix summary

Star

Plowhorse

Puzzle

Dog

The method comes from Kasavana and Smith's 1982 menu engineering model at Michigan State University. A dish counts as popular if its sales mix is at least 70% of what an equal split across the menu would produce, and profitable if its contribution margin — price minus cost — is at or above the volume-weighted average across the whole menu.

What Stars, Plowhorses, Puzzles and Dogs actually mean

Each category calls for a different fix — the mistake is treating every underperforming dish the same way.

Star — profitable and popular. Leave it alone; its popularity can often absorb a small price increase.
Plowhorse — popular but not very profitable. Keep it, but look for ways to raise its contribution margin without losing volume.
Puzzle — profitable but not very popular. Keep it, and try to raise its popularity — better menu placement, a server recommendation, a clearer description — without cutting its margin.
Dog — neither profitable nor popular. A strong candidate to rework or remove at your next menu revision, unless it serves another purpose.

Frequently asked questions

What's the difference between a Plowhorse and a Puzzle?: A Plowhorse sells a lot but each sale contributes little profit. A Puzzle is the opposite: high profit per sale, but not many people order it. The fix for each is different — raise margin on Plowhorses, raise popularity on Puzzles.
How is 'popular' defined?: An item is popular if its share of total units sold is at least 70% of what it would get under a perfectly even split across every dish on the menu. With 10 dishes, an even split is 10% each, so the popularity threshold is 7%.
What counts as 'contribution margin' here?: Price minus cost, per dish — the cash amount each sale actually contributes toward covering fixed costs and profit, not a percentage. The average it's compared against is weighted by units sold, not a simple average across dishes.
Should I actually remove every Dog?: Not automatically. Some Dogs earn their place — a loss-leader that draws in a group, or a dish that unlocks other higher-margin orders. Menu engineering is a starting point for a conversation, not an automatic delete button.
Does this calculator store or send my data anywhere?: No — all calculations run locally in your browser; nothing is saved or transmitted.

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