Recruiter's Glossary

Examples: ServSafe Certification • Food Transport Protocol • Mobile Payment Systems

Menu Engineering

Term from Street Food Vending industry explained for recruiters

Menu Engineering is a way of planning and designing menus to increase sales and profits in food businesses. It's like being a smart architect for food menus - analyzing which dishes make the most money, how to arrange items on the menu to catch customers' attention, and deciding the best prices. This includes studying what sells well, what's most profitable, and how to describe food in a way that makes customers want to buy it. Similar terms used in the industry are "menu optimization" or "menu analysis." This skill is particularly important in food trucks and street food venues where space and ingredients are limited, so every menu item needs to earn its place.

Examples in Resumes

Increased food truck profits by 30% through Menu Engineering and strategic item placement

Applied Menu Engineering techniques to optimize pricing and food costs

Created high-profit menu layouts using Menu Engineering and Menu Analysis principles

Typical job title: "Menu Engineers"

Also try searching for:

Menu Consultant Food Cost Analyst Menu Optimization Specialist Restaurant Menu Designer Food Service Consultant Menu Development Manager

Where to Find Menu Engineers

Professional Associations

Online Resources

Industry Networks

Example Interview Questions

Senior Level Questions

Q: How would you develop a menu engineering strategy for a food truck with limited storage space?

Expected Answer: Look for answers that discuss analyzing food costs, storage requirements, prep time, and profit margins. Should mention strategies for menu item cross-utilization and seasonal menu adjustments.

Q: How do you measure the success of menu engineering changes?

Expected Answer: Should discuss tracking sales data, profit margins, customer feedback, and food waste reduction. Should mention specific metrics like item popularity versus profitability.

Mid Level Questions

Q: What factors do you consider when pricing menu items?

Expected Answer: Should explain food cost percentage, market research, competitor pricing, and customer perceived value. Should mention the importance of balancing profitability with customer satisfaction.

Q: How do you reduce food waste through menu engineering?

Expected Answer: Should discuss ingredient cross-utilization, proper portion control, inventory management, and menu item selection based on ingredient shelf life.

Junior Level Questions

Q: What is menu psychology and how does it affect sales?

Expected Answer: Should explain basic concepts like item placement on menu, price presentation, and descriptive language that attracts customers.

Q: How do you calculate food cost percentage?

Expected Answer: Should be able to explain the basic formula: (ingredient cost / selling price) x 100, and why this calculation matters for menu pricing.