10 Most Profitable Restaurant Menu Items

Restaurants need to make sure the food on their menu not only tastes good but also helps the business make a profit. Unfortunately, these two things don’t always go together. If you’re looking for guidance, this list of the 10 most profitable restaurant menu items will help you develop dishes that’ll not only make hungry customers happy but also improve your bottom line.

Marked-Up Beverages

With an average gross profit margin of 85%, it’s no secret that restaurants make a lot of money off drinks. This is especially true with fountain drinks since each serving that’s sold for a dollar or more contains only a few cents-worth of syrup. The markup on alcohol is high as well, so be sure to put profitable mixed drinks like rum and coke or Long Island Iced Tea on your menu, too.

Simple Sides

Whether it’s steamed rice, French fries or chopped salad, basic side dishes that are inexpensive to make can be very profitable if sold at the right price. If your restaurant serves more elaborate sides like gourmet mac and cheese or vegetable rice pilaf, a RestaurantBusinessOnline.com article on driving profits with side dishes suggests selling them a-la-cart at a good markup.

Low-Prep Items

Considering the restaurant staffing crisis, establishments can increase profitability by serving dishes that don’t require much prep work. From meat and cheese plates to pasta with olive oil and grated cheese, these menu items can be made quickly with minimal labor, not only streamlining kitchen operations but also lowering labor costs.

Upsold Add-Ons

Upselling customers is a good way to increase restaurant revenue. So, be sure to encourage customers to spend more on what they’re already ordering by giving diners the option of turning fries into cheese fries, apple pie into pie à la mode or cheese pizza into pepperoni for a few extra dollars: just make sure you have a good markup on the add-on.

Upselling add-ons to existing menu items, such as turning a slice of pie into pie à la mode, can give you a very nice profit margin.

Pairs & Combos

In addition to dishes with extras, some of the most profitable restaurant menu items include those that can be promoted with a complementary item that’s simple but has a high markup. Dessert and coffee or pizza and breadsticks are good examples, so offering the former at your café or the latter at your pizzeria can make you more money than selling dessert or pizza alone.

High-Value Dishes

Adding spices to pizza dough or using organic flour in pasta may only cost a few extra dollars, but it makes the dish special in the minds of customers, allowing you to increase the markup. Also, don’t underestimate the power of using words such as “fresh,” “rustic” or “artisanal” in the menu description since strong adjectives can increase the perceived value of an item, too.

Waste-Minimizing Meals

Some of the most profitable restaurant menu items are those that repurpose leftovers. Vegetable scraps and meat trimmings can be used in soup, and dry bread can be transformed into bread pudding. If you specialize in vegan menu items, consider offering curries since the strong flavor and saucy texture make leftover vegetable bits blend into the dish perfectly.

Soups and stews are some of the most profitable restaurant menu items because they can be made cheaply with scraps and trimmings from other dishes.

Nose-to-Tail Dining

Similar to minimizing waste, nose-to-tail dining refers to the practice of using all parts of an animal, not just the high-value cuts. For instance, saving beef bones for marrow, seafood shells to make stock or chicken gizzards for dressing/stuffing are all great ways to use all of the animal and add to your menu without buying additional ingredients.

Menu Star Classics

Although low-prep items like charcuterie boards and waste-minimizing dishes like soup-du-jour can be profitable, it’s important to not forget about money-making classics. Known as “menu stars” in the restaurant industry, items like burgers, pizza and mac and cheese are both popular and profitable, so be sure to include them on your menu, even if doing so may seem cliché.

Breakfast & Brunch

As explained in a ReviewJournal.com article, breakfast and brunch items are very profitable since pancakes and waffles are made with simple batters and egg omelets are often sold for double what it would cost to make them at home. Don’t forget about mimosas: promoting these high-margin drinks will draw customers into your restaurant who will order other items.