Drinks menu contribution matrix
Compare three drinks in the same menu category and trading period. Find the difference between a drink that sells often and a drink that contributes most cash.
How does the menu matrix work?
Popularity is each drink’s serves compared with the three-drink average. Contribution is revenue minus ingredient cost per serve, compared with the sales-weighted average contribution. The calculator labels both dimensions and shows total ingredient contribution for each drink.
What are the benchmarks in the example?
Drinks A, B and C sell 100, 40 and 120 serves. Their average is 86.67 serves, and their sales-weighted contribution is £1,870 ÷ 260 = £7.19 per serve. A is above both benchmarks. B is below average popularity but above average contribution. C is above average popularity but below average contribution.
These are declared comparison rules, not universal industry thresholds. Equality counts as at or above average. The tool compares only three entered drinks with recorded sales; it is not an automated full-menu optimisation model. Review zero-sales items separately for availability and days on the menu.
What should I do with each result?
- Higher popularity, higher contribution: protect availability and recipe consistency.
- Higher popularity, lower contribution: check measures, purchasing costs and discounts.
- Lower popularity, higher contribution: test description, placement and staff recommendations.
- Lower popularity, lower contribution: review the drink’s purpose before removing it.
Why is contribution weighted by sales?
Weighting answers what the average sold serve contributes. An unweighted average answers what the average menu item contributes, regardless of sales. Both can be useful, but switching between them can move a drink into a different quadrant. This calculator states and keeps one rule.
Use realised revenue on the same tax basis as recipe costs. Discounts, current supplier prices and usable yields matter. Contribution excludes labour and overheads: a labour-intensive cocktail may have a strong ingredient contribution and still constrain a busy station.
Read next
Read the menu engineering guide, check a recipe with the pour-cost calculator, and connect the decision to your bar operating margin.