Start from cost
Cost every dish, then set a starting price from your target food-cost percentage: dish cost ÷ target percentage. A dish costing 4.00 at a 30% target starts around 13.30. This gives you a disciplined floor for every item.
Then adjust for value and the market
- Check each price against what guests expect to pay for that item.
- Some dishes can carry a higher margin (drinks, sides); others are value anchors.
- Look at comparable venues, but price for your own positioning, not theirs.
Use a little psychology
- Avoid long, aligned price columns that invite price-shopping.
- Keep prices clean and unobtrusive next to the dish description.
- Place high-margin items where the eye naturally lands.
Balance the whole menu
Don't price each dish in isolation. Aim for a healthy blended margin across the menu, using menu engineering to feature profitable favourites and rework the items that drag.