How can you use menu engineering to create a profitable seafood menu?

With price inflation remaining high across the board, now is the perfect time to be working closely with your suppliers & understanding where you can find the best value. Looking at under appreciated cuts like cheeks or collar or alongside exploring new varieties of fish is a great place to start. There are some really versatile but often overlooked species like Tilapia for example that make for a brilliant classic fish & chips. Don't be afraid also to explore sharing items, perhaps whole fish or blends of cheaper & more expensive cuts used together in a recipe. This allows you to spread the price across multiple covers & offers better value to consumers.

How do you know how properly cost your menu if you are not up to date on your cost. Example 16-20 shrimp, you assume that each pound of shrimp will be 16 each of shrimp, if they are all 20 each you are just adding a little more to the bottom line

The general principle here is correct & is a great way to lose the tail end of sales with your "dogs". That said, when approaching new menu items, the best thing is to ensure you've got an even balance on the menu with nothing going to waste. It's fine to have lower profit items if they are off cuts from something you don't need. To flip it on it's head, these off cuts might be where you make your profit so you can afford to have popular fillets on the menu too. When it comes to fish i think embracing daily specials is a great way to explore new cuts & dishes on your menu. By doing this you can then reflect back on which performed best with some robust numbers behind it.

Again, i don't think dogs need to be downplayed, if they bring no enthusiasm or profit then you're better off not wasting your energy on them. Focus on promoting your best dishes and use social media to drive engagement & awareness. When it comes to balancing dishes with some classics for your more conservative guests just remember that they probably aren't worried about how great it looks or how creative you've been. For those types of customers it's about offering them quality & value. That doesn't mean it can't be interesting, small tweaks on dishes can make a big difference & really elevate the mundane. If you're struggling to be create then engage an innovation consultant for some help.

When it comes to seafood, fresh & local is always best but not always practical. If you're a multisite operator or working in a central development team then try to be creative in your procurement. Different cuts or species is your best opportunity to find something new & sustainable. There's also some great inspiration in books like "the whole fish cookbook" by Josh Niland exploring creative butchery. Fallow restaurant in London have fully embraced this with their Cods head & Sriracha butter dish. An overlooked cut & something in abundance but often wasted. They've taken that & elevated it whilst tackling a waste problem head on. Taking this a step on, finding another species & using the whole fish is really sustainable.

My parting advise is not to worry too much about always naming the fish. Sometimes, just calling something "Fish & chips" is ok. You can always communicate that this changes in line with seasons & what's best quality. Sometimes having new species on the menu can scare off customers but if the dish works, don't worry about having to justify it up front, let the dish win them over!