Menu Engineering with Meat: How to Build Dishes That Actually Make You Money

It’s no secret that meat is often the star (and most costly) ingredient on your menu — but are you using it to your advantage?

In a high-pressure kitchen or catering business, profit isn’t just about selling a dish — it’s about how well that dish performs. Smart chefs and foodservice operators are turning to menu engineering to make sure every cut counts.

In this post, we’ll break down how to use wholesale meat wisely across your menu to reduce waste, maximise margins, and keep customers coming back for more.

What Is Menu Engineering (and Why Should You Care)?

Menu engineering is the practice of:

• Analysing food costs vs. sales volume

• Categorising menu items by profitability and popularity

• Making strategic decisions to improve margin and movement

In short: it helps you sell more of the right dishes and make better money doing it.

Step 1: Know Your Meat Costs (Down to the Gram)

Start with the true cost per portion — not just per kilo.

Example:You buy beef scotch fillet at $28/kg.A 250g steak costs you $7. Add seasoning, fat trimming, and labour? You’re closer to $8.50–$9 before sides.

Understanding the full picture lets you price with confidence.

Step 2: Categorise Your Dishes

Once you know your costs and selling prices, group your menu items into four types:

Category	What it Means	Strategy
Stars	High profit, high popularity	Promote and protect
Puzzles	High profit, low popularity	Rework or reposition
Plowhorses	Low profit, high popularity	Portion smarter, up-sell sides
Dogs	Low profit, low popularity	Replace or rework

Your goal? Turn Plowhorses into Stars and cut the Dogs loose.

Step 3: Use Cuts That Work Harder

Some cuts do more than just look pretty on a plate. Here are a few hard-working wholesale favourites:

• Beef brisket: Low cost, high yield, great for low-and-slow cooking. Ideal for sliders, bowls, or loaded fries.

• Chicken thigh: Juicier and cheaper than breast — great in curries, wraps, or skewers.

• Lamb shoulder: Ideal for roasts, shredding, and batch cooking. Use it across tacos, pastas, or pies.

• Pork belly: High perceived value, excellent with smart plating. A little goes a long way.

Tip: Cross-utilise proteins. One bulk order, many menu applications.

Step 4: Plate for Perception, Not Just Portion

Customers eat with their eyes. That means:

• Thinly sliced beef with vibrant veg looks generous — but keeps meat weight (and cost) low.

• Using bones (e.g. lamb cutlets, tomahawks) adds value perception without increasing meat weight.

• Topping salads or bowls with small portions of premium meat boosts margin and presentation.

Small tweaks = big impact.

Step 5: Watch Your Waste

The best menu ideas fail when you over-trim or under-utilise.

• Save trimmings for mince, burgers, stocks or pies

• Convert offcuts into value-added items like skewers, meatballs or staff meals

• Rotate slower-selling proteins into weekly specials

Good portion control and cross-use reduce wastage and help you get the most from your wholesale meat orders.

Bonus Tip: Lean on Your Supplier

Your wholesale meat supplier should be more than a delivery service — they’re a partner.

Ask them for:

• Custom portioning

• Market updates on price trends

• Advice on alternative cuts or lesser-known proteins

At a La Carte Meats, we work with chefs and foodservice teams every day to help them engineer smarter menus with perfectly portioned, quality meat.

Menu engineering isn't about cutting corners — it's about working smarter with what you’ve got. By understanding your true meat costs, leveraging versatile cuts, and designing dishes with both flavour and finance in mind, you can build a menu that feeds people and your bottom line.

Need help sourcing the right cuts for a high-performance menu? We supply premium wholesale meats portioned to your specs — ready to roll, with no waste. Get in touch to talk custom solutions.