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What most companies are doing (and why it's wrong)

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Most restaurant chains still rely on outdated, intuition-based menu development.

Chefs, marketing managers, or franchisees pitch new menu items based on anecdotal trends, personal tastes, or incomplete customer feedback.

Menu changes are slow, expensive, and often misaligned with what customers actually want.

More dangerously, decisions are made without understanding profitability by item, emerging dietary trends, or consumer sentiment shifts.

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What it means for their business (worst-case scenario)

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Launching unsuccessful menu items damages a brand in several ways:

• Wasted inventory for items that don't sell
• Operational confusion (training staff on unpopular SKUs)
• Marketing dollars lost promoting dead products
• Customer disappointment (negative brand experience)

Worst-case: multiple failed menu launches lead to stagnant sales growth, demotivated teams, and reputational decline as competitors better match consumer demand.