THE NUMBERS, EXPLAINED
How to use this calculator.
Compares one competing menu group. High popularity means sales share strictly above 70% of equal-share expectation; high contribution means unit contribution strictly above sales-weighted average. Equal thresholds are classified low.
Start with your inputs
Enter item units sold, selling prices, variable costs per item. Keep amounts in the units shown on each field. The example is a starting point, not a recommended value.
| Input | Example value |
|---|---|
| Item units sold | 100,50,10 |
| Selling prices | 10,12,15 |
| Variable costs per item | 6,5,5 |
A worked example
With the example inputs above, unit contribution by item is 4, 7, 10. Change the inputs to explore your own scenario.
| Result | Example answer |
|---|---|
| Unit contribution by item | 4, 7, 10 |
| Sales-weighted average unit contribution | 5.3125 |
| Popularity/contribution quadrant by item | High popularity / low contribution, High popularity / high contribution, Low popularity / high contribution |
How this is calculated
Unit contribution by item
Subtract variable cost from selling price for each item.
Sales-weighted average unit contribution
Divide total contribution by total items sold.
Popularity/contribution quadrant by item
Compare sales share and unit contribution with the stated group benchmarks.
Symbols and units
- a
- Item units sold
- b
- Selling prices
- c
- Variable costs per item
Use the units shown. A list keeps the order in which you enter its values. The symbol ^ means “raised to the power of”.
Assumptions and limits
Compares one competing menu group. High popularity means sales share strictly above 70% of equal-share expectation; high contribution means unit contribution strictly above sales-weighted average. Equal thresholds are classified low.
Calculations use the values you enter. Blank or invalid inputs show an error instead of silently substituting zero. Results are displayed to useful precision; calculations retain the underlying numeric precision.
Questions about this tool
What does the result tell me?
Unit contribution by item; Sales-weighted average unit contribution; Popularity/contribution quadrant by item. The result applies to the method and inputs described above. Check the units and assumptions before using it in a decision.
Why might another calculator differ?
Differences in units, rounding, timing or model definitions can produce different answers. Compare the input definitions and the method, rather than only the final number. For this tool: Compares one competing menu group. High popularity means sales share strictly above 70% of equal-share expectation; high contribution means unit contribution strictly above sales-weighted average. Equal thresholds are classified low.
Are my inputs stored or sent to AI?
Calculations on this page happen in your browser. The separate AI question finder sends its submitted conversation to OpenAI; these calculator fields are not sent. Favourites and recent tool names are stored locally. A shared link contains the inputs you choose to include.
Further reading
LeBruto, Ashley and Quain: Using the contribution margin aspect of menu engineering ↗
Background reading; this does not imply endorsement or independent review of SumFizz.
Review status
Software example and browser checks are recorded in our quality report. No external expert review is claimed. Created with coding assistance; calculations run as ordinary browser code.
Read the quality report →