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Menu Rollout Playbook

New Item Launch: Smoked Brisket Sandwich

The Copper Kettle
Target Launch May 19, 2026 Timeline 7 weeks Window Mar 25 — May 19 Menu Price $19

Launch Timeline

W1 W2 W3 W4 W5 W6 W7
Mar 25 Apr 1 Apr 7 Apr 14 Apr 21 May 5 May 19
P0: Concept
P1: Recipe
P2: Cost
P3: Ops
P4: Train
P5: Soft Launch
P6: Full Launch
P3 spans Wk 3–4
P5 spans Wk 6–7
Concept Development Preparation Launch Monitor
Not Started
Gate:Menu gap confirmed by sales mix data AND concept fits brand identity
0

Concept Validation

Week 1 · Mar 25–Apr 1

Owner / GM
Progress 0 / 5
Not Started
Gate:Recipe passes blind taste test scoring 4.0+ on 5-point scale (flavor, texture, visual, portioning) with min 3 staff tasters AND plate cost is within target FC%
1

Recipe Development

Week 2 · Apr 1–7

Chef / Kitchen Mgr
Progress 0 / 8
Not Started
Gate:Final plate cost approved AND menu price confirmed AND margin meets target
2

Cost Engineering

Week 3 · Apr 7–14

Owner/GM + Consultant
Progress 0 / 9
Not Started
Gate:All stations can execute in under 4 minutes during mock service
3

Operations Prep

Weeks 3–4 · Apr 7–21

Kitchen Manager
Progress 0 / 6
Not Started
Gate:100% of service staff can describe dish, allergens, and suggest pairings
4

Staff Training

Week 5 · Apr 21–28

GM + FOH Manager
Progress 0 / 6
Not Started
Gate:3 consecutive days with <5% waste on new item AND avg ticket time <14 min
5

Soft Launch

Weeks 6–7 · Apr 28 – May 19

Full Team
Progress 0 / 7
Not Started
Gate:Item appears on permanent menu only if 30-day avg FC is within 2% of target
6

Full Launch + Monitor

Week 7+ · May 19 →

Owner / GM
Progress 0 / 6

Success Metrics

Financial Target

Plate Cost (food only)$6.50
Menu Price$19
Food Cost %34.2%
Fully Loaded Cost$9.50
True Margin (food+labor+OH)$9.50
Contribution Margin$12.50
Break-even Volume14 covers/wk

Weekly projection

$259/wk

21 covers x $12.33 margin

Operational Target

Ticket Time<12 min
Waste<5%
Prep Failures Post-TrainingZero

Guest Target

Feedback Score>4.2/5
Return Rate<3%

60-Day Goal

Top 5 seller

by sales mix %

0% 0 / 47

Overall Rollout Progress

Check boxes above to track progress. State persists in this browser session.

P0
P1
P2
P3
P4
P5
P6

Keep Building

From the Journal

Recipe Card Drift

New menu items need costed recipe cards. Here's what happens when nobody updates them for five months.

Read the post →
Tool

Food Cost Calculator

Calculate plate cost, food cost %, and contribution margin. Real-time math for menu pricing.

Try the calculator →
Guide

How to Cost Food

The complete guide to recipe costing, yield testing, waste factor, and perpetual food cost tracking.

Read the guide →

Know your real food cost?

Most operators are 2–4 points higher than they think. This tool catches the drift before your P&L does.

Send your menu to joe@myrecipecard.kitchen — I’ll send back what your numbers actually look like. No demo. No pitch. Just your menu, your math.