Menu audit & health scoring
Understand your menu health score and act on improvement tips.
Menu health score
Every menu in MenuSquared has a health score from 0 to 100. This score reflects how well-structured, complete, and optimized your menu is from a hospitality best-practices perspective.
You can see your health score in the Sous Chef panel's Health tab. The score updates in real time as you add content, fill in descriptions, and fix issues.
How scoring works
The health score is calculated locally in your browser based on several factors:
- Item completeness: Items with names, prices, and descriptions score higher than incomplete ones. Missing prices heavily penalize the score.
- Description coverage: The percentage of items that have descriptions. Menus with 100% description coverage get a significant bonus.
- Section balance: Sections with a reasonable number of items (not too few, not too many) score better.
- Pricing spread: A healthy range of prices across sections indicates good variety and anchoring.
- Dietary tags: Items with appropriate dietary flags help guests make informed choices.
Tip: Aim for 80+
A score of 80 or above indicates a well-constructed menu. Focus on the tips provided. The highest-impact improvements are always listed first.
Actionable tips
Below your health score, the Sous Chef panel shows specific tips to improve your menu. Each tip includes:
- Category badge: Content, Placement, or Structure. Tells you what kind of improvement it is.
- Description: A clear explanation of the issue and why it matters.
- Action link: Click to jump directly to the affected item or section in the editor.
Tips are prioritized by impact. Fixing the top tips first will improve your score the most.
Deep Dive analysis
For a more thorough analysis, use the Deep Dive feature in the Health tab. This sends your menu to the AI for a full audit that goes beyond the basic health score:
- Structural insights: Suggestions for reordering sections, splitting large sections, or combining small ones.
- Content suggestions: Specific items that would benefit from better descriptions, highlights, or repositioning.
- Strategic recommendations: Higher-level advice about menu engineering, like which items to feature or promote.
Deep Dive results complement the standard health score tips with deeper, AI-powered insights.
Tips & frequently asked questions
My score dropped after adding items. Why?
New items start without descriptions or prices, which lowers the overall completeness score. Fill in the details and your score will climb back up.
Is 100 the goal?
Reaching 100 is possible but not always necessary. The score is a guide, not a grade. A well-structured menu that serves your restaurant's needs is more important than a perfect number.