Restaurant Consulting
Menu Innovation & Product Optimization
We design the future of food and help bold brands lead it.
Sage Against the Tagine provides restaurant consulting rooted in menu and product optimization — the controllable levers that drive measurable growth in today’s challenging market. With rising food costs, unpredictable labor, and evolving guest expectations, improving how a menu performs is one of the most effective ways to strengthen brand perception, increase margins, and grow frequency.
Common restaurant problem statments
We work with independent restaurants and hospitality groups to clarify what you sell, how it’s built, and how it performs in real kitchens and real markets. Our consulting blends culinary craft with commercial rigor, helping teams refine recipes, optimize pricing, and structure menus that work operationally and financially — not just look good on paper which is where the process often stops. Strategic decisions around dish placement, ingredient sourcing, and preparation flow can unlock margin without compromising identity.
Our process is collaborative and actionable. Consulting engagements begin with insight: understanding your goals, data, and constraints, and end with clear recommendations that operators can implement with confidence. Whether you’re tightening offerings, redesigning your menu architecture, testing new dishes, or seeking clearer alignment between kitchen operations and guest experience, our focus is on outcomes that move the needle.
Services include, but not limited to:
Strategic product innovation
Menu development, trial and rollout
Menu optimization and data analytics research
Menu marketing strategy
Strategic growth planning
Market immersion through Curated Strategic Culinary trend tours
Customer research and testing for concepts and product
Guest experience curation
Statistical and subjective sensory testing
Food safety procedure development
Food safety training and team onboarding
Restaurant HACCP plan creation
Operations and Supply chain optimization
Internal auditing on operations, food safety and menu execution
Streamlining operational procedures for labor efficiencies, operational ease and margin
Operational and culinary aids, recipe cards and training videos
Supplier sourcing
S&OP demand forecasting system implementation
If your challenge is improving performance through smarter menus and stronger products, restaurant consulting through menu and product optimization is where to start.
Contact us today for a free consultation on your next product innovation
Frequently Asked Questions:
What does a restaurant consultant do?
A restaurant consultant helps operators improve performance by analyzing menus, recipes, pricing, and operations. At Sage Against the Tagine, restaurant consulting focuses on menu and product optimization — refining what you sell, how it’s built, and how it performs financially and operationally.
How does menu optimization improve restaurant profitability?
Menu optimization improves profitability by identifying which dishes drive margin, which slow down service, and which dilute focus. Through menu structure, recipe refinement, and pricing strategy, restaurants can increase contribution margin, reduce waste, and improve throughput without raising costs across the board.
When should a restaurant hire a consultant?
Restaurants typically benefit most from consulting during moments of change: rising food costs, declining margins, menu refreshes, expansion planning, or operational strain. If your menu feels bloated, hard to execute, or misaligned with your goals, it’s often the right time to bring in outside expertise.
Is restaurant consulting only for struggling restaurants?
No. Many successful restaurants work with consultants proactively to tighten menus, improve efficiency, or prepare for growth. Consulting isn’t about fixing failure — it’s about making informed decisions before small issues become expensive ones.
What’s the difference between menu engineering and menu optimization?
Menu engineering focuses primarily on item performance and pricing. Menu optimization takes a broader view, incorporating recipe design, ingredient overlap, labor impact, workflow, and brand positioning — ensuring the menu works holistically, not just mathematically.
Do you work with independent restaurants or restaurant groups?
Both. We work with independent operators and hospitality groups, tailoring the approach based on scale, complexity, and growth goals. The common thread is a need for clearer menus, stronger products, and better alignment between kitchen reality and business strategy.
Do you help with recipe development as part of consulting?
Yes — recipe development is often part of menu and product optimization. Recipes are refined not just for flavor, but for consistency, cost control, execution, and scalability, ensuring they support both the guest experience and operational needs.
Is your restaurant consulting location-specific?
We work with restaurants nationally. While we’re based in the Washington DC area and understand the DMV market well, menu and product optimization consulting is not limited by geography and can be done effectively with both in-person and remote collaboration.