Restaurant menu engineering and food photography
Menu engineering means deciding which dishes to promote, reprice, simplify or remove, based on how often each sells and what it earns after ingredient cost. AETR's Menu Audit takes 5–7 business days and sorts dishes into stars, workhorses, puzzles and dogs. The photoshoot is ₹15,000 + GST, covering 8 hours at your outlet and up to 100 edited photos.
Menu and photo services
Menu Audit
We analyse sales and contribution margin for every item, review your prices, look for combos and bundles worth adding, and flag dishes that add kitchen complexity without paying for it. You get a menu engineering matrix with clear pricing and mix recommendations.
5–7 business days See the serviceProfessional Food & Ambiance Photoshoot
A full 8-hour shoot at your outlet covering your dishes, the dining space and the interiors, with food styling direction on the day and editing afterwards. You receive up to 100 finished high-resolution images as digital files.
₹15,000 + GST See the serviceMarketplace Audit
When the new menu and photos are live, find out how well each outlet's Zomato and Swiggy listing turns people who view it into orders.
5–7 business days See the serviceSocial Media & Branding
Posts, reels and creatives every month, so your social channels get the same care as your delivery listings.
From ₹25,000 + GST / month See the serviceThe photoshoot package covers still images only. Anything beyond that, such as video, reels, more images or extra hours, is quoted separately. A Menu Audit needs your recipe costs; without them we can see what sells, but not what each dish actually earns.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is menu engineering, in simple terms?
It means looking at every item on your menu for two things, how well it sells and how much it earns, and then choosing what to promote, reprice, simplify or drop. Dishes usually fall into four groups: stars sell well and earn well, workhorses sell well on a thinner margin, puzzles earn well but sell less, and dogs do neither.
What do I need to share for a Menu Audit?
Your item-level sales data and the ingredient cost of each item. Recipe costs matter because they let us calculate each dish's true contribution margin rather than just its share of sales. The audit takes 5–7 business days, and the price is scoped according to the size of your menu and confirmed on a short call.
How much does the food photoshoot cost, and what is included?
It is ₹15,000 + GST for a single 8-hour slot at your outlet. That covers food styling direction, shots of your dishes and of the ambiance and interiors, and post-production editing. You receive as many as 100 edited, high-resolution photos as digital files, ready for your delivery listings, menu and social channels.
How soon can you shoot, and when will I get the photos?
We schedule the shoot within 1–2 weeks of your booking. Once the shoot is done, the edited images reach you within 5–7 business days. If you are planning a menu launch or a listing refresh, it helps to book with that timeline in mind so the photos are ready when the new menu goes live.
Can you shoot more than 100 photos, or make videos and reels too?
Yes, as extras. More images or a longer slot can be added, and we quote that based on what you need. The photo package doesn't include video or reels, so any video work, including a one-off request, is scoped and priced separately from the ₹15,000 + GST shoot.
People view my listing but don't order. Is it the menu or the photos?
It could be either, or your prices. Compare your photos, dish descriptions and prices with similar listings near you. When views are healthy but orders are not, you are looking at a conversion problem, which is exactly what the Menu Audit and the photoshoot are meant to address. If you can't see the cause in your own dashboard, a Marketplace Audit compares conversion outlet by outlet.
Will menu engineering definitely increase my orders?
We can't promise a number. The outcome depends on your brand and the market you sell in. What the Menu Audit gives you is a clear view of which dishes make money and which only look busy, along with specific pricing and mix changes, so the decisions you take next are based on your own figures.
Related guides, services and insights
Zomato and Swiggy account management for restaurants and cloud kitchens
AETR is a Gurugram restaurant consultancy that runs Zomato and Swiggy accounts for restaurants, cafés and cloud kitchens in India.
Read the guide Marketing & brandingRestaurant marketing, branding and social media management
AETR manages restaurant social media and branding month by month (posts, reels, creatives, brand direction and page management) from ₹25,000 + GST a month, with scope agreed at a kickoff call.
Read the guide Running the BusinessMenu Engineering for a New Zomato or Swiggy Delivery Menu
A 2026 RetailPOS guide argues that a delivery menu should be sorted and priced before the listing goes live, not tidied up months later.
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Toast's menu pricing guide works from cost data upwards: the core formulas, prime cost, the main pricing models and the psychology that shapes what a guest pays.
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Three programmes run through the Swiggy Owner app, each aimed at a different gap in how smaller restaurants operate and how they appear on the platform.
2 min readWant a menu that sells the dishes that pay?
Send us your current menu and tell us which platforms you sell on. We'll confirm what a Menu Audit would look at for you and which data we'd need.
Let's Transform Your Restaurant's Success Together
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