Pricing

Omnes' rules

Check whether your menu prices are well spread between cheap, medium and expensive.

What it is and why it matters

Once prices are set, the menu should be spread harmoniously between cheap, medium and expensive items, with suitable options for your customers.

Omnes' rules are four commercial principles: price proportionality, item count per zone, fit between offered and demanded prices, and where to place the daily special.

The formula

Proportionality: most expensive price ≤ 2 to 3 × cheapest price
Width of each zone = (most expensive − cheapest) ÷ 3
Balanced menu: half of the items in the medium zone and a quarter at each end
Average ticket within ±10% of the average menu price
Daily special in the medium price zone

What each value means

Average menu price: The sum of all menu prices divided by the number of items.
Average ticket: What customers pay on average.
Zones: Three ranges of the same width: cheap, medium and expensive.

Step by step

Find the cheapest and the most expensive price, and compare the ratio between them.
Split the difference into three equal zones.
Count how many items fall into each zone.
Work out the average menu price and compare it with the average ticket.
Check which zone the daily special is in.

Worked examples

Bakery with 16 cakes

Prices go from $40 to $115: a $75 difference, so zones are $25 wide.

Cheap: $40 to $65; medium: over $65 up to $90; expensive: over $90 up to $115.

A balanced menu has 4 cheap, 8 medium and 4 expensive items.

If the average price is $77.50, a healthy average ticket goes from $69.75 to $85.25.

Study notes

Tip
Customers move within certain price ranges according to their income: a business can't be expensive and cheap at the same time.
Tip
If you compete on price, list prices in a column on the right of the menu; if you compete on product, place the price close to the dish description.

Calculator

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Result

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