Who it's for
For first-time owners, for restaurants that sell well but keep too little of it, and for kitchens that want a second, delivery-only brand.
What you get
- Food cost worked out per recipe and per item
- Separate prices and margins for each channel: dine-in, takeaway, delivery apps
- Menu analysis: which items make money and which lose it
- Concept, name and positioning for a new venue
- A delivery-only virtual brand built around your existing kitchen and stock
- An opening plan: the steps, the tools and the order to do them in
- Operational advice on stock, goods receiving and shift planning
1. First conversation
You tell us where you are and where you want to be. You get a concrete, free quote.
2. The real numbers
We go through your sales, recipes, supplier invoices and delivery-app commissions.
3. Diagnosis
We show you where the money leaks: product, channel, price or operations.
4. The plan
New prices, a tightened menu, a concept or a virtual brand, with every step written down.
5. Rollout
If you want, we carry the plan through: brand, website, delivery apps, software.
Frequently asked questions
How do I calculate food cost for a dish?
Add up the cost of every ingredient in the recipe, at purchase price and in the quantity actually used, including trimming and cooking losses. Divide that by the selling price excluding VAT and you have your food cost percentage. Redo it whenever supplier prices change, or your margin quietly shrinks. We do this for every recipe and every sales channel.
Should my prices on Glovo, Bolt Food and Wolt differ from my in-house menu?
Usually, yes. Every platform takes a commission on each order, and packaging and promotions add cost on top. An item with a healthy margin at the table can lose money on every delivery. We work out the margin for each channel separately and set prices that cover the commission, so delivery brings profit, not just volume.
What is a virtual brand, and is it worth it for my restaurant?
A virtual brand exists only on delivery apps and is cooked in an existing restaurant's kitchen, with the same team and stock. It pays off when your kitchen has quiet hours. Our own lunch brand, Lunch Dealzz, ran this way for about a year and a half, from 4 kitchens in Bucharest, on Bolt Food, Wolt and Tazz.
What do I need in place before opening a restaurant?
A clear concept, a menu with costed recipes, prices for each sales channel, suppliers, a fiscal cash register and a way to manage stock and shifts. Then the brand, the website and your delivery-app listings. We help you do these in the right order, so you don't end up paying twice for the same thing.
Who actually does the consulting at ZED-ZEN?
Alex Mantello, the founder. He has over 10 years in hospitality, has owned two cafés and has worked in operations across more than 30 locations. He also built HoReCaOS, our operating system for restaurants, so the advice comes from practice: the kitchen, the till and the sales reports.
How much does restaurant consulting cost?
It depends on the problem. Re-pricing your menu per channel is a different job from a full concept for a new opening, so we quote on request. Tell us where you stand and we'll send a concrete, tailored quote, free of charge. You can start with one issue, say delivery margins, and only continue if it pays off.
