| name | cost-optimize |
| description | Reduce the food cost of a menu to hit a target percentage through ingredient swaps, without sacrificing quality. |
Cost Optimize
When asked to optimize a menu for food cost:
- Identify over-budget dishes. List every dish whose ingredient cost exceeds the target %
(default 30%). Sort by cost descending — tackle the worst offenders first.
- Propose concrete swaps. For each over-budget dish suggest one or two specific ingredient
swaps with the expected cost saving (e.g. "replace salmon with ocean trout: saves ~22% on
protein cost"). Preserve the dish's flavour profile and presentation quality.
- Check seasonal alternatives. Fetch current seasonal produce prices if available; seasonal
substitutes are the first port of call before changing the dish concept.
- Re-run the numbers. After each proposed swap, recalculate the dish food-cost % and the
blended menu food-cost % to confirm the target is met.
- Flag quality risks. If a swap materially changes texture, flavour, or presentation, note
it explicitly so the operator can decide whether the trade-off is acceptable.
- Summarise changes in a before/after table: dish name | original cost % | new cost % | swap made.
