One of the nation’s most prominent foodservice distributors, US Foods Holding Corp., launched Menu IQ Feb. 20, an AI-powered tool touted as a profitability solution designed to help operators optimize menu profitability.
Menu IQ is integrated into MOXē, the foodservice distributor’s app, which already boasts features such as AI-powered delivery alerts and a smartfood cost calculator. The new tool comes at no additional cost to US Food customers, according to a Feb. 23 press release.
“Every day we hear about our operators’ biggest challenges, and menu profitability sits at the top of their concerns,” James Jones, senior vice president of digital commerce at US Foods, said in part in a press release. “Our customers are demanding easier, more intuitive solutions to help improve menu profitability, and Menu IQ enables us to meet this need.”
According to Jones, Menu IQ provides real-time insights for restaurant operators, offering visibility into which dishes are driving margins, so operators have the information they need when making decisions about which changes will drive increased profitability.
Menu IQ allows users to upload recipes, automatically calculate food costs, monitor which menu items drive margins, identify underperforming dishes, and pull accurate food costs.
The tool’s AI “Smart Upload” feature automatically extracts ingredients, matches them to US Foods products, and applies measurements and quantities as applicable. The function also allows for menu item creation, with variables such as gross profit and food cost percentage automatically updating in real time as users adjust ingredients, portion sizes, and prices.
