The trusted intelligence layer for teams selling to Hospitality & Retail
The formula
Menu penetration (%) = outlets whose menu lists X / outlets in the set with a readable menu x 100
X can be a dish (espresso martini), an ingredient (oat milk), a category (alcohol-free beer) or a named brand. The set is whatever you define: all cocktail bars in a city, every Italian restaurant in a region, every storefront on one delivery app.
The denominator is the part most reports get wrong. It must be the outlets whose menu you could actually read, not every outlet in the area. An outlet with no published menu is unknown, not a zero, and dividing by it understates penetration.
Menu penetration is not share of menu
Two numbers get confused in sales decks. Menu penetration counts outlets: in how many places does X appear at least once? Share of menu counts items: of all the items in a category across those menus, what share is X? A brand can be listed in many outlets (high penetration) while being one choice among twenty spirits on each list (low share of menu). Use penetration to find where you are missing, and share of menu to judge how strongly you are present where you are listed.
- Penetration answers: how many outlets list it?
- Share of menu answers: how much of the list is it?
- Brand penetration answers: how many outlets name my brand, not just my category?
Worked example
Take one city and a vodka brand.
- The city has 2,400 cocktail bars. 2,000 publish a menu that can be read, online or on a delivery app. That is the denominator.
- 340 of those menus list an espresso martini. Dish penetration = 340 / 2,000 = 17%.
- 120 menus name the brand anywhere. Brand penetration = 120 / 2,000 = 6%.
- Of the 340 bars that serve an espresso martini, 50 name the brand. Inside the bars that already sell the drink, its penetration is 50 / 340 = 15%.
For a rep, step 4 is the list: 290 bars already sell the cocktail the brand is built for, and do not name it.
On-premise menus and delivery menus
The same outlet often has two menus: the one on the table and the one on a delivery app. They differ. Delivery menus tend to be shorter, drop most draught drinks and add bundles, so penetration measured on delivery menus is a delivery number, not a proxy for the bar. Report the two separately and say which one you used.
Dashmote reads both menu views and keeps the delivery and on-premise signals on the same outlet record. Reps can filter by the brands and dishes already listed, while eCommerce teams see the delivery gaps. See food delivery insights and menu data.
Frequently asked questions
Where does menu penetration data come from?
From menus that outlets publish: their own websites, delivery apps, social posts and menu photos. Rep audits add the outlets that publish nothing, but they cover fewer outlets and less often.
What is a good menu penetration rate?
There is no universal benchmark. It depends on the category and the set. Compare against your own history, a competitor brand in the same set, or the same metric in a neighbouring city.
Why is my brand's penetration lower than my distribution?
Because many outlets stock a brand without naming it on the menu ("house vodka", "premium gin"). Menu penetration measures visibility to the guest, distribution measures presence behind the bar. The gap between the two is itself a target for menu activation.
How is menu penetration used in sales?
To size an opportunity (how many outlets serve the drink my product is for) and to build a target list (which of those outlets do not name my brand), then to track whether activations moved the number.