EZchef vs MenuEdge
EZchef
ezchef.comMenuEdge
nxtedge.netSide by side
| Figure | EZchef | MenuEdge |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | — | — |
| Free plan | — | — |
| Free trial | Yes | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | — | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | — |
| iOS | — | Yes |
| Android | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 2 | 1 |
| Spec score · Restaurant Recipe Costing Software | 8.1 (#7) | 7.4 (#23) |
| Spec score · Restaurant Menu Engineering Software | 8.1 (#10) | 7.6 (#22) |
| Menu analysis | It uses POS sales mix data to graph menu items by gross profit dollars and cost of goods sold percentage, and supports what-if analysis. | Menu analysis reports food cost percentages, contribution margins, profitability by item, popularity, and menu performance trends. |
| Purpose | EZchef is a Windows-based Microsoft Excel program for restaurant and bar inventory management, menu costing, and menu analysis. | MenuEdge automatically updates recipe costs from invoices and combines recipe costing, menu engineering, and profitability analysis to inform pricing decisions. |
| Support | Technical support by phone or email is free. | NxtEdge says onboarding, training, ongoing support, and weekend assistance when needed are included with the subscription. |
Plans
In their own words
MenuEdge
MenuEdge helps hospitality operators track recipe costs and assess menu and event profitability. It updates recipe costs from invoices and supports plate, sub-recipe, batch, and prep recipes, with yield and waste tracking. Menu analysis covers food cost percentages, contribution margins, and profitability by item to highlight strong performers and pricing opportunities. The platform also supports costing banquet menus, catering functions, and special events, including projected-versus-actual results. Recipe costing and menu engineering can be used without a point-of-sale connection. Connecting POS sales data adds menu mix analysis, theoretical food cost, and variance reporting, including comparisons of theoretical and actual usage. Listed POS integrations include Toast, NCR Aloha, Infrasys, onePOS, Club Essentials, PAR Brink, Square, and custom systems. Accounting connections include QuickBooks Online and Desktop, Sage, M3, Jonas, Northstar, Club Essentials, and other hospitality accounting systems. Reports cover food cost, profitability, margins, and trends, with PDF and Excel export. The cloud-based service is accessible from a computer, tablet, or mobile device with internet access. Pricing varies by modules, locations, and operational requirements; prospective customers are asked to request a quote.