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Swan-yah Chef Consultant

Services &
Results

A complete breakdown of what Swan-yah delivers — and what restaurant owners across the region are saying about working with Peter DiCorti.

What You Get

Everything Included
in One Flat Fee

For $1,000 — a single flat fee with no hidden costs, no hourly billing, and no upsells — you receive a complete menu analysis package that would cost three to five times more from a traditional hospitality consulting firm.

Foundation

Ingredient-Level Food Cost Analysis

Every dish on your menu is broken down to its individual ingredients — proteins, produce, dry goods, oils, garnishes, and waste. Peter calculates the true cost per portion for every item, accounting for yield percentages, prep waste, and portion variance. This gives you the exact food cost percentage for every dish, not an estimate.

Cost per ingredient by cooking unit
Waste and yield factor calculations
True food cost per portion for every menu item
Food cost percentage vs. menu price
Strategy

Menu Engineering Analysis

Using the industry-standard Menu Engineering Matrix, every dish is classified based on two dimensions: profitability (contribution margin) and popularity (sales volume). This reveals exactly which items are your Stars, Plowhorses, Puzzles, and Dogs — and what to do with each category to maximize revenue.

Full Menu Engineering Matrix for your menu
Star / Plowhorse / Puzzle / Dog classification
Contribution margin analysis per item
Menu mix analysis and sales volume review
Growth

Revenue Optimization Strategy

Armed with the cost and engineering data, Peter develops a specific revenue strategy for your menu — including pricing adjustments, portion modifications, menu placement recommendations, and item promotion or removal guidance. Every recommendation is grounded in the real numbers from your own operation.

Pricing recommendations for each menu item
Portion adjustment opportunities
Menu placement and design guidance
Upsell and pairing strategy
Deliverable

Written Recommendations Report

Everything is compiled into a clear, actionable written report — your complete menu analysis, the engineering classification, and a prioritized list of recommendations. This is a document you can hand to your chef, your manager, or your accountant. It's written in plain language, not consultant-speak.

Full written report — yours to keep
Item-by-item recommendation summary
Priority action list (quick wins vs. long-term)
Benchmark targets for food cost by category
Included

Pricing & Menu Structure Consultation

Beyond the numbers, Peter brings 25 years of real kitchen and operations experience to a direct consultation about your menu structure, pricing psychology, and competitive positioning. This is a chef-to-chef conversation about what's working, what isn't, and what the best-run restaurants in the country do differently.

One-on-one consultation with Peter DiCorti
Competitive pricing context for your market
Menu structure and flow recommendations
Category balance and item count guidance
Included

30-Day Follow-Up Support

After delivering your report, Peter remains available for 30 days to answer questions, clarify recommendations, and help you implement changes. If you adjust a recipe, re-price a dish, or want to run a new item through the costing model, he's there to support you through the process.

30 days of email and phone support
Assistance implementing recommendations
New item costing support
Follow-up questions answered
Why Swan-yah

What Sets This
Service Apart

Real Kitchen Experience

Peter isn't a business school consultant who has never worked a line. He's a CIA-trained Executive Chef who has run kitchens, managed food costs, and solved the exact problems your restaurant faces — every day, for 25 years.

Flat-Rate Transparency

No hourly billing. No retainer. No surprise invoices. One flat fee of $1,000 covers everything — the full analysis, the written report, and 30 days of follow-up support.

Tailored to Your Restaurant

Every analysis is built from scratch using your actual menu, your actual ingredients, and your actual prices. There are no generic templates or copy-paste reports.

Focused on Today's Market

The restaurant landscape is changing. Customers want different things — more value, more transparency, more experience. Peter's recommendations are built for the market as it exists today, not ten years ago.

Client Results

What Restaurant Owners
Are Saying

Feedback from independent restaurant owners and operators across the Lodi and Stockton area who have completed the Swan-yah Menu Overhaul Package.

* Names and identifying details have been partially anonymized at client request.

"Peter came in and within 30 days completely changed how we think about our menu. We found out our most popular pasta dish was actually losing us money on every plate. After his recommendations, we adjusted the portion and repriced two items — our food cost dropped by nearly 4 points that quarter."

Marco V.
Owner
Italian Trattoria, Lodi CA

"I've been in the restaurant business for 18 years and thought I knew my numbers. Peter showed me things I had never seen before. The Menu Engineering breakdown was eye-opening — I had no idea how many 'Dogs' were on my menu taking up space and costing me money. His report paid for itself in the first month."

Sandra K.
Owner & Operator
American Grill, Stockton CA

"What I appreciated most was that Peter speaks chef. He didn't come in with a bunch of corporate jargon — he sat down with me, looked at my menu, and talked to me like a colleague. The recommendations were practical and specific, not vague suggestions. We implemented most of them within two weeks."

David R.
Executive Chef & Co-Owner
Farm-to-Fork Bistro, San Joaquin Valley

"Running a brewpub means the food program always feels secondary to the beer. Peter helped us see that our food menu was actually a major revenue opportunity we were leaving on the table. His pricing recommendations alone added an estimated $3,000 per month to our bottom line."

Chris M.
Co-Owner
Craft Brewery & Restaurant, Central Valley CA

"The flat $1,000 fee was what convinced me to try it. I've been burned by consultants who charge by the hour and drag things out. Peter delivered everything he promised — on time, in writing, with clear next steps. No surprises. I'd recommend him to any independent restaurant owner."

Teresa L.
Owner
Family Restaurant, Stockton CA

"We're a winery restaurant, so our menu changes seasonally. Peter built us a costing framework we can use every time we update the menu — not just a one-time report. That ongoing value is worth far more than the $1,000 we paid. He genuinely cares about the success of the restaurants he works with."

James & Patricia W.
Owners
Winery Restaurant, Lodi Wine Country
One Simple Price

$1,000

Flat fee. No hourly billing. No surprises.

Everything described on this page — the full ingredient-level analysis, Menu Engineering breakdown, written Recommendations Report, and 30 days of follow-up support — for one flat fee.

Ingredient-level food cost analysis
Menu Engineering Matrix
Revenue optimization strategy
Written Recommendations Report
Pricing & menu structure consultation
30-day follow-up support

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