Food service distributor US Foods Holding has introduced Menu IQ, an AI-powered tool intended to help restaurants track and manage food costs.

The new system is aimed at supporting data-driven menu planning decisions.

Menu IQ is embedded within MOXē, the company’s consolidated business application, where users already have access to product catalogues, inventory management and order tracking.

US Foods Holding digital commerce senior vice-president James Jones said: “Every day we hear about our operators’ biggest challenges, and menu profitability sits at the top of their concerns.

“Our customers are demanding easier, more intuitive solutions to help improve menu profitability, and Menu IQ enables us to meet this need.

“Menu IQ delivers real-time visibility into which dishes are driving margins so our operators can adjust instantly to make smarter decisions about which changes will drive increased profitability. This is a great example of how we continue to help our customers Make It."

US Foods describes Menu IQ as being organised around existing restaurant workflows so that staff can move from analysis to action without complex processes.

The tool incorporates AI recipe management, allowing operators to upload recipes and have ingredients and food costs calculated automatically.

A real-time profitability tracking function gives users continual insight into which menu items are contributing most to margins, accessible from any location.

The platform also provides actionable insights, spotlighting dishes that are not performing as expected and pointing to areas where changes could improve returns.

In addition, Menu IQ is connected with MOXē Inventory, allowing operators to pull real-time cost data through the US Foods food cost calculator.