Moroccan cuisine is rich in flavors and diversity, offering a wide range of dishes that can be profitable for restaurant owners. The profitability of a dish depends on several factors, including the cost of ingredients, labor, and overhead costs, as well as the selling price. Based on these factors, some of the most profitable Moroccan dishes include couscous, tagine, harira, bastilla, and bissara. These dishes offer high profit margins due to the relatively low cost of ingredients and high selling prices.
Couscous
Couscous, a staple in Moroccan cuisine, offers an estimated profit margin of over 95%. The cost of goods sold (COGS) is relatively low, with wheat costing around $0.30 per pound. A serving of couscous typically sells for about $8-$9, yielding a profit of approximately $7-$8 per serving. The high profit margin is due to the low cost of the main ingredient, wheat, and the high selling price.
To improve profitability, restaurants could consider sourcing inexpensive-yet-high-quality wheat. Additionally, offering variations of couscous with different ingredients could attract a wider customer base and increase sales.
Tagine
Tagine, a traditional Moroccan stew, has an estimated profit margin of around 80-85%. The cost of ingredients per serving, including lamb, onions, garlic, tomatoes, chickpeas, raisins, and almonds, totals around $2-$3. With a selling price of about $17-$18, the profit per serving is approximately $14-$15.
Restaurants can increase the profitability of tagine by sourcing ingredients in bulk to reduce costs. Additionally, offering different types of tagine, such as chicken or vegetarian, could attract more customers and increase sales.
Harira
Harira, a hearty Moroccan soup, offers an estimated profit margin of around 55-65%. The cost of ingredients per serving, including lentils, chickpeas, vegetables, and meat, is around $2-$3. If sold at $7 per serving, the profit is approximately $4-$5.
To increase profitability, restaurants could consider offering harira as a starter or side dish, encouraging customers to order additional items. Additionally, using seasonal vegetables could reduce costs and enhance the flavor of the soup.
Bastilla
Bastilla, a savory Moroccan pie, has an estimated profit margin of around 35-40%. The cost of ingredients per serving, including chicken, almonds, eggs, onions, and phyllo pastry, is around $4-$5. With a selling price of about $7-$8, the profit per serving is approximately $2-$3.
Restaurants can increase the profitability of bastilla by offering different fillings, such as seafood or vegetarian, to cater to a wider range of customers. Additionally, making the pastry in-house could reduce costs and improve the quality of the dish.
Bissara
Bissara, a traditional Moroccan fava bean soup, offers an estimated profit margin of around 75-80%. The cost of main ingredients, including dried fava beans, garlic, and lemon, totals around $1-$2. Selling bissara at about $4-$5 yields a profit of approximately $3-$4 per dish.
To increase profitability, restaurants could consider offering bissara as a starter or side dish, encouraging customers to order additional items. Additionally, using locally sourced ingredients could reduce costs and enhance the flavor of the soup.
Unit prices calculated for COGS have been sourced from the following websites and Otter’s internal menu data. This content does not represent a guarantee or expert business advice.
About Otter
- Increase revenue up to 10% with Marketing*
- Reduce storefront downtime by up to 50% with Live Alerts*
- Increase sales up to 50% with Digital Dine-In's QR code ordering*
- Reduce missed orders to less than 1% with Order Manager's Auto-Accept feature*
- Supercharge your food business with our all-in-one restaurant POS system*