Rosabella Restaurants is a popular Italian restaurant chain located in the southwestern United States. Typical Italian food such as ravioli, lasagne, and fettuccine Alfredo can be purchased at a reasonable price at these family-friendly restaurants. All of the restaurants are owned and operated by Rosabella Restaurants, Inc. Ms. Jennifer Churchman, a regional controller for Rosabella Restaurants, has seen decreasing profits from one of the properties in her region and is in the process cause of this problem. Ms. Churchman requested financial information from the property, including a food menu abstract, to get the entire picture of the restaurant’s operations. The restaurant general manager provided all of the requested information. Below is the food menu abstract for dinner entrees over the last three months. Ms. Churchman has asked you to analyze the food menu abstract and given you the following questions to answer: Q UESTIONS 1. Do there appear to be any abnormalities with the report? Look for any items that seem unusual, such as item food cost. 2. Analyze the report. Which items have the highest contribution margin? Which items have the lowest contribution margin? 3. What advice can you provide to the restaurant manager for improving the restaurant’s sales mix?

Larry’s Luncheon Spot is a chain of cafeteria-style restaurants geographically located in the southern sector of the United States. These restaurants concentrate on serving homestyle food such as meatloaf, fried chicken, mashed potatoes, barbecued foods, and apple pie at an affordable price. The primary clientele who frequents Larry’s include retirees and young professionals who are on the go and enjoy the speed of cafeteria-style service. Ms. Sarah Blackwell is a financial analyst who specializes in restaurant companies, and one of the companies in her portfolio is Larry’s Luncheon Spot. Larry’s is a public company, and analysts tend to keep a watchful eye on financial ratios to determine the strength of the company.