Day 2: Tune, Iterate, and Prepare to Scale
- The Kitxens Team
- 5 days ago
- 3 min read
You made it through Day 0, where you turned your idea into a defined concept. You navigated Day 1, where you cooked, tasted, observed, and listened. Today is Day 2: a time to reflect honestly, make tough decisions, and pave the way for what's next.
Day 2 isn't about growth. It's about intentional improvement . It's about getting back in the kitchen—not just tweaking recipes, but fine-tuning your model. Because in the food business, small, strategic changes in time make the difference between a great dish and a successful brand.
1. Analyze your data and the feedback received
Your MVP wasn't just a cooking test. It was a source of valuable information. Today, it's time to sit down and analyze:
Key questions:
What were the most popular dishes? Why?
What positive comments were repeated? (e.g., "The flavor is amazing!", "Very original!", "I loved the packaging.
What constructive criticisms appeared frequently? (e.g., “too salty,” “got cold quickly,” “hard to eat”)
What difficulties did you face in the operation (time, packaging, deliveries, purchasing)?
What was your actual margin per unit sold?
Practical tip: Use a spreadsheet to organize feedback by category: taste, presentation, timing, customer experience, and packaging.
2. Fine-tune your menu and minimal operation
With the data in hand, it's time to make real adjustments. Don't get attached to dishes that didn't work. If an item didn't convince the customer or complicate your production, consider pausing or reworking it.
Recommended actions:
Eliminate what didn't sell or generate complaints.
Reinforce your “star dishes.”
Adjust complicated or slow preparations.
Reduce ingredients if you can reuse more than one.
Improve plating or delivery techniques.
Your goal is to achieve consistency, profitability, and clarity of identity.
3. Recalculate your prices and margins
Do your current prices cover your costs? Does your margin allow for growth?
Evaluate:
Total cost per dish (ingredients + packaging + delivery if applicable)
Preparation time per dish (can you scale this?)
Opportunity cost (what does it cost you to make a dish that sells poorly?)
Ideally, your dishes should generate a 65-70% margin over direct costs. If you're not achieving this, adjust.
Quick Tip : Use the “final price ≈ 3 times the cost of ingredients” rule as a starting point.
4. Optimize your branding and brand voice
Your MVP also allowed you to see if your brand communicates well what you are about.
Ask yourself these questions:
Did people understand your concept from the first glance?
Does your visual presentation (menus, stickers, networks) look professional?
Does your storytelling connect emotionally with your audience?
Did you receive questions about your origin, purpose, or menu?
If something is confusing, redesign or simplify it. You can adjust your visuals without needing a professional designer, using tools like Canva, Notion, or Figma.
Remember: Your brand is not your logo, it's the complete experience people remember.
5. Assess if you're ready to scale… or repeat
After fine-tuning your MVR, you can consider two paths:
Option A: Repeat a second round of testing
With new adjusted plates.
With revised prices.
With improved branding.
In another format (if you've tried pop-up, try delivery)
Option B: Start a space search (shared kitchen, food court, gastronomic incubator)
Whatever your decision, make it based on data. Don't rush into opening a store without validating your concept at least twice.
6. Document your learnings and your next steps
It's not enough to have good ideas: you have to systematize them. Create a living archive where you document:
What worked and what didn't.
Your new margins.
What type of customer is buying from you?
What do you need to learn or improve (marketing, packaging, operations)
What are your goals for the next 30 days?
This document will become the basis of your pitch to investors, partners, or food accelerators.
Conclusion: Day 2 is the day of conscious adjustment
Today you're not improvising. You're fine-tuning your tuning . Every decision you make now will have a ripple effect in the future.
Day 2 isn't glamorous. There are no openings or likes. But it's the day you stop being an experiment... and become a solid proposal.
And if you have the humility to adjust and the discipline to keep iterating, you're one step closer to building something that lasts.
Checklist Day 2:
Analyze sales, feedback, and operational data.
Adjust your menu and eliminate inefficient dishes.
Recalculates prices, margin, and times.
Improve your packaging, branding, and communications.
Evaluate whether to repeat your MVP or take the next step.
Document learnings, changes, and upcoming goals.
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