New Dish Pipeline
An idea for a new dish is born on a supplier visit or a night off, and usually dies on a napkin behind the pass. Put every idea on one board, and move it from idea to testing to costed to the menu. One glance tells you which idea has been sitting too long, and how long it has been since anything new reached the menu.
How it works
- 1
Put every idea on the board
The dish name, its course (starter, main, dessert, drink or side) and — once you know them — a cost and a target price. Every idea lands in the 'Idea' column.
- 2
Move it on after every step
Tested it in the kitchen? Drag the card to 'Testing'. Cost worked out? One column further. On the menu? Move it to 'On the Menu'. On a phone the arrows on the card do the same job.
- 3
See what's stalling
Every card counts the days since its last move. Anything still sitting in the same open column after three weeks is flagged — and the line above the board shows how long it has been since a dish last reached the menu.
Frequently asked questions
Is this free, and do I need an account?
The board is completely free and needs no account. Open the page and start; nothing is asked for and nothing is sold.
Where do my dishes go?
Only into your own browser, on this device (localStorage). Nothing is uploaded to HappyChef or anyone else. That means a colleague on another computer won't see your board, and you lose it if you clear your browser data — print the board if you want a paper copy for the kitchen meeting.
Why does the tool count days?
Because an idea with no deadline stays an idea. Every card shows how many days it has been in its current stage — not since it was added, but since it last moved — and after three weeks in an open column it is flagged. That is how no idea quietly disappears.
Why does it show how long since something reached the menu?
Because that is the number an owner cannot otherwise produce. A menu that never changes eventually reads as 'seen it all' to a regular guest, long before covers show it. That day counter is the honest answer to 'are we actually refreshing our menu?'