At Greensleeves the steakhouse served grass-fed beef. At Mike Fields BBQ the pricing model had to hold on brisket.
We switched to corn-fed choice beef, and used lower-grade cuts where preparation carries the dish.
The meat's cut and grade move the numbers more than anything else in a kitchen. So much preparation goes into the cooking that guests often can't tell, and sometimes they like it better.
When we went to corn-fed choice beef instead of grass-fed, people liked it more, and margins went up substantially.
In food, find the ingredient that drives your cost and test whether the customer values it the way you assumed.