Validating a DEA-based Menu Analysis Model using Structural Equation Modeling

Traditional menu management and analysis models share the common and irremediable shortcoming of variable interdependency, in which the central intersection between vectors in a matrix is dictated by the means for the associated variables. Moreover, the limited number of inputs casts suspicion on any conclusions that are drawn. More recent models, such as those that integrate non-parametric statistics including data envelopment analysis (DEA), promise greater utility but have gone largely untested. This paper extends the more holistic model made possible by applying DEA and then tests the resulting archetype using structural equation modeling (SEM). The results suggest that DEA models are valid and that even more complex models are possible