MENU PLANNING
Menu Planning
A MENU
or “bill of fare” is a means of communication, informing what the caterer has
to offer. The compiling of a menu is one of the caterer’s most important jobs –
whether for establishments such as restaurants aiming to make a profit, or for
those working to a budget, such as hospitals and schools.
Function of MENU:
a) It is
like a price list or a list of wares to the customers in order that he
purchases or orders the dishes of his choice.
b) It helps
as a tool for the kitchen in order to prepare the mise-en-place and equipment,
staff required for its production.
c) It gives
a variety to choose from and alternatives in each type of dishes.
d) It
sometimes gives the description of each dish in brief, so that the customer
knows the contents of the dish and what to expect while ordering a dish.
e) It is a
record of cost and control purposes to regulate portion size and food cost of
each item.
Factors Effecting Menu Planning
1) Type of
Establishment: There
will be considerable variation, for example, in menu of five star hotels and
restaurants, school meals, heavy manual worker’s canteen or hospitals.
2) Type of
Customer and Age Group: especially
for private parties for a birthday, senior citizens conference, football player
after a match, visiting overseas students on a mayor’s banquet; all need
personal consideration.
3) Location: Study the area in which your establishment is
situated and the potential target market of customers.
4) Religious
rules if
applicable (kosher catering or a Muslim occasion) – Lack of knowledge or
understanding can easily lead to innocently giving offence.
5) Meat or
Non-Meat preferences: The
number of non-meat eater is steadily increasing, so this becomes more
important.
6) Time of
the Year: a) the
prevailing temperature should be considered as certain dishes suitable for cold
weather may not be acceptable in mid-summer. b) Foods
in season are usually in good supply and more reasonable in price.
c) Special dishes on certain days.
7) Time of
Day: Breakfast, brunch, lunch, tea,
high-tea, dinner, supper, snack or special function.
8) Price
Range: Unless
fair prices are charged (so that customers are satisfied) repeat business may not
occur and the caterer may go out of business.
9) Competition: It is wiser to produce a menu quite different to
those of nearby establishment both in terms of price and quality.
10) Space and Equipment: The menu writer must be aware of any shortcomings
or deficiencies in equipment and may be wary of offering dishes that are
difficult to produce.
11) The availability and capacity of both the
Production and Service staff labour
must be considered.
12) Availability of Supplies and schedule from the suppliers.
13) Number of Courses: Varies according to all prior consideration.
14) Correct Sequence of courses: Important if the menu is to achieve a good
balance.
15) Appropriate Language: Always use a language that customers can
understand.
16) Sensible Nutritional Balance: If a selection of dishes with varying nutritional
contents are offered then customers can make their own choices.
17) No repetition of Commodities: Never
repeat basic ingredients such as mushrooms, tomatoes, peas, bacon on the menu.
18) No repetition of Flavour: If using
strong seasoning like onion, garlic or herbs such as thyme, sage or bay leaf,
do not repeat in more than one course. Example: a) do not serve a tomato
flavoured sauce on main course if the soup was cream of
tomato. b) do not or avoid, serving lets
say a garlic flavoured noodles with prawn in garlic
sauce. c) try to differ taste in meat
itself by providing a choice between beef. Pork, lamb,
19) No repetition of Colours: Colour of
food is important to give appetite appeal, but avoid repetition of colour.
20) Texture of Course: Ensure variation is given (food should
not be all soft or all crisp, but balanced).
21) Sauces: If
different sauces are served on one menu, the foundation ingredient of each
sauce should vary.
Cyclical Menus
These
are menus which are compiled to cover a given period of time: one month, three
months, etc. They consists of a number of set menus for a particular
establishment, such as an industrial catering restaurant, cafeteria restaurant,
canteen, hospital or college refractory. These menus must be monitored
carefully to take account of changes in customer requirements and any
variations in weather conditions which are likely to affect demand for certain
dishes.
Advantages
of Cyclical Menus
a) They
save time by removing the daily or weekly task of compiling menus, although
they may require slight alterations for the next period.
b) When
used in association with cook/freeze operations, it is possible to produce the
entire number of portions of each item to last the whole cycle, having
determined that the standardised recipes are correct.
c) They
give greater efficiency in time and labour.
d) They can
cut down on the number of commodities held in stock, and can assist in planning
storage requirements.
Disadvantages
of Cyclical Menu
a) When
used in establishments with a captive clientele, then the cycle has to be long
enough so that customers do not get bored with the repetition of the dishes.
b) The
caterer cannot easily take advantage of ‘good buys’ offered by the suppliers on
a daily or weekly basis unless such items are required for the cyclical menu.
Preplanned and Predesigned Menus
Advantages
a) Preplanned or predesigned menus enable the caterer to ensure that good
menu planning is practiced.
b) Before selecting dishes that he or she prefers, the caterer should
consider what the customer likes, and the effect of these dishes upon the meal
as a whole.
c) Menus which are planned and costed in advance allow banqueting managers
to quote prices instantly to customer.
d) Menus can be planned taking into account the availability of kitchen and
service equipment, without placing unnecessary strain upon the equipment.
e) The quality of food is likely to be higher if kitchen staff are
preparing dishes that they are familiar with and have prepared a number of
times before.
Disadvantages
a) Preplanned and predesigned menus may be too limited to appeal to a wide
range of customers.
b) They may reduce job satisfaction for staff who have to prepare same
menus repetitively.
c) They may limit the chef’s creativity and originality.
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