Plan menu

A menu is a list of food and beverage items. To plan a profitable menu, a foodservice professional must
first identify the style of menu to be used: à la carte, semi à la carte, or prix fixe. This chapter explores
the characteristics of a variety of foodservice menus including breakfast, brunch, luncheon, dinner,
tasting, special occasion, ethnic, specialty, catering, room service, institutional, wine, dessert, tea, and
lounge.

Objectives

❏ To define the three styles of menus: à la carte, semi à la carte,

and prix fixe

❏ To present in detail the important elements of the various food service menus discussed in this
chapter

❏ To define three types of service: American, French, and Russian

Menu Styles

In the foodservice industry, there are three styles of menus: à la carte, semi

à la carte, and prix fixe.

On the à la carte menu, as shown in Figure 4-1, everything on the menu

is priced separately, from appetizers to desserts.

On the semi à la carte menu, as shown in Figure 4-2, appetizers, soups,

and desserts usually are priced separately. The entrée traditionally includes

a salad, potato, vegetable, and sometimes a beverage. This style of menu is

the most popular today.

The prix-fixe menu, as shown in Figure 4-3, offers a complete meal at

a set price.

Breakfast Menus

Most breakfast menus contain both à la carte and semi à la carte sections.

The à la carte section offers juices, fruits, cereals, eggs, meats, pancakes,

French toasts, waffles, bakery goods, side dishes, and beverages. The semi

à la carte section offers a wide variety of combinations (e.g., two eggs any

style with bacon or sausage served with toast; or three pancakes with syrup
and bacon or sausage served with home fries). The prices of food items on

a breakfast menu range from low to moderate due to the fact that most people do not expect to pay
much for breakfast. However, in high-end restaurants and large hotels, the cost can be considerably
higher. Most breakfast

items generally are cooked to order, requiring the chefs or breakfast chefs

to be quick and well organized. Breakfast service for the most part is

American service. A waitstaff person takes the order and brings it to the

table, and a dining room attendant later clears the table. The menu in

Figure 4-4 is a combination à la carte and prix-fixe menu. The prix-fixe

section includes three courses: appetizers, entrées, and desserts. Most of

the items, such as the appetizers, egg dishes, steak, trout, and crêpes, are

served hot.

Brunch Menus

A BRUNCH menu consists of both breakfast and luncheon items, and is generally served in hotels and
high-end restaurants from 10:00 A.M. until 3:00 P.M.

The brunch menu can be quite elaborate. Brunch menus offer items such

as juices, fruit, appetizers, soups, sandwiches, breakfast items (eggs, French

toasts, bacon, etc.), pastries, breads, and desserts. The La Isla® menu in

Figure 4-5 offers an extensive listing of low- to moderate-priced items, such

as thirst quenchers, coffee, appetizers, soups, salads, sandwiches, eggs,

omelets, pancakes, French toasts, and a number of accompaniments. This

style of menu is both à la carte and semi à la carte. Many items are served

individually, but the eggs and omelets are served with the traditional

accompaniments.

Luncheon Menus

A LUNCHEON menu can be à la carte or semi à la carte (Fig. 4-6). À la carte

items include appetizers, salads, cold and hot sandwiches, entrées, desserts,

and beverages. The semi à la carte section lists entrées served with salad,

vegetables, potato, or rice. Many luncheon menus offer daily specials, such

as soups, sandwiches, or pastas, that are prepared in a variety of ways. Entrée

specials might include Baked Salmon on Monday, and Chicken Pot Pie on

Tuesday. Specials are presented in a variety of ways: on a blackboard at the

entrance of the restaurant; inside the menu as a clip-on; or verbally by the

servers. For the most part luncheon items are not as expensive as the dinner

menu listings because the portion sizes are smaller. Prices on the luncheon

menu depend on the menu item, the type of operation, and the location of

the establishment. Prices can range from low to high. Luncheon items are

generally baked, barbecued, braised, broiled, fried, grilled, poached, roasted,

sautéed, simmered, smoked, and steamed so a fully equipped kitchen is

essential. Luncheon items such as appetizers, soups, entrées, and desserts are

frequently made from scratch and require preparation by someone who has

a solid culinary foundation. Luncheon service is most frequently American

service, which is quick and efficient. Most patrons have limited time for

lunch, and they expect fast service as well as good food.

Dinner Menus

A DINNER menu is usually a combination of both à la carte and semi à la carte

items. Bellini’s Ristorante Italiano® (Fig. 4-7) offers appetizers, salads, soups,

and sides as à la carte items. Its semi à la carte choices include pasta classics,

vegetarian entrées and meatless pastas, or entrées, served with a salad.

A dinner menu usually has more appetizers and entrées than a luncheon

menu. The type of service used in a restaurant offering a dinner menu may

be American, French, or Russian.

In American service, there is one server who takes the order and brings it

to the table. The table is then cleared and reset by a buser.

French service is sometimes used in high-end restaurants. This type of

service may involve table-side cooking. A guéridon, or cart, which comes with

a heating unit called a réchaud, is used. Most items are uncooked or semiprepared and are brought
from the kitchen, placed on the guéridon, cooked

on the réchaud, and served to the patron. French service requires two servers:
a chef du rang, or captain, and a commis du rang, or assistant. The captain

takes the order, does the table-side cooking, and brings the beverages, appetizers, entrées, and desserts
to the table. The assistant brings the bread and

butter, clears each course, crumbs the table, and serves the coffee or tea. In

many high-end restaurants there is also a sommelier, or wine steward, who

makes wine recommendations, takes the order, presents, and serves the wine

to the guest.

In Russian service the entrée, vegetables, and potatoes are prepared in the

kitchen, placed on a silver or wooden platter, and then served on the guest’s

plate at the table. In modified Russian service, which is sometimes used in

seafood or specialty restaurants, the server serves the entrée from a casserole

using a serving spoon and fork.

Tasting Menus

The tasting menu is prix fixe in style and is usually an added feature to the

dinner menu. Tasting menus are popular in white-tablecloth establishments

and are expensive. Often this type of menu includes several courses ranging

from five-course up to eight-course tastings. Within each course the patron

usually has a choice of two offerings from which to choose, and each course

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is traditionally paired with a selected wine. Restaurants customarily charge

extra for tasting menus that are paired with selected wines. The tasting

menu in Figure 4-8 offers a prix-fixe menu with a choice of either a fivecourse tasting menu with or
without wine, or a Grand Tasting, which consists of eight courses with a menu that changes every day
depending on the

daily market and the chef’s signature offerings. Wine pairings are also

offered and are specially selected by the sommelier.

Ethnic Menus

Special Occasion Menus

The special-occasion menu is prix fixe in style and includes a choice of appetizer, soup, salad, and entrée,
and may also offer an alcoholic beverage
. For the most part, the special-occasion menu should display a

theme or season on the cover of the menu, and the food items and/or garnishes should be typical of
that particular season.

The décor of the restaurant should carry the theme of the special occasion as well, whether it is an
Easter, Mother’s Day, Thanksgiving, or

Christmas, theme. Cornucopias may be displayed for Thanksgiving; spring

floral bouquets for Easter or Mother’s Day; and poinsettias for Christmas.

American-style service is usually used for special occasions.

Ethnic Menus

An ethnic menu may be semi à la carte or à la carte. In most cases, an ethnic menu offers selections that
are representative of the cuisine from a particular region or country, such as Italy, Portugal, and France.
A French menu

from Restaurant Daniel® in New York City might offer these items:

Marinated Raw Tuna and Crispy Sweetbreads with Tomato Sauce Celery

Leaves, Purslane and Hazlenuts; Maine Peeky Toe Crab Salad in a Light

Tomato Gelée with Fennel and Avocado; and Roasted Beef Medallion

Wrapped with Pancetta and Black Truffle Braised Potato and Porcini Gratin

with Haricots Verts. The descriptions of the appetizers, soups, salads,

entrées, vegetables, potatoes, and desserts are often written in the language

used in the country from which the cuisine is derived. An accompanying

English translation should appear for those who wish to experience the cuisine but do not have a grasp
of the language.

Acquiring certain ingredients for items on ethnic menus may be problematic. It is always prudent to
carefully research the availability, costs, and

delivery time of these products before producing or printing the menu.

Ethnic menus can be moderate to high in price depending on the restaurant’s concept and cuisine. A
French classical menu in a white-tablecloth

restaurant will generally be more expensive than a menu used in a

Portuguese restaurant. The décor is also extremely important in ethnic

restaurants. Brightly colored tiles, servers dressed in traditional costumes,

and mariachi music playing in the background are anticipated and appreciated by diners at a Mexican
restaurant.
The style of service in ethnic restaurants is usually American, although.

French restaurants might offer French service, and high-end restaurants in

this category might even offer Russian service. Frontera Grill® in Chicago,

Illinois (Fig. 4-10), offers semi à la carte and à la carte items on its menu.

The specialties and entrées come with a variety of accompaniments. À la

carte items consist of items from the “Sustainable” Mexican Seafood Bar,

which include items from both the small dish (platillos pequenos) and the

“extras” categories.

Specialty Menus

A SPECIALTY menu is usually a combination of both à la carte and semi à la

carte items. Appetizers, soups, salads, and desserts are à la carte. The entrées

come with vegetables, and potato or rice. For the most part, specialty houses

offer steak, seafood, or chicken. It is imperative that these food items are

cross-utilized throughout the menu, especially fish or seafood, because these

items are highly perishable and very expensive. Cross-utilization means that

food listings should be prepared in a variety of ways. For example, scallops

served as an entrée might also be used in a chowder or a seafood casserole.

A seafood specialty restaurant usually employs a number of cooking techniques, such as baking, broiling,
frying, grilling, poaching, sautéing, smoking,

and steaming. In planning a menu for a specialty restaurant, it is important

to remember to offer items such as chicken or beef as well, to accommodate

those customers who do not like seafood or who are allergic to it. The most

important factor is serving seafood is freshness. Seafood should be purchased on a daily basis,
preferably from local fisheries, if location permits.

Steaks served in a specialty house should be USDA Prime or USDA

Choice.

The type of service used in a specialty house is usually American.

However, in many seafood houses, a number of dishes are served in

casseroles, which usually requires modified Russian service. The menu in

Figure 4-11 is à la carte and semi à la carte. The à la carte items consist

of appetizers, soup, salad, steak enhancements, and desserts. Semi à la

carte choices include a salad or a cup of soup, and one side dish with the

entrée.

Catering Menus

❧ 79 ❧

Catering Menus

The catering business is one of the fastest-growing segments in the restaurant industry. Restaurants,
hotels, colleges, universities, and even quickservice operations have begun to cater to expand their
overall profits.

Catering operations generally provide food and beverages that are prepared

from a central kitchen. The major advantage of having a function catered is

that everything is provided for and guests can sit back and enjoy the event

without any overall concerns. The catering menu is generally a set menu.

The menu listings are selected by the chef and the catering banquet manager of the restaurant or the
hotel. The arrangement of courses on the menu

is set as well. In most cases the menu begins with light food items and then

proceeds to heavier items. Catered meals can be simple to elaborate, from a

simple breakfast buffet, a special theme menu, a complete luncheon or

dinner buffet, to elaborate presentation stations that might include a raw

bar, cheese display, Caribbean tapas bar, and individual carving stations

(Fig. 4-12). The prices for a catering function can be expensive because the

operation that is featuring the event provides everything, including the function space, tables, chairs,
eating utensils and flatware, and possibly even

entertainment.