Menu & Menu Planning

Food & Beverage Management

“Developing a Professional Menu”

 Principles of Professional Menu

 Compiling & Planning a Menu
 Designing a Menu
 Managing Quality in F&B Operation
 Trends & Development
 Staffing & Labour Cost Control
 Menu Costing
 Menu Engineering
What Is a Menu?

 “The menu is the heart of any restaurant; It showcases everything you have to
offer for food and beverages.”

 Menu is the statement of food and beverage items available and provided by
food establishments primarily based on consumer demand and designed to
achieve organizational objectives.
 It represents the focal point around which components of food service systems
are based. The menu is designed carefully what the outlet wants to cater for,
keeping in mind the type of clientele. The main advantage of a well-planned
menu is that it leads to consumer satisfaction. It also helps to motivate the
employees for a responsible and successful service.
Menu
“Origin”

 Originally the "bill of fare", as it is termed in English, or menu in French, was

not presented at the table. The banquet consisted of only two courses,
each made up of a variety of dishes, anything from 10 to 40 in number. The
first 10-40 dishes were placed on the table before the diners entered-
hence the word entrée- and, when consumed were removed or relieved
by 10-40 other dishes- hence the words relevés and removes came into
existence.
Menu
“Origin”

 Menus were first heard of and adopted for table use in 1541.
 First used by Duke Henry of Brunswick at a banquet, he had a piece of
paper on which the list of food was written and was kept by his side.
 The menu, “bill of fare” originally was not presented at the table.
 In earlier times it was very large and was placed at the end of the table for
everyone to be read.
 With time the size became smaller and increased in quantity.
Menu
“Why”

 It is the most important part of the food and beverage department.

 As we get seated in a restaurant, the first thing we’d expect is the menu.
 Flipping through, have you ever felt that some menus are rather confusing;
whether in terms of types of food or its creative design? Or silently
applauded the restaurant which was able to present a menu that you ‘got
it’ at first look?
 A menu functions as a communication tool between the kitchen and the
diner and it is one of the most important tasks for the chef and restaurateur
to co-operate and co- ordinate.
 The reason for a menu is essentially to inform the crew of what is to be
prepared and to let the diner know what is available.
 It’s a great promotional & marketing tool.
Menu
“What should it say”

 Present clear, unambiguous information.

 Adhere to food safety and nutrition policies of the business.
 Meet or outstrip guests’ expectations.
 Meet the quality standards of the business.
 Be truthful in describing the taste and preparations.
 Be strictly going with the production and service facilities of the business.
 “A menu should ideally contain information of each dish, its preparation
method and cost (whether set price or seasonal price)”.
Menu
“Functions”

 Informs the guests about the available dishes and the prices charged for
the whole menu or a particular dish.
 Enables guests to select dishes of their choice
 Guides the chef regarding the requirements of staff, material and
equipment, to prepare the dishes included in it.
 Enables the service personnel to do mise-en-place, take the correct order,
pick up and serve the correct dishes from the kitchen according to the
order and so present the correct check to the guests.
 Helps the cashier to price each item ordered by the guest
 Helps prepare sales summary of the outlet at the end of the day.
Menu
“Functions”

 Menus have been labeled as working documents by which food service

operations organize their food and beverage buying, production and
service.
 Helps the management to work out the cost of the food and beverage
and analyze the utility of a particular menu.
 To predict trends and to plan future course of action for the outlet.
 It creates and promotes an image of the restaurant in social gatherings.
 It identifies the theme of the establishment.
Menu
“How to Design”(What to keep in Mind)

 Skinny or Comprehensive?
 What is your establishment?
 Where is your establishment?
 Who are your customers?
 How much space do you have?
 What is the staff response time?
 What are the equipment's that you have?
 Who are your suppliers?
 What’s your cost?
 Creative side of menu.
 Menu should be compiled by number of people in consultation with one another.
Menu
“Constraints”

 The resource available to the food service operation affects the menu. The
following are the constraints, which you face while planning a menu:
 Facility Layout / design and equipment: - You must have the space and
equipment available to produce all the items offered on the menu. If not, your
staff may need to prepare convenience foods.
 Skill of Staff: You must hire an ample number of employees with the required skills
to manage, prepare, and serve all the items on the menu. If skilled labour is not
available to prepare menu items, you may need to implement training programs
or reconsider including such items on the menu.
 Ingredients: Before you make your final selection, choose the standard recipe,
which your production staff will use. Also, make certain that all the ingredients
required by each recipe will be available during the life span of the menu.
Menu
“Constraints”

 Marketing Implication: Guest preferences should be a primary concern when

you plan the menu. Even though certain menu items may be practical to serve
from your property’s point of view if your guests do not care for them you should
eliminate them. Another marketing concern of menu planning deals with the
meal period involved.
 Quality Levels: You must know what level of quality the guests expect and how to
incorporate quality requirements into the food items offered on the menu. The
level of your employee’s skills and knowledge and the availability of equipment
and specific ingredients all affect the quality of food.
 Costs: Food items that are expensive to prepare should be priced at a level,
which compensates for their high costs. You must know the cost of preparing
specific menu items and their possible selling prices. If the cost of a menu item is
excessive, you may decide not offer it.
Exercise/Assignment

 Have a look at the Menus distributed and discuss the good parts/issues with
the menu on basic understanding of a layman & as a F&B Student.
End of Session
Compiling & Planning a Menu
Designing a Menu
Managing Quality
Trends & Developments
Staffing & Labour Cost Control
Menu Engineering
Menu Costing
“Extras”