MENU PLANNING

From design to evaluation

 Rationale

Everything starts with the menu. The menu

dictates much about how your operation will
be organized and managed, the extent to
which it meet its goals, and even how the
building itself - certainly the interior - should
be designed and constructed.
 Objectives

 To explain the importance of a menu

 To explain the basic rules of menu planning
 To identify factors to be considered when
planning a menu
 To identify constraints in menu planning
 To plan and write a menu
 Must Satisfy Guest Expectations

 Reflect your guests’ tastes

 Reflect your guests’ food preferences
 Ascertain your guests’ needs
Must attain Marketing Objectives

 Locations
 Times
 Prices
 Quality
 Specific food items
 Must help to achieve
Quality Objectives
 Quality standards:
flavor, texture, color, shape, flair,
consistency, palatability, visual appeal,
aromatic apparel, temperature
 Nutritional concerns:
low-fat, high-fiber diets, vegetarian
 Must be Cost-Effective

 Commercial
financial restraints
profit objectives
 Institutional
minimizing costs
operational budget
 Must be Accurate

 Truth-in-menu laws exist in some localities,

cannot mislabel a product
 “butter” must use butter not margarine
 “fresh” must be fresh, not fresh frozen
 “homemade” not purchased “ready-to-heat”
 “USDA Choice” actually “USDA Good”
Menu Planning Constraints
 Facility Layout/Design
and Equipment
 Space
 Equipment available
 Work flow
 Efficiency
 Available Labor

 Number of Employees
 Required Skills
 Training Programs
 Ingredients

 Standard recipe
 Availability of the
ingredients required
during the life span of
the menu
 Seasonal ingredients
 Cost
 Miscellaneous cost
(flight charges, storage)
 Marketing Implications

 Social needs
 Physiological needs
 Type of service
(fast food, leisure dinning)
 Festival
 Nutrition
 Quality Levels and Costs

 Guests’ expectation
 Employees’ skills and knowledge
 Availability of equipment
 Specific ingredients
 Food costs and selling prices
 The Menu and
the Food Service Operation
 The Menu Helps to Determine
Staff Needs
 Variety and complexity increases, number of
personnel increases
 Production staff
 Service staff
 Back-of-house staff
 The Menu Dictates Production
and Service Equipment Needs

Tableside service
 carving utensils, trolleys,
gueridon, salad bowls,
suzette pans, souffle dishes,
soup tureens, large wooden
salad bowl, rechaud, Voiture
(heated cart for serving
roasts) and ......
 The Menu Dictates Dining Space

 A take-out sandwich or pizza operation would require no

dining space and the amount of square feet required per
person would be minimal.
 On the other hand, if a restaurant offers a huge salad buffet,
dessert selection or an after-dinner trolley, wide aisles would
be needed to allow guests ease of movement and moving of
equipment.
 Purchase Specifications May
Be Dictated By The Menu
 If the menu offers such items as USDA Choice New
York strip steaks, quarter-pound lean beef burgers,
grade AA eggs, freshly squeezed Florida orange
juice, or vine-ripened tomatoes, back -of-house
procedures will not only include receiving, storing,
issuing, and producing the menu items but also
purchasing the specific products described. (When
such factors as grade and portion size are not
dictated by the menu, managers and chefs must
determine purchase specifications and related
quality factors.)
 How and When Items
Must Be Prepared
 To stimulate guest interest, the menu planner may
offer a dish prepared in a variety of ways:
 Cooking methods
 Poached, broiled, batter-dipped, deep fried
 The finished product must be prepared using the
method indicated on the menu
 Small quantities cooking (a la carte)
 Batch cooking
 The Menu is a Factor in the Development
of Cost Control Procedures

 As the menu requires more expensive food

items and more extensive labor or capital
(equipment) needs, the property’s overall
expenses and the procedures to control them
will reflect these increased cost.
 The Menu and the Service Plan

 Type and size of dinnerware

 Types of flatware
 Garnishes (place be service or production staff)
 Timing requirement for ordering
 Additional dining service supplies to serve the item
 Special serving produces
 Special information (doneness of the steaks, over
easy or sunny side eggs, etc.)
 Menu Design

 First impression is always important, the entire

menu should complement the operation
- Theme
- Interior Decor
- Design (Merchandising)
- Creativity
- Material
- Color
- Space
 Menu Design

- Type style and/or lettering

- Names of food items
- Description
- Popular items are at the top of a list
- Clip-ons, inserts (daily specials)
- Operations address
- Beverage service notice
- Separate menus for each meal period
- Separate menu for host/hostess and guests
 Menu Styles

 A table d'hôte (a complete meal for one price)

 A la Carte (items are listed and priced separately)
 Combination (combination of the table d'hôte and a
la carte pricing styles)
 Fixed menus: a single menus for several months
 Cycle menus: designed to provide variety for guests
who eat at an operation frequently - or even daily
 Types Of Menus

 Breakfast
(offers fruits, juices, eggs, cereals, pancakes,
waffles, and breakfast meats)
 Lunch
(features sandwiches, soups, salads, specials;
usually lighter than dinner menu items)
 Dinner
(more elaborate, steaks, roasts, chicken, sea food
and pasta; wines, cocktails, etc..)
 Types Of Menus - Specialty

 Children’s
 Senior citizens’
 Alcoholic beverage
 Dessert
 Room service
 Take-out
 Banquet
 California (breakfast, lunch and dinner menu items on one
menu)
 Ethnic
 Basic Rules Of Menu Planning

 Know your guest  Know your operation

- Food preference - Theme or cuisine
- Price - Equipment
- Age - Personnel
- Quality standards
- Budget
 Selecting Menu Items

 Menu category:
 Appetizers
 Salads

 Entrees

 Starch items (potatoes, rice, pasta)

 Vegetables

 Desserts

 Beverages
 Common Sources
For Menu Item Recipes
 Old menus
 Books
 Trade magazines
 Cookbooks for the
home market
 Menu Balance

 Business balance
- balance between food cost, menu prices,
popularity of items, financial and marketing
considerations
 Aesthetic balance
- colors, textures, flavors of food
 Nutritional balance
 Elements Of Menu Copy

 Headings
- Appetizers
- Soups
- Entrees
 Sub-heading
- Under entree:
 Steak, seafood, today’s specials
 Elements Of Menu Copy

 Descriptive copy (describe the menu items)

- should be believable and made in
short, easy-to-read sentences
- no description is needed for self-
explanatory item. i.e. Low Fat Milk
 Truth-in-menu

 Grading (foods are graded by size, quality, in line

with official standards)
 “Freshness” (cannot be canned, frozen or fresh-
frozen)
 Geographical origin (cannot make false claims
about the origin of a product)
 Preparation (if the menu says baked, it cannot be
fried instead)
 Dietary or nutrition claims (supportable by
scientific data)
 Supplemental Merchandising
Copy
Includes information such as:
 Address
 Telephone number
 Days and hours of operation
 Meals served
 Reservations and payment policies
 History of the restaurant
 A statement about management’s commitment to
guest service
 Menu Layout

 Sequence:
 Appetizers, soups, entrees, desserts
 Depends on the operation (side orders, salads,
sandwiches, beverages)
 Depends on popularity and profitability
 Placement:
 artworks; space; boxes; clip-on; etc.
 Menu Layout

Format:
 Menu’s size
 General makeup
Typeface:
 Printed letters
 Font size
 Type face
 Menu Layout

Artwork:
 Drawings, photographs, decorative patterns,
borders
Paper:
 Texture
Cover:
 Color
 Texture
 Common Menu-design
Mistakes
 Menu is too small
 Type is too small
 No descriptive copy
 Every item treated the same
 Some of the operations’ food and beverages are not
listed
 Clip-on problems
 Basic information about the property and its
policies are not included
 Blank pages
 Evaluating Menus

 Must set standards

 Determine how menu is helping to meet
standards
 Menu Evaluation:
Questions Most Often Asked
 Is the menu attractive?
 Do the colors and other design elements match the
operation’s theme and decor?
 Are menu items laid out in an attractive and logical
way?
 Is there too much descriptive copy? Not enough? Is
the copy easy to understand?
 Is attention called to the items managers most want
to sell, through placement, color, description, type
size, etc.?
 Menu Evaluation:
Questions Most Often Asked
 Have guests complained about the menu?
 Have guests said good things about the menu?
 How does the menu compare with the menus of
competitors?
 Has the average guest check remained steady or
increased?
 Is there enough variety in menu items?
 Are menu items priced correctly?
 Are you selling the right mix of high-profit and
low-profit items?
 Menu Evaluation:
Questions Most Often Asked
 Is the typeface easy to read and
appropriate to the restaurant’s
theme and decor?
 Is the paper attractive and stain-
resistant?
 Have the menus been easy to
maintain so that guests always
receive a clean, attractive menu?
 Menu Pricing

SUBJECTIVE PRICING:
 The reasonable price method: from the guest’s
perspective - what charge is fair and equitable
 The highest price method: sets the highest price that
the manager thinks guests are willing to pay
 The loss lender price method: an unusually low
price is set for an item to attract guests
 The intuitive price method: takes a wild guest,
trail-and-error
 Menu Pricing

DESIRED FOOD COST PERCENTAGE PRICING

METHOD:
 manager determines a reasonable food cost percent
 then divides a menu item’s standard food cost by its
reasonable food cost percent

Selling price = $1.50 (item’s standard food cost) = $4.55

0.33 (desired food cost percent)
 Menu Pricing

PROFIT PRICING:
factors profit requirements and non-food expenses into
menu item selling prices

Allowable = $300,000 - $189,000 - $15,000 = $96.000

food costs (forecasted (non-food (profit
food sales) expenses) requirements)

Budgeted food cost % = $96,000 (allowable food costs) = 0.32 or 32%

$300,000 (forecasted food sales)
 Menu Pricing

COMPETITION AND PRICING:

 Know competitor’s menus, selling prices, and
guest preferences
 Lower your prices
 Raise your prices
 Elasticity of demand:
Elastic: price change creates a larger % in the
quantity demanded (prices-sensitive)
Inelastic: the % change in quantity demanded is
less than the % change in price
The Menu:The Foundation For Control
GUEST SATISFACTION BASIC OPERATING ACTIVITIES:
CONTROL POINTS

SERVING MENU PLANNING

HOLDING PURCHASING

COOKING RECEIVING

PREPARING STORING
PRODUCTION ACTIVITIES

ISSUING
 The Menu Influences
 Product Control Procedures
every item on the menu represents a product to be controlled
 Cost Control Procedures
careful cost control procedures must be followed,
particularly when expensive products and labor-intensive
service styles are used
 Production Requirement
product quality, staff productivity and skills, timing and
scheduling, and other back-of-the-house functions are all
dictated by the menu
 The Menu Influences

 Equipment Needs
equipment must be available to prepare products required by
the menu
 Sanitation Management
 management must consider menu items in light of possible
sanitation hazards
 Layout and Space Requirements
the physical space within which food production and service
take place - must be adequate for purchasing, receiving,
storing, issuing, producing, and serving every item on the
menu
 The Menu Influences

 Staffing Needs
as menu becomes more complex, greater demands may be
placed upon the staff
 Service Requirements
the menu affects the skill levels required for service
personnel, along with equipment, inventory, and facilities
needed in the front of the house
 Sales Income Control Procedures
elaborate menus require more stringent controls than simple
menus
 Menu Planning
is also.. A Tool for:

 Sales
lists the items an operation is offering for sale
 Advertising
communicates a property’s food and beverage marketing
plans
 Merchandising
target market expectations - products, service, ambience
(theme and atmosphere), perceived value
 Marketing Tool
strive to meet or exceed the expectations of its target market
 Priority Concerns Of
The Menu Planner
Priority Concerns of menu Planner

Wants and needs Guest

Concept of Value Quality of Item Flavour

Item Price Consistency

Cost

Object of Property Visit Availability Texture/Form/Shape

Socio-Economic Factors Peak Volume Production Nutritional Content

and Operating Concerns

Demographic Concerns Visual Appeal

Sanitation Concerns
Ethnic Factors
Aromatic Appeal
Layout Concerns

Religious Factors Temperature

Equipment Concerns
 Menu Planning Strategies
 Rationalization
its objective is simplification for the sake of
operational efficiency
i.e., cross-utilization menu items use the same raw
ingredients
- Menu when carefully plan can be a streamlining of
the purchasing, receiving, storing, issuing,
production, and serving control points.
- High-quality convenience foods make it easier to
offer new items without having to buy additional
raw ingredients
 Factors That Influence Menu
Planning Strategies
 Needs and wants of target markets
 Several items from same ingredients
 Storage requirements
 Personnel skill levels
 Product availability / seasonality
 Quality and price stability
 Sanitation procedures
 External Factors
That Influence Menu Changes
 Consumer Demands
decide which potential markets wants to attract
 Economic Conditions
cost of ingredients, potential profitability of new menu
items
 Competition
many not want to serve next door’s best
 Supply Levels
seasonal items, price to the quality and quantity
 Industry Trends
industry’s response to new demands
 Internal Factors
That Influence Menu Changes
 Facility Meal Patterns
existing meal periods - breakfast, lunch and dinner
 Concept and Theme
the image may rule out certain foods that do not
blend with its theme and decor
 Operational System
costs for new equipment to the successful
production and service of new menu items
 Pricing Approaches

 Subjective Price Methods

intuition and knowing your guests (failed to relate
profit and costs)
 The Reasonable Price Methods
presumes value to the guest (what charge is fair and
equitable)
 The Highest Price Method
sets the highest price the guests are willing to pay
 Pricing Approaches

 The Loss Leader Method

an unusually low price is set for an item (or items)
to bring guests in
 The Intuitive Price Method
wild guess about the selling price
(pricing methods based on assumptions, hunches
and guesses)
 Pricing Approaches

 Simple Mark-up Pricing Methods

designed to cover all costs and to yield the desired
profit.
Three Steps:
1. Determine the ingredients’ costs

2. Determine the multiplier

3. Establish a base selling price

 Multiplier

If food cost is to be 40%

Multiplier = 1 / desired food cost%

= 1 / .40

= 2.5
 Base Selling Price

If ingredient cost is $3.32

Base Selling Price = Ingredient Cost x Multiplier

$8.30 = $3.32 x 2.5

A base selling price in not necessarily the final selling price

 Prime-Ingredient
Mark-Up Method

Base selling price = Prime Ingredient Cost x Multiplier

$8.30 = $1.59 x 5.22

or food cost is about 19%

 Mark-Up with
Accompaniment Costs
Entree / Primary Costs $3.15

Plate Cost +$1.25

Food Cost $4.40

Mark-Up Multiplier x 3.3 (30% food cost)

Base Selling Price $14.52

 Determining the Price Multiplier

Based upon:
 experience or “rule of thumb”
 contribution margin
 impact of sales mix
 does not reflect higher or lower labor cost
 assume food cost associated with producing menu
item are know
 Contribution Margin
Pricing Method
Contribution Margin refers to the amount left after a menu
item’s food cost is subtracted from its selling price.
Two steps in setting base selling price:
1. Determine the average contribution margin required
per guest
Non-Food + Required Profit = Ave. Contribution Margin Required/guest
No. of Expected guests

$295,000 + $24,000 = $3.75

85,000
 Contribution Margin
Pricing Method
2. Determine the base selling price for a menu item

Base selling price = average contribution margin + Standard food cost

$7.35 = $3.75 + $3.60

 Ratio Pricing Method

The ratio pricing method determines the relationship between

food costs and all non-food costs plus profit requirements
and uses this ratio to develop base selling price for menu
items.
Three steps
1. Determine the ration of food costs to all other cost plus
profit requirements
All non-food costs + Required profit = Ratio
Food costs

$160,000 + $21,000 = 1.34

$135,000
 Ratio Pricing Method

2. Calculate the amount of non-food cost and profit required

for a menu item
Non-food cost and profit required = Standard food cost x ratio
$5.03 = $3.75 x 1.34

3. Determine the base selling price for the menu item

Base Selling Price = Non-food cost and profit required + Standard food
cost
$8.78 = $5.03 + $3.75
 Simple Prime Costs Method

The term prime cost refers to the most significant costs in a food
service operation: food, beverage and labor.
A simple prime costs pricing method involves assessing the labor
costs for the food service operation and factoring these costs
into the pricing equation.
Three steps:
1. Determine the labor costs per guest
Labour Cost per guest = Labour costs / No. of expected guests
$2.80 = $210,000 / 75,000
 Simple Prime Costs Method

2. Determine the prime costs per guest

Prime Cost per guest = Labour cost per guest + menu item’s food cost

$6.55 = $2.80 + $3.75

3. Determine base selling price

Base Selling Price = Prime costs Per guest

Desired Prime Costs%

$10.56 = $6.55 / 0.62

 Specific Prime Cost Method

Specific Prime Cost Method - develops mark-ups for menu

items so that the base selling prices for the items cover
their fair share of labor costs.
 Divide the menu items into 2 categories:
(A) extensive preparation
(B) non extensive preparation
 clean up, and other non-preparation activities
 Specific Prime Cost Method

 Allocates appropriate % of total food costs and labor costs

to each category
(A) 60% of the total food cost
(B) 40% of the total food cost
(A) & (B) 55% of all labor costs
45% of all labor costs is incurred for service,
 Specific Prime Cost Method -
Calculations
 Operating Category A Category B
Budget Item Budget % (extensive preparation) (Non-extensive
Preparation)
(1) (2) (3) (4)
 Items Items
Food Cost 35% 60% of 35% = 21% 40% of 35% = 14%

Labour Cost 30% 55% of 30% = 17% 40% of 13% = 5%

All Other Cost 20% 60% of 13% = 8% 40% of 20% = 8%

Profit 15% 60% of 15% = 9% 40% of 15% = 6%

Total 100% 67% 33%

Mark-Up 100% =2.9% 67% = 3.2 33% = 2.4

Multiplier 35% 21% 14%
 Important Pricing Considerations
 The Concept of Value (price relative to quality)

 The Basic Law of Supply and Demand

 Volume Concerns Must be Considered

 Price Charged by the Competition for a similar Product

 Evaluating The Menu:
Menu Engineering
Basic Menu Engineering Process:

 Stars - items that are popular profitable

 Plowhorses - items that are not profitable but popular

 Puzzles - items that are profitable but no popular

 Dogs - items that are neither profitable nor popular

 Defining Profitability

 Contribution Margin

a “high” contribution margin for an individual

menu item would be one that is equal to or greater
than the average contribution margin

Average Contribution Margin = Total Contribution Margin

Total Number of Item Sold
 Defining Popularity
Popular Index bases upon the notion of “expected popularity”
For example:
4 items on a menu and each is assumed to be equally popular,
the sales of each would be expected to be 25%
100% ÷ 4 = 25%
Menu engineering assumes that an item is popular if its sales
equal 70% of what is expected..
For example:
a food item is considered popular if its sales is:
25% x 70% = 17.5% of total sales
 Menu Engineering Worksheet
Menu Engineering Worksheet
Date: 6/10/00 _________________
Restaurant: ____________________________ Meal Period: Dinner
(A) (B) (C) (D) (E) (F) (G) (H) (L) (P) (R) (S)
Menu Number Menu Item Item Item Menu Menu Menu Menu
Item Sold Mix Food Selling CM Costs Revenues CM CM MM% Item
Name (MM) % Cost Price (E - D) (D x B) (E x B) (H - G) Category Category Classific-
ation
Chicken Plow-
Dinner 420 42% $2.21 $4.95 $2.74 $928.20 $2079.00 $1150.80 Low High horse
NY Strip
Steak 360 36% 4.50 8.50 4.00 1,620.00 3,060.00 1,440.00 High High Star
Lobster
Tail 150 15% 4.95 9.50 4.55 742.50 1,425.00 682.50 High Low Puzzle
Tenderloin
Tips 70 7% 4.00 6.45 2.45 280.00 451.50 171.50 Low Low Dog

Column N l J M
Totals 1,000 $3570.70 $7015.50 $3444.80
K=l/J O=M/N Q = (100%/items) (70%)
Additional Computations: 50.9% $3.44 17.5%
(Box K = Food Cost %; Box O = Average Contribution Margin)
 Improving The Menu
Managing Plowhorses

Items low in contribution margin, but high in popularity

 Increase prices carefully
 Test for demand
 Relocate the item to a lower profile on the menu
 Shift demand to more desirable items
 Combine with lower cost products
 Assess the direct labor factor
 Consider portion reduction
 Improving The Menu
Managing Puzzles
Items high in contribution margin but low in
popular
 Shift demand to these items
 Consider a price decrease
 Add value to the item
 Improving The Menu
Managing Stars
Items high in contribution margin and high in
popularity
 Maintain rigid specifications
 Place in a highly visible location on the menu
 Test for selling price inelasticity
 Use suggestive selling techniques
 Improving The Menu
Managing Dogs
Items that are low in contribution margin and low
in popularity:

Candidates for removal from the menu