UNIT OF COMPETENCY : PLAN AND PREPARE

FOOD FOR ALA CARTE &

BUFFETS 
MODULE TITLE :ALA CARTE AND BUFFET FOOD
PREPARATION

MODULE DESCRIPTOR : This module deals

with the knowledge, skills, behavior and
motivations required to plan and prepare
foods for ala carte and buffet situations.
 
SUMMARY OF LEARNING OUTCOMES:
• LO1. Plan ala carte and buffet items
• LO2. Prepare, produce and present foods for ala carte and
buffets
• LO3. Store ala carte and buffet items
 LO1. PLAN ALA CARTE AND BUFFET ITEMS

Information Sheet 1.1-1

Menu planning for ala carte and buffets

IMPORTANCE OF THE MENU

The importance of the menu to a foodservice operation cannot
be emphasized too often or too much. 
The menu is also called “the driver” of a foodservice
operation. This descriptive term indicates that every part of a
foodservice operation is affected by the menu and stresses how
the menu is a managerial tool for controlling many aspects of a
foodservice operation.  As you learn more about menus and menu
planning, keep in mind menus from your favorite restaurants or
your recent meals in other types of foodservice operations.
 POINTS OR FACTORS TO BE CONSIDERED WHILE PLANNING THE
MENU
1. Operations hour = The team must consider policy on
operation hours of the business while planning menu. If it is
operating throughout the day from morning 7 to night I l,
then all dishes required during breakfast, mid morning,
lunch, evening snacks, dinner, and so on, should be included.

2. What to serve: The policy of the management may not

permit the inclusion of beef, pork or any of the non. vegetarian
dishes, genetically modified food, and so on. Dishes included in
menu should be the framework of the establishment's policy.
3. Menu list of multiple choice:
Since it depends on the dish chosen by the guest, the
cooking time will vary so it is very important that you will inform
the guest about the time preparation.

4. While buffet refers to a variety hot and cold food displayed:

Guest should be allowed to choose what kind of dish he or
she would get and eat.
TRUTH IN MENU BEST PRACTICES
“Truth in Menu” also referred to as “accuracy in menus” is a
best practice in planning and sharing menus.  

 Accuracy in menus addresses any and all of the following:

• brand names
• price
• verbal and visual presentation, and
• food preparation
SUGGESTED STEPS IN MENU PLANNING
Once it’s time to actually plan the menu, the conventional
wisdom is to start with a menu pattern that fits your operation
and then work through breakfast, then lunch, then dinner. 
For instance, if you are planning a lunch menu, will you have
soups, salads, sandwiches, pizzas, full platters, sides, desserts,
and beverages?  How many selections will you offer in each of
your chosen menu categories?  Will you have daily specials?  Are
there any other special options you might want to offer your
customers?
 Information Sheet 1.1-2
Buffet centerpiece and decoration making

7 CENTERPIECES FOR ANY OCCASION

1. Flowers + Sticks
This tall, eye-catching centerpiece has a mix of greenery,
flowers & sticks all inside vases that help give even more
character to the room. Some of the tables also have shorter
pieces to help balance it out.
2. Short flowers with a pop of color
3. Tall vases with white flowers
These white flowers add an elegant look to the room & can
be easy to copy.
4. Rustic Chic Lantern
This look worked wonderfully in our rustic chic lodge for a
summer wedding reception. Depending on your choice of
flowers, it can be created for any season.
5. Spray-painted bottles + Flowers
This cluster of bottles with flowers can be inexpensive but
looks elegant & chic.
6.  Floating Candles
This may not be a new idea, but the way you arrange them &
what’s added to the centerpiece can make it more original. Try
using multiple glasses, varying in size & feel free to get creative
with flowers or greenery.
7. Circular 
These flowers arranged as a sphere is eye-catching, and it
adores the extra beading dangling from the vase.
 Principles of Food & Beverage Cost Control

Controlling food costs is one of the most important keys to

running a profitable restaurant or F&B Unit because of its direct
impact on profitability.

• Food Cost = A percent of sales that determines how much

money we make or lose on what we sell.
• Food Cost % = (Beginning Inventory + Purchases – Ending
Inventory) / Food Sales
• Food Cost % = Total Food COS / Total Food Revenue
 Key Principles of Food Cost Control

1. Suppliers Selection
Having more than one supplier, or at the very least
knowledge of more than one, gives you the flexibility to quickly
shop around for the best price. This set up allows you to monitor
external variables and be a proactive buyer instead of a reactive
one.
2. Goods Receiving Controls
This is where Food Cost control starts for the operators. It is
critical that whoever receives your purchases checks all the
necessary things in receiving and inventory.
3. Balancing Menu
There should be a fine balance for popular and profitable
food items. This means you will have low and high-cost items on
your menu and it is important that you need to place add-on’s
carefully to attract your customers to buy in to make the
balance. Construct your menu in a way that brings people into
your venue for your delicious food and varieties.

4. Controlling Cost of Buffet & Salad Bars

Whatever you are operating the aim is either selling hotel rooms
better with B&B options or filling seats that lead to more
purchases. It could be detrimental if you do not control a variety
of offerings and cost control in this environment.
Providing a quick summary of what could be done accurately
cost out these types of food offerings;

• Record all costs to set up and replenish the buffet during a day
• At the end of the day subtract the cost of food that is still in
good enough condition to be used later
• As you identify the net cost already, divide this number by the
number of customers who ate at the buffet. This will give you
a cost per customer.
• Compare your cost per customer to what you are charging for
the buffet.
• Adjust pricing or cost control measures as needed
5. Controlling Portion Size and Proper Training for Consistency
One of the easy way to determine the portion sizes are
evaluating plates returning to the kitchen. If there are certain
trends for certain dishes which consistently come back with an
excess of food than it allows you reduce the portion sizes of
these dishes. This will quickly lead to savings that can be used in
other areas where portion sizes may be too small.
Menu engineering would be also a good way to evaluate
menu items and changing/adjusting them accordingly.
6. Order Proper Quantities
Another way is taking advantage of buying power if you have
more than a couple of venues and require huge amount.
Sometimes buying from the source such as from the local farm
or fish auction could help you to get favourable prices as there is
no middleman.
Measuring the waste, having and sticking the portion sizes
becomes more important to determine correct and consistent
food supply needs and making better ordering choices. Ordering
wisely will help you reducing waste and also avoid paying
premium prices for stop-gap inventory needs.
7. Waste Control and Human Factor
We need to train carefully to all employees to ensure that
food is not lost starting from preparation phase to eliminate food
being overcooked, dropped or incorrectly prepared.
And also, staff should be trained and understand the value of
using every piece of a product and to be creative with the scraps.
To be able to accommodate it, Chef’s also needs to design the
Menu items to use scraps or seldom used parts of the food.
8. Incentivize Employees for their positive contribution
Incentives can range from monetary bonuses or other perks for
kitchen and/or serving staff who control food waste or promote/sell
low-cost menu items. As with all compensation plans it needs to be
fair and realistic. When done correctly, it can help out tremendously.

9. Sales Recording
So far, we have covered different aspects of controlling food cost.
It is important to understand that having proper policy and
procedures in place to record accurate sales figures.
It is important to highlight that any missed or under-recorded
sales figures will inflate your food cost percentages. You might have
all policy and procedures in place and work well to control the cost,
however, if your sale figures are not accurate, all your efforts will be
pointless.
 LO2. PREPARE, PRODUCE AND PRESENT FOODS FOR ALA
CARTE AND BUFFETS
Food preparation for ala carte and buffets

Ala carte and buffet cooking will have a wide variety of foods
and the method f cooking required will be dependant of the
recipe.
Typically buffet will have the following cooking methods:
1. Roastng
2. Grilling
3. Braising
4. Baking
5. Deep frying
 Buffet and ala carte presentation

A good design serves a function. The function of a buffet

is to serve the guest. Therefore, a properly devised buffet design
places foods logically. Guests should be able to identify what
they are eating and reach the food easily with appropriate
service tools, including plates and silverware, strategically
positioned.
If there is a chance that a food might cause an allergic
reaction, guests should be warned, either through placards, a
printed menu or by assigning knowledgeable wait staff on the
line. The layout should be designed so as to keep foods properly
heated or chilled and safe from cross contamination.
 The role of design 
Planning a design that enhances food presentation is an
important way to highlight the work of the staff and to benefit
from the special skills that go into planning and producing a
unified, thematic and successful buffet.
Balance
In creating a balanced presentation, consider the accessibility
of each item to be placed on the platter.
Place larger items in the rear and lower items in front. Items
such as sauce boats should be kept in an area that does not
disturb the design, but allows the guest easy access.
 Texture
The surface of a food will have a tendency to either reflect
light or absorb it, making some foods glossy and others matte.
The way the food feels when you bite into it is another
aspect of texture that the chef needs to include in a plan. 
 Shape and Height of the food 
The shape and height of the food is an important part of
buffet presentation. Food has three dimensions.
Alternating or repeating shapes in a design is one way to add
visual interest to food arrangements. You can alter the natural
shape of a food by cutting or slicing it. 
To give height to foods that are naturally flat, you can roll or
fold them, arrange them in piles or pyramids, or use serving
pieces such as pedestals, columns or baskets to raise foods.
 Meat carving techniques

Basic Carving Tips

• Allow enough time before serving not only for cooking the
meat, but for stand time and carving.
• Use a long, sharp carving knife to slice the meat and a long-
handled meat fork to steady the meat.
How to Carve Boneless Roasts?
• Hold the roast steady with a long-handled meat fork.
• With the knife held perpendicular to the cutting board, cut
across the grain into thin uniform slices. Cut the slices
between 1/4- and 1/2-inch thick.
 If you are carving thinner cuts of meat, like beef brisket, slice
the meat diagonally across the grain. This will give you a slice of
meat with a larger surface area.
 How to Carve a Standing Beef Roast
For added stability, cut a wedge-shaped slice from the large
end of the roast so that the meat will sit flat on the cutting
board.
Insert a long-handled meat fork below the top rib. Slice
across the top of roast toward the rib bone. This roast can be
sliced between 1/2- and 3/4-inch thick.
 With the tip of the knife, cut along the rib bone to release
the slice of meat.

To remove the meat slice, slide the knife blade under the cut
slice of meat. Holding it steady with a meat fork, lift the slice and
place it on a platter.
 LO3. STORE ALA CARTE AND BUFFET ITEMS

Store ala carte and buffet items hygienically and correctly

before and after the service time at a safe temperature

8 simple steps to safely store food at your operation

• STORE DELIVERIES IMMEDIATELY AFTER BEING INSPECTED.

• STORE REFRIGERATED FOOD IN THE PROPER ORDER
From top to bottom, store food in this order: ready-to-eat
food, seafood, whole cuts of beef and pork, ground meat and
seafood, and whole and ground poultry.
CHECK THE TEMPERATURE OF FOODS STORED IN COOLERS AND
FREEZERS REGULARLY.
Consult with your manager regarding the proper storage
temperature for various foods.

LABEL & DATE ALL STORED FOOD

PRACTICE THE FIFO (FIRST IN FIRST OUT) METHOD OF STOCK
ROTATION
Store food by use-by-dates so that the oldest product gets
used first.
• STORE FOOD AWAY FROM WALLS & AT LEAST SIX INCHES (15
CENTIMETERS) OFF THE FLOOR.

• KEEP STORAGE AREAS DRY & CLEAN

• NEVER STORE CHEMICALS NEAR FOOD

UNIT OF COMPETENCY : PLAN AND CONTROL
MENU-BASED CATERING
 
MODULE TITLE: PLANNING AND
CONTROLLING MENU-BASED CATERING

MODULE DESCRIPTOR : This module deals

with the basic planning, preparing and
controlling of menu-based catering within
established enterprise systems.

 
SUMMARY OF LEARNING OUTCOMES:

• LO1. Plan and prepare menus.

• LO2. Control menu-based catering.

 
• LO3. Practice portion control.
 LO1. PLAN AND PREPARE MENUS

Menu Planning procedures

Your menu is a huge part of any event, whether a wedding,

corporate event or anything in between. Planning the perfect
food service is essential for creating an event guests remember –
in a good way.
Step 1: Set a Budget
Caterers are great at creating unique menus that fit your event
within a reasonable budget. That’s our job! Planning a great
menu, only to have to make significant changes due to previously
unmentioned budget concerns, is a much bigger challenge. At this
point in the process, a rough head count is also helpful.
Step 2: Choose Your Service Style
There are so many different ways to serve your guests. Plated
dinners, buffet lunches, family-style celebrations and more are all
options. The right one for your event depends on a few factors,
including the overall feel of your event and your budget.
Step 3: Consider Your Timeline
Think about the other elements of your event and how your menu
will fit into them. Do you have time for a sit-down meal? Should you
stick to a cocktail hour with hearty appetizers? Will guests need to be
able to eat while still participating in the event, such as watching the
first dance, take notes during a presentation or listen to a speaker.

Step 4: Know Your Guests

Consider the preferences of your guests. If they’re C-suite
professionals used to eating in high-end restaurants, they’ll expect top-
notch cuisine. Did you grow up in a meat-and-potatoes household?
Don’t serve an exclusively vegan menu at your wedding. Alternately, if
all your college friends are vegetarians, be sure to include a few meat-
free options.

You also need to consider food allergies, intolerances and restrictions.

Step 6: Know What’s in Season
Incorporating as many local, in season ingredients as possible
will make your catering menu fresher and more flavorful. You
may also be able to save a few dollars by eliminating the need to
source ingredients from far away.
 Kinds of menus

• A La Carte Menu
• Du Jour Menu
• Cycle Menu
• Static Menu
• Table d’Hote Menu
• Prix Fixe Menu
• What Is an a La Carte Menu?
An a la carte menu lists the prices for each item separately.
While the prices tend to be higher, a la carte menus have more
flexibility. Customers can choose individual items and combine
them any way they want.
• What is a Cycle Menu?
A cycle menu is a menu or part of a menu that has repeated
options over a specific period of time.
The cycle menu definition is fairly intuitive given its name.
Think of a sandwich shop that offers a certain sandwich on
Monday. Then another sandwich on Tuesday. And so on for the
rest of the week.
If they stick to those sandwiches on those days and repeat
that week after week, it’s a cycle menu.
• What is a Static Menu?
A static menu is a larger menu, typically divided into
categories, that doesn’t change very often. It’s the most widely
used menu today, and it’s what you likely think of when you
think of menus.
• What Is a Table d’Hote Menu?
A table d’hote menu is a menu that offers a choice of
appetizer, entree, and dessert all at a fixed total price. It’s the set
menu that provides the most freedom.
• What Does Du Jour Mean?
Du jour is a French phrase that means “of the
day.”
• What Is a Fixed Menu?
A fixed menu is a menu with few options and
a fixed total price. It can be confused with static
menus because the words, outside of the
context of menu names, are similar. But the
fixed menu definition is far different from that of
the static menu.
 LO2. CONTROL MENU-BASED CATERING

Recipe/Menu Costing

How to Calculate Food Cost for a Recipe

• An easy way to calculate your costs is to:
• Write down all of the ingredients in a recipe
• Determine the cost of each ingredient in total (whether it be a
10lb bag or not)
• List how many grams of each ingredient you have in a recipe
• Divide the total cost of the ingredient by the grams of each
ingredient
Different kitchen forms and their uses e.g. production planning
sheets, daily kitchen reports, spoilage reports
 LO3. PRACTICE PORTION CONTROL
Recipe yield testing
Recipes often need to be adjusted to meet the needs of
different situations. The most common reason to adjust recipes
is to change the number of individual portions that the recipe
produces.
For example, a standard recipe might be written to prepare
25 portions. If a situation arises where 60 portions of the item
are needed, the recipe must be properly adjusted.
Finding Conversion Factors
• To find the appropriate conversion factor to adjust a recipe,
follow these steps:
• 1. Note the yield of the recipe that is to be adjusted. The
number of portions is usually included at the top of the recipe
(or formulation) or at the bottom of the recipe. This is the
information that you HAVE.
• 2. Decide what yield is required. This is the information you
NEED.
• 3. Obtain the conversion factor by dividing the required yield
(from Step 2) by the old yield (from Step 1). That is,
• conversion factor = (required yield)/(recipe yield)
• conversion factor = what you NEED ÷ what you HAVE
Example:
• To find the conversion factor needed to adjust a recipe that
produces 25 portions to produce 60 portions, these are steps
you would take:
• 1. Recipe yield = 25 portions
• 2. Required yield = 60 portions
• 3. Conversion factor = (required yield)/(recipe yield)
• = 60 portions/25 portions
• = 2.4
 UNIT OF COMPETENCY : ORGANIZE BULK
COOKING OPERATIONS

MODULE TITLE : ORGANIZING BULK COOKING

OPERATIONS

MODULE DESCRIPTOR : This module deals with

the skills, knowledge, behavior and motivations
required to provide on-the-job coaching to
colleagues. It reflects the situation in many
hospitality workplaces where “buddy” systems
and on job coaching are extremely common.
 
SUMMARY OF LEARNING OUTCOMES :

• LO1. Plan kitchen operations for bulk cooking.

• LO2. Organize production of bulk cooking menus.

• LO3. Select systems for bulk cooking.

• LO4. Use preparation and cooking techniques appropriate

to the bulk cooking system.
 LO1. Plan kitchen operations for bulk cooking.
Purchasing
Purchasing is the process a business or organization uses to
acquire goods or services to accomplish its goals.

Preparing and organizing work schedules and workflow plans

The Importance of Scheduling

Scheduling is the art of planning your activities so that you can
achieve your goals and priorities in the time you have available.
• Understand what you can realistically achieve with your time.
• Make sure you have enough time for essential tasks.
• Add contingency time for "the unexpected."
• Avoid taking on more than you can handle.
• Work steadily toward your personal and career goals.
• Have enough time for family and friends, exercise and
hobbies.
• Achieve a good work-life balance.
 Recipe quantification/converting recipes

Cooking Measurements & Cooking Conversions

Cooking measurements and cooking conversions are a point of
confusion for many people. Whether you’re a newbie cook or
even quite seasoned, sometimes measurements just don’t seem
to make sense!
 Kitchen Measurement Tools

Most of your cooking measurements can be done with these

basic kitchen measurement tools.

A kitchen scale can be used when ingredients need to be

weighed instead of measured by cups, etc. This is ideal for more
exact recipes, or when using recipes that measure in grams.
 • Measuring spoons
• Measuring cups
• Liquid measuring cup
• Kitchen scale

Standard/Imperial Measurement Abbreviations

Tbsp = Tablespoon (also TB, Tbl)
tsp = Teaspoon
48 teaspoons = 16 tablespoons = 1 cup
6 teaspoons = 2 tablespoons = ⅛ cup
 Mise en place

Mise en place (MEEZ ahn plahs) is a French term for having

all your ingredients measured, cut, peeled, sliced, grated, etc.
before you start cooking. Pans are prepared.
Mixing bowls, tools and equipment set out. It is a technique
chefs use to assemble meals so quickly and effortlessly.
Practicing mise en place has several benefits:

Any missing ingredients can be spotted before it's too late for
a quick trip to the store or your neighbor next door.
There is time to clean the mixing area as you go along rather
than face a counter full of mixing equipment when you're done.
You can group ingredients or place them in the order used to
assure all recipe steps are included.
 LO2. ORGANIZE PRODUCTION OF BULK COOKING MENUS

Work flow systems

Workflow: It is a structured set of tasks that are executed in a

pre-set sequence. Every time a workflow is run, a checklist is
created. For example: consider the employee onboarding
workflow. Each time you run the onboarding workflow for a new
employee, a checklist is generated.
 Purchasing, receiving, storing, holding and
issuing procedures in relation to bulk cooking
 LO3. SELECT SYSTEMS FOR BULK COOKING

Different types of food production systems

The food production system is the entire process through

which raw materials are converted into edible/processed food
items that are sellable. These systems involve all processes and
infrastructure that are needed to feed people. 
 Each food production system can be summed up in three
stages:

Input: Different raw materials that are initially needed to process

the food. 
Process: Different processes through which the raw ingredients
are converted into eatable food dishes
Output: Final food product
 Kinds of cooking equipment and processing machines
• Broiler Pan
A broiler pan is a large piece of kitchen equipment that usually
comes with the purchase of a stove but can also be purchased
separately.
It consists of two pieces: a rectangular or square pan and a
slotted lid with ridges which fits over the bottom pan.
• Cooking Ranges
Cooking range is the most versatile equipment operating on
either LPG or electricity. The name implies, it can perform a range of
functions such as cooking, frying, boiling, grilling, and baking. It
comes in two basic versions −
• Restaurant range − Less expensive, good for less food volume,
and is stand alone.
• Heavy duty range − Expensive, suits a large volume of food
production, and can be banked with other ranges using a
battery.
• Ovens
They are used for cooking, baking, roasting, and browning.
They operate either on LPG or electricity. There are various oven
models such as Rack with the option of rotating or steady
racks, Deck, and Tunnel depicting their shape and working style.
• Pans and Cooking Spoons
There are a wide range of pans, pots, and spoons used for
cooking.
• Pans − Depending upon the type of cooking, the cook selects
a pan. The pans serve the purpose of shallow frying, boiling,
and stir frying.
• Pots − The pots are used for cooking and preparing stocks.
They are generally accompanied with lids. The steamer is used
to prepare steamed food such as rice, momos, and idlis (fluffy
rice dumplings). There are two variants − shallow and deep.
 LO4. USE PREPARATION AND COOKING
TECHNIQUES APPROPRIATE TO THE
BULK COOKING SYSTEM
Safety in the Kitchen/Safe work practices

Workplace safety is of paramount importance.  Hazards exist

in all workplaces in every industry, risk assessments and hazard
management is designed to lower those workplace risks.  How
we manage those risks as business owners or employees
dramatically impacts on the overall safety within our workplace.
 The foodservice industry, like other industries, are required
to meet compliance guidelines set by Safework to ensure
workplace safety for both employees and the customers we
serve.

Kitchen safety awareness is crucial during food preparation and

cooking, as well as during clean-up and daily living.
Understanding the hazards present in the kitchen can help you
avoid causing an accident or subjecting your family to a bout of
food poisoning.