CULINARY NUTRITION

Week 15 & 16
 MENU PLANNING

I. The Menu

A. Definition
· Comes from the French word meaning "a detailed list"
· Important document influencing all facets of the food service operation
· To the customer, the menu is an introduction to the establishment
· To the food service manager, it :
a. serves as a basis for planning, purchasing, production, and service
b. serves as an advertising and merchandising tool
 B. Description
· Must be neat, clean, attractive and appealing to the eye, palate and pocket
· Easy to read, understand and accurate
· Should please the customer
· Should be profitable to the institution

C. Tools
· Old menus
· Recipe books, magazines, recipe cards, cookbooks
· Standardized and tested recipes
II. Aspects in menu planning

1. The needs and requirements of the target clientele i.e., physiological and
nutritional; psychological; social; paying capacity; likes and dislikes.
2. Physical factors such as equipment, kitchen space, utensils and sanitation
3. Labor considerations such as manpower, availability of materials and time
4. Budgetary requirements.
5. Type of service (buffet, waiter or self service)
6. Aesthetic characteristics
· Appearance (form, shape, size, color)
· Temperature (hot and cold food)
· Texture (crisp, soft, garnishes)
· Flavor (sweet, sour, bitter and salty)
7. Time and seasonal considerations
· Time of the day
· Holiday and religious
8. Food utilization
· Using edible trimmings
· Avoiding leftover by careful planning of the production
· Planning ahead of time on how to use leftovers
· Eliminating perishable ingredients which are of "minimum use"
III. Types of Menu and Description

a. Ala carte
· Offers food items separately at a separate price
· Contains large selection of food items
· High profitability provided food spoilage are very minimal

b. Semi ala carte

· Combination of items and pricing them as one (main dish, soup,
salad)
 c. Table d'hote
· Groups several food items together at a single price
· Directly opposite of the ala carte, offers fixed menu price
· Appeals to customers unfamiliar with the cuisine offered
Limited production of entrees

d. Du jour
· Means menu for the day, specifically planned for a certain day
· Convenient ways of utilizing leftovers and food bargains
· Provide varied menus especially for regular clientele
 e. Limited menu
· Selections are limited in some way
· Entrée selection usually in between 6 to 12 items, may or may not offer the same
food everyday
· Associated with quick service operations of cafes
· Cost control is one important benefit to the operators
· Simplifies planning and production

f. Cycle menu
· Several menus offered in rotation
· Important to rotate Sunday and holiday selections, holidays require special meals to

mark the occasion

 · Benefits of Cycle Menu
- gives personnel greater knowledge of production and
quality requirements
- more opportunity for better planning
· Must be flexible to include leftovers or account for
occasional unavailability of certain food items
g. California menu
· Named after its place of origin
· Menu does not change, used during the entire period the place
is open many hotel room service menus are based on this
design
IV. Menu Evaluation and Analysis

A. Objectives:
1. To determine acceptability of the menu
2. To check if menus meet the needs of preferences of the clientele in terms of menu,
price and offerings
3. To determine profitability especially in commercial operations

B. Evaluation
1. Checklist
a. Does the menu meet the food pyramid?
b. Are the in-season foods offered available and the price within acceptable range?
C. Evaluation and analysis procedures

1. Popularity index. This provides figures that show the percentage popularity of
one menu item (e.g., an entrée vis a vis other items on the menu of the same
category.
2. Menu Count. Measures acceptability or popularity of menu items, this involves
keeping track of the number of portions sold per menu item on a day to day basis, and
if possible, on particular segments of the day.
3. Expert Evaluation. Careful scrutiny by experts, based on a given pre-determined set of

criteria; the method can provide valuable feedback regarding the menu and how
this can be improved.
4. Menu Engineering. The menu is analyzed on a basis of the relationship of profit and
volume. Thus, analysis is done in terms of (a) mean mix percentage and (b)
contribution margin.
5. Mean Mix Percentage (MM%) compares the sales of all items on the menu with a
mean achievement target, usually 90% of the average sales of all menu items.
· A MM% which is higher than the mean achievement target is classified as HIGH
(considered among the best selling items).
· Conversely, a MM% lower than the achievement target is classified as LOW. This
means sales are relatively weak.