QUEZON NATIONAL AGRICULTURAL SCHOOL

Malicboy, Pagbilao, Quezon

MENU
KNOWLEDGE

By:
Ms. Nina Rochelle V. Ariano
 Rationale

Everything starts with the menu.

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

2
 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

3
 Must Satisfy Guest Expectations

• Reflect your guests’ tastes

• Reflect your guests’ food preferences
• Ascertain your guests’ needs

4
 Must attain Marketing Objectives
• Locations
• Times
• Prices
• Quality
• Specific food items

5
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

6
 Must be Cost-Effective

• Commercial
financial constraints
profit objectives
• Institutional
minimizing costs
operational budget

7
 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”

8
MENU PLANNING

FROM DESIGN TO EVALUATION

9
Menu Planning Constraints

10
 Facility Layout/Design
and Equipment
11

 Space
 Equipment available
 Work flow
 Efficiency
 Available Labor
12

 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)

13
 Marketing Implications
14

 Social needs
 Physiological needs
 Type of service
(fast food, leisure dining)
 Festival
 Nutrition
 Quality Levels and Costs
15

 Guests’ expectation
 Employees’ skills and knowledge
 Availability of equipment
 Specific ingredients
 Food costs and selling prices
 The Menu and
the Food Service Operation

16
 The Menu Helps to Determine Staff Needs
17

 Variety and complexity increases,

number of personnel increases
 Production staff
 Service staff

 Back-of-house staff
 The Menu Dictates Production
and Service Equipment Needs
18

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
19

 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.
 How and When Items Must Be Prepared
20

 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
21
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
22

 Type and size of dinnerware

 Types of flatware
 Garnishes (placed by service or production staff)
 Timing requirement for ordering
 Additional dining service supplies to serve the item
 Special serving produced
 Special information (doneness of the steaks, over
easy or sunny side eggs, etc.)
 Menu Design
23

 First impression is always important, the entire

menu should complement the operation
- Theme
- Interior Decor
- Design (Merchandising)
- Creativity
- Material
- Color
- Space
 Menu Design
24

- Type style and/or lettering

- Names of food items
- Description
- Popular items are at the top of a list
- Clip-ons, inserts (daily specials)
- Operation’s address
- Beverage service notice
- Separate menus for each meal period
- Separate menu for host/hostess and guests
 Basic Rules Of Menu Planning
25
 Know your guest  Know your operation
- Food preference - Theme or cuisine
- Price - Equipment
- Age - Personnel
- Quality standards
- Budget
 Selecting Menu Items
26

 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

27
 Menu Balance
28

 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
29

 Headings
- Appetizers
- Soups
- Entrees
 Sub-heading
- Under entree:
 Steak, seafood, today’s specials
 Elements Of Menu Copy
30

 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
31

 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 (supported by scientific
data)
 Supplemental Merchandising Copy
32

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
33

 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
34

Format:
 Menu’s size
 General makeup
Typeface:
 Printed letters
 Font size
 Type face
 Menu Layout
35

Artwork:
 Drawings, photographs, decorative patterns,
borders
Paper:
 Texture
Cover:
 Color
 Texture
 Common Menu-design Mistakes
36

 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
37

 Must set standards

 Determine how menu is helping to meet standards
 Menu Evaluation:
Questions Most Often Asked
38

 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
39

 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
40

 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
41

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
42

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
43
 The Menu Influences
44

 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
45

 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
46

 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 Tool47 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
48

Priority Concerns of menu Planner

Wants and needs Guest

Concept of Value Quality of Item Flavour

Item Price Cost Consistency

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 Equipment Concerns Temperature

 Menu Planning Strategies
49

 Rationalization
 simplification for the sake of operational efficiency
 cross-utilization : menu items use the same raw
ingredients
 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
50

 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
51

 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
52

 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
53

 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
54

 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
55

 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

 Determining the Price Multiplier
56

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
 Important Pricing Considerations
57

 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
58

Basic Menu Engineering Process:

 Stars - items that are popular and profitable

 Plowhorses - items that are not profitable but popular

 Puzzles - items that are profitable but not popular

 Dogs - items that are neither profitable nor popular

Improving The Menu Managing Plowhorses
59

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
60

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
61

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
62

Items that are low in contribution margin and low

in popularity:

Candidates for removal from the menu

 Menu
 Is a range of Food and Beverage
items offered in a food service outlet.
 The MENU COVER (Menu Card)
is a written document which lists the
menu.
 MENU as Marketing
 A Menu is a marketing in action, a
major step in merchandising the
meal.
 It promotes the image of the
property.
 It is a great silent salesperson
 MENU HISTORY
 The word "menu," is French in origin.
 It derives from Latin "minutus," meaning something
made small; in French it came to be applied to a
detailed list or résumé of any kind.
 The original menus that offered consumers choices
were prepared on a small chalkboard, in French a
carte; so foods chosen from a bill of fare are described
as "à la carte," "according to the board."
 MENU CARD HISTORY
 The menu first appeared in China during the second half
of the eighteenth century or The Romantic Age.
 The first restaurant menu was created during Song
Dynasty in China - the only region of the world at the
time where paper was abundant.
 Because of the large variation in Chinese cuisine from
different regions led caterers to create a list or menu for
their patrons
 Menu Styles
67

 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
68

 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
69

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

1. Ala carte
2. Table d'hôte
3. Carte Du Jour
4. Riders and flyers
5. Children’s Menu
6. Wine and Beverage List/ Menu
7. Table Tent Menu
 Ala Carte
 With a separate
price for each
item on the menu
 A la carte means
a menu having
individual dishes
listed with
separate prices
 Table d'hôte
 A menu consisting of a
set number of courses
at a fixed price;
 There is usually some
choice of dishes within
each course; a set
menu as opposed to à
la carte
 a menu offering a
complete meal with
limited choices at a
fixed price
 Carte Du Jour
 A menu, usually a list
of new dishes available
at a restaurant
 Translates "card of the
day" and is usually
used as the menu of
the day in French
dining (think "daily
special" in diner food).
 Riders and flyers
 A type of menu that
is usually given
away by staffs of a
restaurant to by
passers
 Children’s Menu
 Offer meals
that are
applicable to
children
 Wine and Beverage Menu
 Include only
list of different
wines and
beverages
 Table Tent Menu
 A folded card
which stands
on the table
advertising
food, beverage,
entertainment
or other items
that maybe of
interest to the
guest
 CLASSICAL & MODERN
MENU

BY:
Ms. Nina Rochelle V. Ariano
 MASTERS OF MENU
 Marie –Antoine Careme (1784-1833)
 creatorof “La Grand Cuisine”- classical
French cuisine
 The cook of kings and the king of cooks

 George Auguste Escoffier (1846-1935)

Simplified the French cuisine
Standardized food service for quality
and efficiency
Developed “Prix fixe” a menu concept.
 CLASSICAL MENU
 A classical Menu is the definitive
standard of menu created by the
French.
 The French are credited for making
Gastronomy as fine art and have set
the lead in classical cuisines for
generations
COURSE FRENCH ENGLISH EXAMPLES

1 Hors-d’oeuvre Appetizers Oysters, smoked salmon,

(Chaud au Froid) (Hot or Cold) Hot asparagus tips, shrimp cocktail
2 Potage Soup Consommés, Cream Soups
3 Oeufs Eggs dish Omelette
4 Farineaux Rice and pasta Pilau rice, spaghetti in a tomato-
garlic flavoured sauce
5 Poisson Fish course Fish L’anglais, Fillet Fish
6 Entrée 1st Main meat course
7 Sorbet Rest course(Flavored ice) Sorbet Vanilla/ Ice cream
8 Releve 2nd Main meat course with Pepper Steak, Braised ham
(Piece de resistance) salad and vegetables
9 Roti Roast Dish Roast Turkey
(Roast of game, birds or joints
10 Legumes Vegetables Tomato Farcis
11 Salade Salad Green Salad
12 Buffet froid Cold Buffet Roast chicken Caneton Roti
13 Fromage frais Cheese Cheese and crackers
14 Entremets de Cour Sweet Dish Raspberry mousse
15 Savourex Savory Dish Canape Daine - Chicken livers rolled
in bacon and grilled, placed on a
warm toast
16 Desserts Desserts Fresh fruits, Nuts, Small pastries
17 Café /Beverages Coffee Irish Coffee
 MODERN MENU
 In modern menu, guest do not have that
much of time to dine nor will the health
conscious generation to overeat.
 Thus, the classical menu has been reduced.
1. Appetizer
2. Soup
3. Salad
4. Entrée
5. Dessert
6. Beverage
 Menu Classifications

1. Pricing
2. Schedule
3. Meal Times
4. Specialty
 PRICING

 Under this category, menus are led

by the way they are priced to meet
the varying budgets of customers
 Examples:
AlaCarte
Table d'hôte

Combination Menus
 MENU SCHEDULES

 Frequency of Menu Revisions

 Examples:
Fixed Menu – used daily for a period
of months or a year
Cyclic Menu - offer guests a variety –
can be daily weekly or monthly basis
 MEAL TIMES
 Traditional meal times
Breakfast, brunch, lunch, tea, dinner,
snack
 Examples:
Breakfast Menu
Lunch Menus

Dinner menus – heavy meal

Supper menus – light dinner for early

evenings or late at night
 SPECIALTY MENUS
 Cater to market segments that have
particular needs
 Examples:
 Children Menu
 Diet Menus

 Wine List

 Room Service menu

 Banquet menus

 Ethnic Menus – Chinese or Japanese, etc.

 MENU
CONSTRUCTION

By: Nina Rochelle V. Ariano

 MENU SEQUENCE
INFORMAL FORMAL MODERN
INFORMAL

1. Appetizer 1. Appetizer 1. Starter

2. Soup 2. Soup 2. Soup
3. Salad 3. Salad 3. Main Course
4. Entrée 4. Fish Course 4. Dessert
5. Dessert 5. Main Course 5. Beverage
6. Beverage 6. Dessert
7. Beverage
 BREAKFAST
CONTINENTAL
This is originated in Europe
1. Fresh fruit / juice
2. Bread and its accompaniment
3. Coffee / tea

TRADITIONAL
1. Fresh fruit / juice
2. Entree
3. Rice / bread and its accompaniment
4. Beverage

AMERICAN BREAKFAST
1. Fresh fruit / juice
2. Cereal
3. Entrée
4. Bread and its accompaniment
5. Beverage