Foodservice Organizations Chapter 3

Food Cost

Food cost is the cost of food as purchased. Foodservice managers in a competitive situation must be cost conscious in all areas of operations. Because the menu is a major determinant of pricing for food items, the manager must be particularly aware of both raw and prepared food costs for each menu item.

Means of preservation

For preservation, food may be canned, chilled, bottled, frozen, or dehydrated. If a method is identified on the menu, it should be correct (e.g., if the menu says fresh squeezed orange juice, then frozen reconstituted orange juice should not be served).

Food Habits and Preferences

Consideration of food habits and preferences should be a priority in planning menus for a particular population. Cultural food patterns, regional food preferences, and age are related considerations. Too often, menu planners are influenced by their own likes and dislikes of foods and food combinations rather than those of the customer. Food habits are the practices and associated attitudes that predetermine what, when, why, and how a person will eat. Food preferences express the degree of liking for a food item.

Consistency

Consistency of foods is the degree of firmness, density, or viscosity. Runny, gelatinous, and firm describe the characteristics of consistency, as do thin, medium, and thick when referring to sauces.

Price

Extra charges for service or special requests for food items should be brought to the customer's attention.

Quality

Federal and state standards of quality grades exist for many products, including meat, poultry, eggs, dairy products, fruits, and vegetables and should be accurately used (e.g., choice sirloin of beef).

Flavor

Flavor is the taste that occurs from a product in the mouth and often is categorized as salty, sour, sweet, or bitter. A balance should be maintained among flavors, such as tart and sweet, mild and highly seasoned, light and heavy.

Aesthetic Factors

Flavor, texture, color, shape, and method of preparation are other factors to consider in planning menus.

Aesthetic Factors

Flavor, texture, color, shape, and method of preparation are other factors to consider in planning menus. Example: bread comes out with green means mold.

Nutritional Influence

Nutritional needs of the customer should be a primary concern for planning menus for all foodservice operations, but they are a special concern when living conditions constrain persons to eat most of their meals in one place. In healthcare facilities, colleges and universities, and schools, for example, most of the nutritional needs of the customer are provided by the foodservice. Increasing public awareness of the importance of nutrition to health and wellness also has motivated commercial foodservice operators to consider the nutritional quality of menu selections.

Sodexo Definition of Sustainable

Planted-based foods account for at least two thirds of the volume of each meal; No salt is added to the finished meal; Fruits and vegetables are sourced according to seasonality; Animal protein accounts for no more than one third of the volume of each meal; Dairy products are lower in fat; All fish is MSC certified, pork and chicken is RSPCA assured; Sugar is Fairtrade and added sparingly; refined grains are replaced with whole grains, sustainable meats cost no more than existing meals; all meals are served to standardized portion sizes

Primacy and recency

Position menu items you want to sell more of in the first and last positions within a category as the first and last things a customer reads. These are the items more likely than others to be chosen.

Limited use of processed foods

Processed foods often involve more energy, packaging, and transportation than the onsite production of similar foods; thus an increased practice of preparing products from "scratch" at the foodservice operation using more locally sourced products is occurring in operations focused on improving their sustainability in menu planning and food production.

Potential misrepresentation on a menu

Quantity, Quality, Price, Brand names, Product identification, points of origin, merchandising terms, means of preservation, food preparation, visual and verbal presentation, dietary or nutrition claims

Sustainable menu planning terms

Replacement of meat entrees with vegetarian entrees; Use of locally grown/produced items; Use of "in season" foods; Use of sustainable seafood; Limited use of processed foods

Use of "in season" foods

Seasonality might mean serving vegetables such as asparagus only in the spring, tomatoes in the summer, and butternut squash in the late fall when those vegetables are available from local growers and not serving them at times of the year that they are not available locally.

Customer Satisfaction

Sociocultural factors should be considered in planning menus to satisfy and give value to the customer. Nutritional needs provide a framework for the menu and add to customer satisfaction. Probably the most important aspects for satisfying customers are the aesthetic factors of taste and appearance of the menu items.

Sustainability

Sustainability concepts are having an increased influence on menu planning in many foodservice operations. Examples: less food waste, recycling, reusable dinner ware (washable), tipping fees of going to landfill vs compost.

Use of sustainable seafood

Sustainable seafood is from fished or farmed sources that are not impacting the ecosystem by its production

Menu psychology

Techniques used in the graphic design and layout of a menu to influence menu selections by customers. These techniques include print style and size, paper type and color, ink color, graphic illustrations and designs, and placement on a page. These techniques are not designed to make customers buy things they do not want, but rather to showcase items in such a way as to encourage customers to give thought to items they otherwise might not have considered.

Merchandising terms

Terms for specific products need to be accurate (e.g., flown in daily could only be used if the product was flown in daily).

Texture

Texture refers to the structure of foods and is detected by the feel of foods in the mouth. Crisp, soft, grainy, smooth, hard, and chewy are among the descriptors of food texture, which should be varied in a meal.

Factors Affecting Menu Planning

The crux of menu planning is that the menu is customer driven; the overriding concern in all facets of planning should be the satisfaction of customer desires. Factors include Customer Satisfaction; Sociocultural factors; food habits and perferences; nutritional influence; aesthetics factor; sustainability; Government Regulations; Management Decisions

Eye gaze motion

The eye will travel in a set pattern when viewing a menu. Thus the center of a threefold menu is considered the prime menu sales area.

Single Use

The last of the three basic menu types, the single-use menu, is planned for service on a particular day and is not used in the exact form a second time. This type of menu is used most frequently for special events.

Management Decisions

The menu should be viewed as a managerial tool for controlling cost and production.

Product identification

The products being served or the substitute being used must be clearly identified on the menu, such as blue cheese for Roquefort cheese.

Shape

The shape of food also can be used to create interest in a menu through the variety of forms in which foods can be presented.

Use of locally grown/produced items

The use of locally or "hyper" locally (having one's own garden) grown/sourced meat, seafood, and produce items are becoming much more common.

Production Capability

To produce a given menu, several resources must be considered, labor being a primary concern. The number of labor hours and the number and skill of personnel at a given time determine the complexity of menu items. Some menu items may be produced or their preparation completed during slack periods to ease the production load during peak service times; however, the effect on food quality may limit the amount of production in advance of service that could be completed.

Type of Service

Type of service is a major influence on the food items that can be included on a menu. A restaurant with table service will have a different menu from that of a school foodservice.

Spacing and grouping

Use borders around items or placement of items together within a space to draw attention to items.

Table d'hôte (the host's table)

a complete meal consisting of several courses at a fixed price.

MyPyramid

a complex illustration that can be used interactively at the MyPyramid.gov Web site; a companion to the Dietary Guidelines; It includes nutrition and physical activity messages from the Dietary Guidelines: Make half your grains whole. Vary your veggies. Focus on fruits. Get our calcium-rich foods. Go lean on protein. Find your balance between food and physical activity. Keep foods safe to eat

À la carte

menu where food items are priced individually.

menu board

provides a way to change menus daily and advertise daily specials. Menus can be handwritten on chalkboards, fluorescent illuminated blackboards, or electronic plasma screens.

step by step procedure for onsite foodservice menu planners for a three meals a day pattern

1.Plan the dinner meats or other entrées for the entire cycle. Because entrées are the most expensive foods on the menu, total food cost can be controlled to a great extent through careful planning at this stage. Menus for preceding and subsequent days should be considered to preclude repetition. 2. Select the luncheon entrées or main dishes, avoiding those used on the dinner menu. Provide variety in method of preparation. A desired meal cost per day can be attained by serving a less expensive item at one meal of the day when a more expensive food has been planned for the other meal. 3. Decide on the starch item appropriate to serve with the entrée. Usually, if the meat is served with gravy, a mashed, steamed, or baked potato would be on the menu. Scalloped, creamed, or au gratin potatoes are most appropriate with meats having no gravy or sauce. Rice, pasta, and whole grains are common substitutes for potatoes. 4. Select salads, accompaniments, and appetizers next. Work back and forth between the lunch and dinner meals to avoid repetition, introduce texture and color contrast into the meal, and provide interesting flavor combinations. 5. Plan desserts for both lunch and dinner. Desserts may be selected from the following main groups: fruit, pudding, ice cream or other frozen desserts, gelatin, cake, pie, and cookies. 6. After the luncheon and dinner meals have been planned, add breakfast and any others. 7. Review the entire day as a unit and evaluate if clientele, governmental regulations, and managerial considerations have been met. Check the menu for duplication and repetition from day to day. The use of a checklist aids in making certain that all factors of good menu planning have been met. The nutrient content should be assessed to be sure nutrition guidelines are met.

Cycle

A cycle menu is a series of menus offering different items each day on a weekly, biweekly, or some other basis, after which the cycle is repeated. In many onsite foodservice operations, seasonal cycle menus are common.

Replacement of meat entrees with vegetarian entrees

A focus on vegetarian rather than meat-based entrees also is deemed more sustainable because livestock production is more harmful to the environment than the growing of vegetables.

Static menu

A static menu is one in which the same menu items are offered every day. Traditionally, the static menu has been characteristic of many restaurants; however, many hospitals are using restaurant-type menus as well.

Food preparation

Any descriptions of food preparation techniques should accurately describe what preparation method was used (e.g., charcoal broiled is not appropriate if the item was pan-fried).

Brand names

Any product brand that is advertised must be the one served. (e.g., if the menu says Oscar Mayer hot dog, then the Oscar Mayer brand of hot dog must be served).

Points of origin

Claims of origin should be accurately documented (e.g., Maine lobster can only be used if the lobster is in fact from Maine). Geographic names used in a generic sense, such as New England clam chowder, are permitted.

Color

Color on the plate, tray, or cafeteria counter has eye appeal and helps to merchandise the food. The combination of colors of foods always should be considered in selecting menu items.

Quantity

Misleading or unclear terms describing portion size or amount being served should be avoided (e.g., extra-large salad).

Dietary or nutritional claims

Misrepresentation of nutritional content of food is not permitted. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has defined required nutrient content for claims such as low calorie and fat-free (e.g., low calorie must be supportable by specific data).

Verbal and visual presentation

If a picture of a meal or menu item is shown, the actual meal or menu item must be identical (e.g., if six shrimp are shown, six—not five—must be served).

Availability of Foods

Improvement in transporting food both nationally and internationally and in food preservation makes many foods that were once considered seasonal available during most of the year.

Sociocultural factors

Includes the customs, morels, values, and demographic characteristics of the society in which the organization functions. Sociocultural processes are important because they determine the products and services people desire. Customers have food preferences that influence the popularity of menu items.

Color and brightness

Increase the brightness, color, or shading of visual elements to attract customer attention.

Font size and style

Increase the size of font to attract the customer's attention to an item; decrease the size to deflect attention from an item.

Menu

MOST IMPORTANT CONTROL! Should be viewed as a managerial tool for controlling cost and production. A number of management-related factors must be considered in the menu's design: food cost, production capability, type of service, and availability of foods.

Web menu

Many operations post their menus on their Web site as well.

Government Regulations

Menu planning in some foodservice organizations will be impacted by local, state, and/or federal regulations governing the types and quantities of food items to be served at a meal. Schools and long term care facilities that receive state and/or federal funding are required to meet menu planning guidelines. Allergens, calorie content, New York City banned large sizes of a soft drinks, caution hot warnings, warning about dangers of alcohol consumption