Menu Development

Static Menu

A set menu offering the same food every day. Common in restaurants or room service in hospitals. Clientele changes daily or enough variety offer sufficient variety for a short stay in a hospital.

Name influences to labor cost

1. local wage rate 2. negotiated contract 3. Type and extent of services 4. Menu Pattern and form of food purchase 5. Physical Plant

List things to consider for menu planning

1. nutritional needs of client 2. time needed to produce 3. staff skills 4. equipment and budget 5. clientele 6. geographic location 7. food costs 8. budge and profit goals

Labor Costs

50-60% of food service expenses.

Menu evaluation

A checklist looking at menu pattern/nutritional adequacy, color and eye appeal as well as consistency, flavor combination, and sizes and shapes.

Military Menu

Appropriate plans based on personnel location, availabilty of water/staff/facilities for preparation.

Customer evaluation

Can be acquired via survey, observation (plate waste), informal customer comments, comment cards, or formal/informal questionnaires. Facial Hedonic Scale Sales data: profit vs contribution margin.

Equipment and menu planning

Evaluate needs for each meal so as not to exceed capacity. Prepared foods cost more but may be offset by labor cost savings.

Disaster Planning

FS operation must have plan in place. Adequate food/water for up to 3 days. Actual amount should be specified in operations disaster plan. Food/water should be checked regularly for date compliance.

Menu Development

First you plan the meats and other entrees, follwed by the starchy times, then the vegetable, then the salad, dessert, soup or app, breads and breakfast entrees.

Room Service Menu

Host/Hostess is assigned to a specific floor, meal is chosen from spoken menu and prepared.

Non-commerical Menus

Include school food service, healthcare, correctional facilities, the military and colleges and universities.

Selective Menu

Includes two or more choices in all menu categories. Categories represent the group of foods offered such as apps, entrees, side dishes, dessert and beverages. Similar to room service

Menu Modifications

Known as substitutions. Reasons are: clientele, market, market cost, season, availability, regulations, food preferences, client health needs affect substitutions/number of choices.

Non-select menu

Known as the "house menu". No choice in any category.

Menu Labeling

March 2010- The Affordable Health Care Act provided menu labeling regulations at the federal level

Primary Control System in food service

Menu

Cycle Menu

Menus that rotate at definite intervals of a few days to several weeks. The length depends on the food service operation. Used in hospitals, schools, correctional facilities and nursing homes

Disadvantage of cycle menu

Monotomy

Patient/Resident Menu

Must meet the nutritional needs of the population served in either long term care facilities, nursing homes, hospitals, child care centers.

Nutritional Adequacy and menu planning

One meal provides 1/3 daily nutrients for population served. Generally menus should include foods from each food groups at each meal. Low fat milk offered to meet the dairy group recommendation.

Labor Cost percentage

Percentage of meal cost attributable to labor costs

Budget and menu planning

Raw food cost per patient per day must be established. Food costs and profit goals.

Goal of Food Service

Serve food that appeals to and meets the needs of the consumer (nutritional and financial) while reflecting the mission, goals and objectives of the operation itself.

Types of menus

Static, Single Use, Cycle, Patient/Resident, Selective Menu, Non-select menu, commercial menus, non-commercial menus

Commercial Menu

Table D'Hotel also known as Prix Frix. Complete meal offered at a fixed price. A la Carte: items priced separetly and chosen by customer. Du Jour Menu: planned and written daily, offers flexibility, can be used to offer seasonal foods.

MREs

Transportable Ready to Eat Meals

External Influence of menu

Trends: social/political/economic trends influence choice. Seasonal: favorable climatic conditions may lead to lower cost of produce. Summer menu usually have more produce and lighter entrees. Winter menu have more hot foods/stews.

UGR

Unitized Group Ration: entire meal prepared by submerging tray in water/adding hot water to reconstitute.

Single Use Menu

Used for a specific day such as a holiday or event. Common in catering.

Aesthetics and menu planning

Visual appeals affects appetite/perception of quality as much as taste and smell.

Meal Pattern

is an outline of food to be included in each meal and the extent of choice at each meal.

Customer and menu planning

need to consider: demographics (age, gender, health status, etc.), sociocultural influences (marital status, lifestyle, etc.) nutritional requirement

Advantages of cycle menu

standardized preparation procedures, reduces cost, efficient use of equipment, forecasting and purchasing are simplified, workloads can be balanced, reduced planning time and minimize staff training time while increasing efficiency and staff familiarity.

Meal Plan

the number of dining options offered in a specific time period. Ex. many hospitals serve breakfast, lunch, dinner and a late snack to their patients daily