Menu &

Beverage
Merchandising
101
Towards Restaurant & Outlet
Profitability

Hotel & Restaurant Association of Baguio

6th Annual Hotel , Restaurant & Tourism Week
Baguio Country Club, Baguio City
BY: EVANGELINE PAYNO
To emphasize the importance of menu and
beverage merchandising for restaurant
profitability
To equip students/attendees basic techniques
for menu and beverage merchandising
To help professional servers maximize their role
in attaining an increased average check and
outlet sales
To orient students about effective menu and
beverage sales presentation
1 hour session of lecture and discussion
In-House Selling or Upselling is one of the core
competencies required from Service
Professionals
A server must aim to improve his
communication skills since this is a necessary
skill that will blend well with one’s ability to
effectively sell
Is a form of promotion specially positioned at
the point of sale.
It is a way of stimulating captive customers to
try some of the hotel’s/restaurant’s products
and services
Attractive Transparencies in lobbies with
excellent lighting for visual impact
Posters displayed at foyers to elevators and
elevator walls
Dish Presentations displayed on counters
Floor Stands displayed in strategic places to
announce forthcoming events
Thru the Restaurant’s Menu & Beverage List
Is a specific sales activity conducted by
employees to enhance sales and guest
satisfaction
It has 3 Components
1. Special Promotions
2. Merchandising
3. Suggestive Selling
Requirements:
Product Knowledge
Good Customer Orientation
Effective Sales Presentation
Manner of Preparation & Basic Ingredients
Basic Preparation and ingredients used are usually
mentioned when describing a dish like:
“Chicken & Pork Adobo is described as-
“a flavorful combination of chicken and
pork, simmered in vinegar and spices, served with
rice and achara”
Preparation Time
Guests should be informed of the preparation
time to avoid unnecessary surprises and give
consideration to guests who are in a hurry
When orders take a long time to prepare, servers
must take this opportunity to offer appetizers or
drinks
Standard Portioning
The size of a serving is usually measured in terms
of weight, quantity etc.
When a menu is a la carte, it means that the food
is portioned for one serving or for one person.
Family Serving or Lauriat is usually designed for a
group of 4 to 5
Standard Accompaniments
Sidings that accompany the dish
The server must know what goes with a set meal
and inform the guest right away
It helps to mention the accompaniments for a
more persuasive sales presentation
“May i suggest a sizable serving of our Chef’s
Special – a tender, juicy sirloin served with onion
soup and side salad
Complementary Items
Push for items that best complement a food
ordered
“May I Bring you a glass of red wine to
complement your steak, Sir?”
“Our consomme goes perfectly well with your
Steak, shall I get you a portion Sir?”
Special Qualities of the Dish
Effective Sales Presentation by highlighting the
special qualities of the dish
Uniqueness, Lower fat calorie
content, tenderness, juiciness, freshness, portion
size, etc
“May I suggest a light, yet sumptuous meal for
you sir? – A sizzling bean curd with
vegetables, rich in nutrients but low in fat and
cholesterol”
Beverage
Refreshing Juice
Light and Refreshing Cocktail
Ice cold or Chilled Beer
Nutritious and Refreshing fruit Juice
Fascinating Drink of the Month
Sugar-free baked cheesecake
Appetizers
Fresh and appetizing kilawin tangigue
Tender beef tapa
Spicy gambas ajillo or shrimp cocktail
Crispy fried spinach
Light Serving of our famous Mango Prawns Delight
Soup
Hot Steaming Soup of the Day
Hot Creamy Mushroom Soup
Special Consomme Soup
Salad
Tossed, green or crisp symphony of baguio salad
Our house specialty and favorite, the Caesar’s
Salad
Our light serving of Chef Salad
Main Course
Fresh Seafoods
Hot and Spicy Caldereta
Our House Specialty, the Surf and Turf or what we
call , Perfect Combo
Sizable Serving of Crackling pork
Perfectly grilled salmon / chilean seabass
Dessert
Fresh papaya or fresh fruits in season
Creamy Fruit Salad
Refreshing Halohalo or Ice Cream
Native Delicacy – leche flan or sapin sapin
Use words that appeal to the senses of:
Sight – colour, freshness, wisp, steaming and tints
Hearing – sizzling, crisp and crunchy
Touch – soft, tender, smooth, thick, thin, hot, cold
and chilled
Smell – aromatic and fruity
Taste –
spicy, sweet, dry, delicious, yummy, tangy, chilly
“Our creme of mushroom soup which is steaming
vegetable stock smoothly thickened with
flour, butter and garnished with wild mushrooms
and a wisp of cream. Would you like to try it?
Use words that appeal to the senses
“We recommend our crème of mushroom soup which
is steaming vegetable stock smoothly thickened
with flour, butter and garnished with wild
mushrooms and a wisp of cream. Would you like to
try it?” / May I order this for anybody at this table?
May i suggest our house breakfast, which consists of 2
farm fresh eggs of your choice with crispy
bacon, smooth-buttered mashed potatoes and
grilled red tomato”
 Be familiar with guests’ favorite drink and offer
it before he orders
“May I serve you a double shot of your favorite
Remy Martin, sir?
Beverage Sales can be pushed several times
until the guest decides to leave. Once the glass
is almost empty, Offer another round of drink
“May I bring you another round of beer, Sir?”
Know and Describe the special qualities of the
drink when asked. For instance, one can
describe a Mangarita – “ a perfect blend of light
rum and ripe mango”

Offer drinks that best complement the food

ordered. Know what wines will be a good
accompaniment to steaks, fish, seafood etc
Offer aperitifs before the meal, red/white/rose
wine as a complement to main course and
cordials after the meal
Use the right pronunciation when mentioning
the drink
When the drink ordered is out of stock, offer an
appropriate substitute.
When recommending drinks, start those items
at moderate price
When you think the guest is very thirsty, offer
tall / long drinks or beer
Offer sweet drinks to people who just had their
meals. Ex. Liqueurs
Offer drinks with soda and bitters for guests
who have upset stomach (usually rum)
Offer hot drinks like buttered rum to guests who
have colds
Suggest Bloody Mary for hangover as it is
known to be a good antidote