CHAPTER 4

FOOD SERVICE MENUS

At the end of the classes
student will be able:

 To define the styles of menus: ala carte, static menu, du jour

menu, cycle menu and prix five.
 To present in detail the important element of the various food
service menu.
 To define three types of service: American, French, and
Russian.
 THE FOOD SERVICE MENU

THE MENU
Menu a list of food items, serves as the primary control of the
foodservice operation and is the core common to all functions of the
system.

TYPES OF MENU
In the foodservice industry, there are FIVE primary types of menu:
 Ala carte menu
 Static menu
 Du jour Menus
 Cycle menu
 Fixed Menu Prix five.
 TYPES OF MENU-
1. A LA CARTE MENU

 An a la carte menu lists the prices for each item separately.

 Everything on the menu is priced separately from appetizer to
desserts.
 While the prices tend to be higher, a la carte menus have
more flexibility.
 Customers can choose individual items and combine them
any way they want.
 A la carte is a French phrase that translates literally as “by the
card” and roughly as “according to the menu.”
 TYPES OF MENU-
2. STATIC MENU

 A static menu is a larger menu, typically divided into categories, that

doesn’t change very often. It’s the most widely used menu today, and it’s
what you likely think of when you think of menus.
 That’s because the majority of restaurants out there utilize a static menu.
They typically provide the best customer experience because of the
amount of options they provide, their consistency, and their easy
navigation.
 The fact that a static menu doesn’t change very often means the customer
experience is consistent. But the fact that static menus are large makes that
consistent experience full of possibility.
 A static menu typically presents everything a bar or restaurant offers.
Depending on whatever restaurant technology is being employed, it can
be on digital display boards, or paper menus. You can even leverage a
restaurant menu bar code. It may contain some a la carte ordering
options, some meal options, some du jour options, and some cyclical
options.
 TYPES OF MENU
3. Du jour Menus

 Du jour menus change daily, depending on what’s available

or what the chef prepared.
 So, “chicken du jour” means the chicken that’s available
today. Likewise, “soup du jour” is the soup that’s available
today.
 Du jour is a French phrase that means “of the day.”
 TYPES OF MENU
4.Cycle menu

 A cycle menu is a menu or part of a menu that has repeated options over
a specific period of time.
 The cycle menu definition is fairly intuitive given its name.
 Think of a sandwich shop that offers a certain sandwich on Monday. Then
another sandwich on Tuesday. And so on for the rest of the week. If they
stick to those sandwiches on those days and repeat that week after week,
it’s a cycle menu.
 Cycle menus are often used for two reasons.
i. One is that the cooking operation is relatively small and doesn’t have
the resources to cook-to-order items off a larger menu.
ii. The second is for daily specials, like a happy hour menu. A bar or
restaurant may have a static menu that anchors their offerings, but a
cycle menu on top of it. That cycle menu showcases the same
collection of special offers on the same days throughout the week.
Fixed Menu

 It is offers a complete meal at a set price.

 A fixed menu is a menu with few options and
a fixed total price. It can be confused with
static menus because the words, outside of
the context of menu names, are similar. But
the fixed menu definition is far different from
that of the static menu.
 A fixed menu is also commonly called a set
menu, and there are two common types. The
table d’hote menu and the prix fixe menu.
Table d’hote Menu, Fixed Five Menu
What Is a Table d’Hote Menu?
 A table d’hote menu is a menu that offers a choice of appetizer, entree, and
dessert all at a fixed total price. It’s the set menu that provides the most freedom.
 A common table d’hote setup has a diner choosing one appetizer from two
options, one entree from two or three options, and one dessert from two options.
And the total price doesn’t change. The fact that there are few options and a
set total price make it a fixed menu, but with some variability.
What Is a Prix Fixe Menu?
 A prix fixe menu is a fixed menu with little to no variability for a fixed total price. It
typically includes an appetizer, an entree, and a dessert. While guests can
usually modify these based on dietary restrictions or preferences, there is only one
option to choose from per course.
 Unless, of course, you choose a prix fixe menu at a different price point. There
may be an option with one appetizer for $30 total, and another option with a
different appetizer for $35 total. So, while there may be different options to
choose from for each course, they are not all tied to the same fixed total price.
 A prix fixe menu is similar to a table d’hote menu, just without the choices. In that
sense, it’s less a selection of choices and more a list of what will be served. Prix
fixe menus may seem rigid, but they’re excellent choices for chef-driven
restaurants that want food items served as the kitchen intends.
FOODSERVICE MENU
Breakfast Menu

 Most breakfast menus contain both a la carte and semi a la

carte sections.
 The a la carte sections offers juices, fruits, cereals, egg, meats,
pancakes, French toasts, waffles, bakery goods, side dishes
and beverages.
 The semi a la carte sections offer a wide variety of
combination ( example : two eggs any styles with bacon or
sausage served with home fries )
 The prices off food items on a breakfast menu range from low
to moderate due to the fact that most people do not expect
to pay much for breakfast.
Breakfast Menu
Breakfast Menu

The semi a la carte sections

offer a wide variety of
combination
Brunch Menu

 consist of both breakfast and luncheon items.

 It is generally served in hotel and high-end restaurants from
10.00 A.M until 3.00 P.M
 Brunch menus offer items such as juices, fruit, appetizers, soups,
sandwiches, breakfast items (egg, French toasts, bacon, etc),
pastries, bread and desserts.
 This style of menu is both a la carte and semi a la carte.
 In many types of foodservice operations, brunch is served on
weekend or for catered events. Many restaurants have turned
Saturday and Sunday prelaunch hours into a profitable brunch
business by creating signature brunches.
Brunch Menu

Brunch menus offer items

such as juices, fruit,
appetizers, soups,
sandwiches, breakfast items
(egg, French toasts, bacon,
etc), pastries, bread and
desserts.
Luncheon Menu

 can be a la carte or semi a la carte.

 A la carte items include appetizer, salads, cold and hot
sandwiches, entrees, desserts and beverage.
 For the most part luncheon items are not as expensive as the
dinner menu listings because the portions sizes are smaller.
 A luncheon service is most frequently American service, which
is quick and efficient.
 Most patrons have limited time for lunch and they expect fast
service as well as good food.
Dinner Menu

Usually have menu appetizers and entrees than a luncheon menu.

The type of service used in a restaurant offering a dinner menu may
be American, French or Russian.
1. American service
There is one server who takes the order and brings it to the table. The
table is then cleared and reset by a busser.
2. French service
This service served in high-end restaurant. This type of services may
involve table-side cooking. A gueridon or cart which comes with a
heating unit called a rechaud is used. Most items are cooked or semi
prepared and are brought from the kitchen, placed on the gueridon,
cooked on the rechaud and served to the patron.
3. Russian services.
The entrée, vegetables and potatoes are prepared in the kitchen,
placed on the silver or wooden platter and then served on the guest’s
plate at the table.
Tasting Menu

 Offer small portions of several dishes as a single meal.

 The French name is degustation.
 May offered to provide a sample of a type of cuisine, or house
specialties in tasting menus.
 It is a special or a menu option for chef and restaurants to
specialties in tasting menus.
TASTING MENU

Offer small portions of

several dishes as a single
meal.
Special occasion menus

 The special- occasion menu is prix five in style and includes a

choice of appetizer, soup, salad, and entrée, and may also
offer beverage.
 For the most part, the special- occasion menu should display a
theme or season on the cover of the menu, and the food items
and/ or garnishes should be typical of that particular season.
 The décor of the restaurant should carry the theme of the
special occasion as well, whether it is Hari Raya Aidilfitri,
Chinese New Year, Deepavali or Christmas, theme.
 American- style service is usually used for special occasions.
Ethnic Menus

 semi a la carte or a la carte.

 offers selections that are representative of the cuisine from a
particular region or country such as Italy, Portugal, and France.
 The descriptions of the appetizers, soups, salad, entrees,
vegetables, potatoes, and desserts are often written in the
language used in the country from which the cuisine is
derived.
 An accompanying English translation should appear for those
who wish to experience the cuisine but do not have grasp of
the language.
Room service menus

 Guest phone in orders that are prepared placed on a service

tray or table and delivered to the guest’s rooms.
 Menu items on the room service menu may be more
expensive than the same items on the actual dining room
menu.
 The menu is typically not a duplication of the restaurant menu.
 It tend to be limited to just a few popular items in each
category that change with the time of day.
 The menu should plan for guests of all ages, especially
children, who may not want the normal adult fare.
 The food does need to be transportable and must hold its
quality for at least twenty minutes.
Catering Menus

 The catering business is one of the fastest-growing segments in

the restaurant industry.
 Restaurants, hotels, colleges, universities, and even quick
service operations have begun to cater to expand their overall
profits.
 Catering operations generally provide food and beverage
that are prepared from a central kitchen.
 The major advantages of having a function catered are that
everything is provided for and guests can sit back and enjoy
the event without any overall concerns.
 The catering menu is generally a set menu.
 The menu listings are selected by the chef and the catering
banquet manager of the restaurant or the hotel.
 The prices for a catering function can be expensive.
Institutional Menu

 utilized in hospital, health care centers, schools, colleges,

universities, correctional facilities, and military facilities.
 must be nutritionally balanced and include items from each of
the recommended food groups (my pyramid) at every meal.
 use a cyclical menu to alleviate boredom.
 has different items on the menu each day for a period of two
to five weeks.
Dessert menu

 Dessert menu may be utilized to list and describe a restaurant’s

offerings.
 They may be used in and of themselves or in conjunction with a
dessert tray or a dessert cart presentation.
 Display desserts on a tray or carts allow customers to view the
restaurant’s signature desserts and serves as an effective
merchandising tool.
 When a restaurant’s desserts offerings are fairly extensive, a
separate menu may be required.
 Listings on this type of menu should have adequate descriptive
copy.
 Some desserts menus also include a list of special coffees, teas,
and after- dinner drinks for customers who may not want dessert
after a rich meal.
Dessert menu
 Lounge Menu

✓ The lounge menu is available all-day and offers a wide range of

dishes including an extensive brunch menu, a selection of proper-job
burgers, a great selection of tapas & more restaurant-in-style specials.
✓ A lounge menu may be a la carte or semi a la carte.
✓ The a la carte items consist of appetizers, soups, salads, and sandwich
items.
✓ The entrée selections are semi a la carte and are served with
vegetable, potato, or rice.
✓ Lounge menu are usually found in hotels, inns, and spas where patrons
can select food items that are easily prepared and less expensive
than in the dining room.
✓ Most times patrons utilize lounge service in the late afternoon or late
evening, which allows the establishment to market light foods and
beverage at times when the demand for full-service meals is down.
DISCUSSION

1. What is a semi ala carte menu?

2. What is a prix-five menu?
3. Discuss American, French, and modified Russian service.
4. Explain the principal characteristics of the special occasion
menu.
5. What are the major characteristic of an institutional menu?