SITHKOP002 Plan and cost basic menus

Learning objectives
On completion of this chapter, you will be able to:
-illustrate kitchen organisation
-plan basic menus and dishes for a variety of catering
operations
-understand the associated costs within the catering
industry
-apply basic calculations for use in the costing of
dishes and menus
 Introduction
Today’s kitchen managers and staff need to be able
to use critical thinking skills. Their role is to:
-evaluate the food service preferences of particular
customers
-plan menus to meet those preferences
-stay up-to-date with customer profiles
-write creatively expressed menus and descriptions
that help to promote sales.
 History of menus
The word ‘menu’ is derived from the identical French word
that was first used in print in relation to food in 1718. This
in turn can be traced back to the Latin word minutus, which
means a detailed list.

During the 18th century, a Frenchman called Boulanger

changed modern food service by selling dishes called
‘restoratives’, a word that is very close to the modern word
for food establishments – ‘restaurant’.
Auguste Escoffier reviewed this system to modern times
Types of menus

Other types of menus

The big four
•degustation
• à la carte
•ethnic
• function
•set
• table d’hôte
•seasonal
• cyclical
•buffet
A la carte menu
In restaurants, à la carte is the practice of
ordering individual dishes from a menu in
a restaurant.
It is an early 19th century loan from
French meaning "according to the menu“.
The individual dishes to be ordered may
include side dishes, or the side dishes may
be offered separately, in which case, they
are also considered à la carte.
Dishes are individual priced.
Table d’Hote menu- High Tea
A traditional meal period during the cause
of the afternoon. Savoury and sweet food
is served with a variety of teas or coffee. as
opposed to table d'hôte, where a set
menu is offered.
These days most occasions are served with
a complementary glass of sparkling wine.
Food that might be served:
Finger sandwiches, smoked salmon
tartlets, macaroons, scones with jam and
clotted cream, mini deserts, mini pies.
The food is usually served on a tier stand
and placed in the middle of the table as a
sharing event.
 Cyclical Menu
Weekly staff lunch offer from the buffet
Salad bar, dressings, bread roll A Cyclic menu is the menu
comprised of a fixed number
Munch across the globe (daily changing ethnic meal)
of meal types that rotate
during a given period of time.
India Chicken curry, naan bread, mint yoghurt
For example, a staff
Germany Mustard pork roast, sauerkraut, mashed potatoes, gravy
restaurant is offering a hot
Thailand Tom yum, hot sour soup, prawns, coconut meal every day of the week.
Italy Rigatone, tomatoes, zucchini, ricotta, basil These meals would be offered
South America Grilled flank steak, chimi churri, corn tortilla one through seven at the end
China Yum Cha, steamed small bites, ginger dipping sauce of which time the cycle would
Australia Ginger beer can chicken, warm potato salad, tomato sauce begin again with meal
number one.
Fresh fruit and muesli bar
Function Menu (banquet menu)
Function or Banquet menus are used for large group
caterings in hotels, restaurants, convention centres.
They are customised for private parties or formal
occasions paid for by a host. The number of attendees
are set.
Funtions can be served in form of cocktails style events
where guests are standing or as sit down meals.
The food is pre determined and served at a set time
such as breakfast, lunch, dinner.
The food can be prepared by chefs in advance and can
be easily reheated for service.
As the choice is limited the amount of food is easily
calculated and planning for “hands on deck” is
predictable.
 Planning the menu
Points to consider
Type of customer
Type of establishment
Pricing policy
Availability of commodities
Equipment and space available
Staffing
Competition
Seasonality
Balanced menu
What criteria might apply for menu planning
Creating Menu Ideas
Reading magazines, online subscriptions
Researching old and new cook books
Checking out menu of your favourite restaurants
Talking with peers
Social media
Gauging the actual food trend
What do friends like to eat
Walks on the beach, being inspired by nature
Strolling through the local vegetable markets
Brainstorm and create a top 5 list
 Descriptive Language
Menu items should be described in short, simple and
creative wording.
Reading the menu should create an image what will be on
the plate.
The description should be vivid and enticing enough to
make a guest choose that item over another.
Major ingredients, sources of your ingredients without
sounding too long-winded.

Fried Snapper, crockets, herb sauce $38

VS
Pan roasted Shark Bay Red Snapper, crispy nori,
goats cheese croquettas, green oil, fennel $38
 Restaurant menu design
A restaurant menu’s design is also a reflection of the
restaurant itself. Modern restaurant menu layouts use
columns, headings and graphics to create an impression of
formality, casualness or playfulness. The menu layout
should match your restaurant’s concept, location and
theme.
Feasibility of menu ideas
A feasibility check is an assessment of the practicality
of a proposed project or system.
A feasibility check aims to objectively and rationally
uncover the strengths and weaknesses of a proposed
dish
The resources required to carry through, like staff,
equipment, seasonality
The prospects for success
In its simplest terms, the two criteria to judge
feasibility are:
cost required and value to be attained.
Nutritional and Culinary Balance
The generated dish idea should be assessed for a
couple of criteria
Colour- different colours aim for eye appeal. The
selection of service ware has also and impact
Size and shape- the food items should be in ratio to
the dish idea and consistent shaping impact on the
whole visual impression
Taste- should be balanced, complementing or
contrasting (sour, sweet, salty, bitter)
Texture- different textures of the presented food
will leave a more memorable sensation on your
taste buds
Restaurant menu pricing
The pricing of your menu will naturally reflect the profit
margins that your business wants, but you should
always take into consideration the true costs of running
the kitchen, including all wages. This is discussed in the
next section.
As a rule of fist, your menu item selling price should be
determined by your food cost.
25% food cost and a margin factor of x4
On top of that, you should be factoring a 10% increase
to cover Goods and Service Tax (GST).
Food cost
Food cost is the ratio between how much it
costs you in raw materials to make a dish
and how much revenue you generate from
that dish.
There are two ways to measure food cost-
one will take the literal cost of a dish by
breaking down each unit and pricing the
dish accordingly.
The other, considers how much you hold in
your inventory, to determine how much it
costs to make a dish for every dollar your
business makes.
Standard Recipe Card explained

Many factors are making the price of

a dish. Food cost will take a
substantial part of it. To calculate the
food cost and the selling price of a Microsoft Word
Document
dish we should be aware of how to
use the SRC
Calculated selling price

Food cost = $4
Margin factor x4
GST 10%

$4 * 4= $16
+10% = $1.60
$17.60 selling price
 Basic Cost Control
Food or material costs – These are known as variable costs because the
actual cost will vary according to the volume of business, seasonality and
quality of food purchased, control of wastage, and accurate weighing,
trimming, measuring and portion control.
Labour – Direct labour costs are attributed to the wages paid to staff where
the cost can be directly related to the number of hours worked versus the
income from food and drink sales. Indirect labour costs are credited to the
wages paid to staff who work for all departments and therefore their costs are
spread over a number of departments.
Overheads (gas, electricity, rates, servicing, advertising, rent and equipment)
– It is important to factor the costs of overheads into every dish because these
are the ‘unseen’ aspects of the serving of an individual dish.
Margins in %
The profit margin is the monetary value between Cost of Goods (CoG)
and selling price.
For example, the selling price is $21 with $8.50 CoG. Difference is
$12.50 of margin.

$21 (Selling Price) - $8.50 (CoG) = $12.50 (Profit margin)

To express this in %, the margin amount needs to be divided by the

selling price amount and multiplied by 100 to complete the
percentages.
$12.50 / $21 * 100% = 59.52%
Gross and net profit
Six elements to
control food cost
Ensure that you are charging the correct price for everything on
your menu. Remember to include a $0.40-$0.50 per dish on top of food
cost when calculating the dish cost. After calculating the cost of sauces
and accompaniments such as salt, pepper, bread and butter, you will be
surprised what these items will add up to.
Completing a weekly stocktake and food cost calculation is a very
effective way of keeping on top of the business. Stocktakes should be
divided into a number of different categories.
Eliminate theft. The back door is still a major area where food can
disappear. There should be an alarm on this door and no employee
should be allowed to exit through it without a manager present to turn off
the alarm.
 Six elements to
control food cost
Control waste. Complete rubbish bin inspections on a regular basis. At the
end of a service, take a few minutes to check through discarded food from the
kitchen. If there is too much wastage, food costs will increase and have a
detrimental effect on profits. Steps should be taken to train staff in waste-
minimisation techniques.
Portion control. Constantly check portion sizes during service. Set
specifications for each dish and ensure the team knows what they are.
Do not purchase cheap commodities; purchase good products at a fair
price. There is always a reason something is cheaper! Purchase name-brand
products whenever possible. The consistency of the product will generally be
better. Purchase fresh ingredients and maintain the purchase of local and
seasonal products whenever possible to ensure freshness and that the
travelling distance has been kept to a minimum.
 Portion sizes for Menu planning

Individual Main course portion in “ a la Carte” menus

Protein 160-250g, Vegetables 120-150g, Carbs 90-120g
Three course Set Menu
Entrée: 50g protein, 40g garnish
Main: 120g protein, 60-90g Vegetables, Carbs 50-80g
Desert: 60g main component, 20g sauce, 10g garnish
Six course Degustation Menu
Entrée1: 30g protein, 20g garnish
Entrée2: 30g protein, 20g garnish
Main 1: 60g protein, 40g Vegetables, Carbs 30g
Main 2: 80g protein, 40g Vegetables, Carbs 50g
Cheese: 20-30g cheese, 20g garnish
Desert: 60g main component, 20g sauce, 10g garnish