Menu & Menu
Planning
Generally menu is a list of dishes served or
available to be served at any outlet.
To the customer in a restaurant, it is a list
of dishes from which selection has to be
done.
To the cook, it is a list of dishes to be
prepared.
To the production worker, it is a brief
description of work to be done
To the operation, it can be the difference
between success and failure
Each food service facility has its own special
menu or group of foods, chosen to fill its own
needs and objectives
Hospital Have
widely differing
Quick-service franchise menus because
their
Resort hotel purpose are
different.
Luxury dining The menu
expresses the
Italian restaurant character of an
operation;
MENU
- the point of departure for all aspects of the
business, the core around w/c everything
revolves.
- It controls the purchasing and production.
- It provides the framework for the budget.
- It generates income.
- It determines the equipment and its layout
and may even determine whether a bank will
finance the project.
Because of its central importance,
today’s successful menu is a carefully
researched document prepared by
management. There is as much input
from the business side of the operation
as from the food specialist.
When planning a menu it is essential
to always keep the clients’ needs in
mind. As different clients have
different needs, it is best to offer a
wide selection of dishes ranging from
classic to contemporary items. The
clients’ age, sex, nutritional needs ,
food preference and spending behavior
are factors that should be carefully
considered.
It is equally important to create a
menu which will not only satisfy the
clients the first time they try out the
dishes offered, but will also entice
them to try new offerings by acquiring
the caterer’s services again. A basic
tenet to remember is that a well
planned menu satisfies the
gastronomic as well as the economic
criteria.
FUNCTIONS OF MENU
1. Information: what food is available, how it is
cooked and presented and at what price.
2. Order: presents the dishes in a logical order, usually
listing the menu items under course headings.
3. Choice: determines the freedom of choice that a
guest may have.
4. Image: presents the overall image and style of the
restaurant.
5. Sales: appropriately describe the dishes and increase
the sales.
TYPES OF MENU
1. A la carte menu
2. Table d'hôte menu
3. Du jour menu
4. Cycle menu
5. Static menu
6. Special Party or Function Menu
7. Ethnic or Specialty Menu
8. Children’s Menu
9. California Menu
Menu Types
Menu can be categorized according to:
1. Selection
1.1. Full Selective
1.2. Semi Selective
1.3. Non Selective
2. Pricing Method
2.1. Table D’ Hote
2.2. A la Carte
2.3. Du Jour
3. UseMethod
3.1. Cycle Menu
3.2. Static Menu
one in which each individual item is
listed separately, with its own price.
The customer makes selection from the
various courses and side dishes to make
up a meal.
Also used to refer to cooking to order as
opposed to cooking ahead in large
batches
originally meant a fixed
menu with no choices
A menu that offers a
selection of complete meal
at set prices.
Buffet Menu
are prepared for particular occasions such
as weddings, company functions or
celebrations.
mostly consist of two to three courses
decided by the host, who pays in advance
giving details about the number of people
and service time.
CYCLE
1. A cycle menu is one that changes
every day for a certain period; after
this period , the daily menu repeat
in the same order.
2. For example: a seven day cycle menu
used in schools and hospitals, where
the number of choices must be kept
small.
STATIC
1. A static menu is one that offers the same
dishes everyday.
2. These menus are used in restaurants and
other establishments where the client
changes daily or where enough items are
listed on the menu to offer sufficient
variety.
3. A static menu may be in place indefinitely,
or it may change at regular intervals, such
as every season, every month or even
every week
Flexibility is introduced by coming
up with one or two daily offerings
or a special menu each day.
Some food services call it “house
specialty”
One advantage of the set menu is
that purchasing, production
service are simplified.
Du Jour Menu
A group of foods served only
for the day.
Du jour means “ of the day”
Also used to indicate a special
food, such as “soup du jour”/
soup of the day
Special Party or Function
menu
These are menus offered
during banquets and parties
of all kinds.
Ethnic or Specialty Menu
These can be set price menus
or with dishes individually
priced, specializing in the food
or religion of a country or in a
specialized food itself.
Children’s Menu
Emphasis on healthy eating
and a balanced diet.
Many establishments provide
special children’s menus that
concentrate or favorite foods
and offer suitably sized
portions.
California menu
A menu that offers
breakfast, lunch and dinner
items on the menu with all
items available at any time
of the day
Full Selective
Menu that offers three or
more choices to all of the
menu courses.
Semi Selective
Menu that offers two or
more choices to some but
not all menu courses.
Non Selective
Menu that is limited to
specific dishes for certain
diets
Religion and Dietary Practices
Type of Practice or Rationale
religion restriction
Buddhism •Refrain from •Natural foods
meat, of the earth
vegetarian are considered
diet is most pure
desirable •Monks avoid
•Moderation in all solid food
all foods after noon
•Fasting
required of
monks
Type of Practice or Rationale
religion restriction
Hinduism •Beef prohibited •Cow is sacred
•All other meat and can’t be
and fish eaten, but
restricted or products of the
avoided “sacred” cow are
•Alcohol avoided pure and
•Numerous desirable
fasting days •Fasting
promotes
spiritual growth
Type of Practice or Rationale
religion restriction
Islam •Pork and certain Eating is for
birds prohibited good health
•Alcohol •Failure to eat
prohibited correctly
•Coffee/tea/stim minimizes
ulants avoided spiritual
•Fasting from all awareness
food and drink •Fasting has a
during specific cleansing effect
periods of evil elements
Type of Practice or Rationale
religion restriction
Judaism •Pork and •Land animals
shellfish that do not have
prohibited cloven hooves
•Meat and dairy and that do not
at same meal chew their cud
prohibited are forbidden as
•Leavened food unclean (e.g.,
restricted hare, pig,
Fasting camel)
practiced •Kosher process
is based upon
the Torah
The word kosher, literal meaning “clean”
or “pure,” refers to food that has been
ritually prepared or blessed so it can be
eaten by religious Jews. It comes from the
Hebrew word kasher, meaning "proper" or
"lawful," and became common in English
in the mid-19th Century. It can be used as
an adjective, for example, "kosher meat."
In the mid-1920's, the word took on a
more general meaning, used to refer to
anything that was acceptable.
Type of Practice or Rationale
religion restriction
Rastafarianism •Meat and fish •Pigs and shellfish
restricted are scavengers and
•Vegetarian diets are unclean
only, with salts, •Foods grown with
preservatives, and chemicals are
condiments unnatural and
prohibited prohibited
•Herbal drinks •Biblical texts
permitted; alcohol, support use of
coffee, and soft herbs (marijuana
drinks prohibited and other herbs)
•Marijuana used
extensively for
religious and
medicinal purposes
relating to a religious movement of Jamaican
origin holding that blacks are the chosen people,
that Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia was the
Messiah, and that black people will eventually
return to their Africa.
Type of Practice or Rationale
religion restriction
Roman •Meat •Restriction
Catholicism restricted on s are
certain days consistent
•Fasting with
practiced specified
days of the
church year
Vegetarian Diets
1. Fruitarian Diet
-a diet which predominantly consist of
raw
fruit.
2. Lacto Vegetarian Diet
-a diet that includes vegetables as well
as dairy products such as milk, cheese,
yogurt, butter, ghee, cream, and kefir, but
excludes eggs.
Vegetarian Diet
3. Lacto-ovo vegetarianism
- includes grains, vegetables, fruit,
legumes (dried beans, peas and lentils),
seeds, nuts, dairy products and eggs.
It excludes any meat, fish, poultry and
any products that contain these foods.
4. Vegan diet
-contains only plants – such as
vegetables, grains, nuts and fruits –
and foods made from
plants. Vegans don't eat foods that come
from animals, including dairy products
and eggs.
MENU PLANNING
The thought provoking
task of deciding what
food is to be prepared
for a specific function or
service.
Factors to consider in Menu
Planning
A. The Need and Requirements of the target
market or intended clientele
1. Physiological and nutritional Needs
The nutritional adequacy of meals is of
paramount importance. The physiological needs
for food vary according to age, sex, activity,
environmental factors and physiological make
up. The role of food is not only to maintain life
but also to promote good health through well
planned menus.
2. Psychological Need
Food plays an important role in meeting
emotional needs. It can likewise give security
and comfort to the diner. Some religious
significance. All these have to be considered
in menu planning.
3. Social needs
Food is part of people’s social lives, and
on some occasions, its presence is just an
excuse for social interaction. The use of food
as a social vehicle can vary. Fitting the food to
the theme and carrying it out with originality
and creativity can do much to enhance the
success of a social function .
4. Paying Capacity
The cost of food must be within the reach
of the intended clientele. The best menu may be
rendered useless if it is beyond the paying
capacity of the individuals for whom it has been
planned.
5. Likes and Dislikes / Food Preference
This can be determined through
popularity indices and sales record and is
important factor in planning menus.
B. Available Manpower Resource
The skills and abilities as well as the
number of personnel available and the
time and energy required to execute the
menu must be considered ,labor intensive
recipes therefore must not be planned in
the same menu. The menu should not
over load an employee or one section of
production while leaving another
employee or section with little or no work
to do.
C. Machine, equipment and utensils available
Equipment availability and capacity
must be known before a good menu can be
planned . To expect a baker to produce
hundreds of rolls will be a mistake when
oven capacity is limited.
Menu planner can choose a wider
variety of menu items if there is equipment
on hand for baking , steaming , broiling ,
frying . In contrast , an operation with
limited equipment must have a limited
menu.
D. Budgetary Requirements
Menu cost must be within the prescribed
budget. Reliable information on cost must be
available at this stage in time to do something
about them . Precosting of menus (estimation
of cost before events takes place) is one way to
ensure this.
E. Type of service
The final destination of the food on the
table , how it will be served must be an
important consideration . Menu for buffet
service, waiter service or self service must be
adapted to the specific characteristic , and
requirements of these types service .
F. Material available / availability of Ingredients
The availability and season ability of raw
materials must be considered . The utilization of
ingredients that are difficult to procure and are
not readily available have implications on cost and
quality which makes their inclusion in the menu
impractical.
Plan dishes that require ingredients that
are season , locally available and easy to procure
are certainly a better choice than those which
require information and are more expensive .
Regional specialties produced out of locally
available products make a very sound and
profitable menu.
G. Theme or cuisine
The theme or cuisine of the restaurant
helps determine what type of menu items are
appropriate . A Chinese restaurant has a way
different menu than a family oriented chain
restaurant.
H. Quality standards
Every items on the menu has to meet
operations quality standard. A menu planner
should not put items on the menu that can`t be
prepared and served while maintaining the
proper quality.