Menus

1. Menus

2. What is a menu? • A listing of food and beverage available to patrons of a food service establishment. • Menu’s contain courses • Elaborate dinners consist of appetizer, soup, salad, main course, and dessert • Informal that salad and main dish could be served together • Menu’s are often center around a protein food, like meat.

3. What is the purpose of a menu? • To inform patrons what is available and what the price is • To inform workers what is to be produced; from what station, what method, and what equipment • The menu defines what you want to achieve in your operation

4. Mission statement • Before you can chose a menu style, price range or anything else, you must make a statement of purpose for your restaurant or organization. This is called the mission statement. It briefly describes why your restaurant exists.

5. Example • Denny’s mission may be to serve a wide variety of meals, including breakfast, lunch, and dinner items offered 24 hours a day. The prices must be low to moderate and offer value and speed of service for business persons as well as specialty groups such as seniors and children

6. Types of menus • A la carte – all food are listed separately at a separate price. The guest can order as much or as little as they like. • Modified A la carte – guests order an entrée which may include a salad, beverage, etc. The guest perceives a better value, of all items being “included”. • Table D’Hote – “from the table of the host” this includes many courses for a set price. Includes appetizer, soup, salad, main course, dessert, and beverage

7. Types of Menus continued • Cycle menu – several menus are offered in rotation. • Specialty menus- designed for special patrons. i.e senior citizens and children • California – menu items for breakfast, lunch, and dinner can be purchased at anytime during the day

8. Menu descriptions • Menu terms should be simple, clear, and graphic, presenting an exact description of what the patron will receive. Use some descriptive language, don’t be excessive! • Keep the language simple. Avoid meaningless terms like: • The chef’s special sauce • From a secret recipe • Cooked to perfection • Made with tender loving care

9. Menu descriptions cont’ • The description must be what it says. A prime cut of roast beef has to be prime beef not choice or select. • Don’t try to make an item sound better by adding titles or names that are incorrect. • Menu descriptions should be brief and clear. The patron should be able to read and understand the menu

10. Example • Good • Shrimp gumbo with rice • A thick hearty soup made of shrimp, tomatoes, okra, and fresh vegetables flavored with gumbo file, a seasoning of ground sassafras leaves, served over steamed white rice. • Bad • Riverboat gamblers’ shrimp gumbo • A hearty, mouth watering blend of jumbo shrimp, garden fresh tomatoes and southern style vegetables sprinkled with our special blend of herbs and spices from an old southern plantation recipe. Served on a heaping, steaming mound of Carolina rice.

11. Tips for Planning your Menu Choose the theme of your restaurant. Choose main dish items. Select the grain foods that will accompany the main dish, like pasta, rice or barley. Select one or two vegetable side dishes that will accompany. Choose the salad. Choose a dessert. Plan a beverage to go with the meal.

12. Things to think about • Think about your clientele • What type of restaurant do you want to have • What type of food do you want to serve