Menu preparation
continued
Menu Type Comparison
Menu type Advantages Disadvantages Cost benefit considerations
À la carte Customer can choose Can be time-consuming and Higher charge per dish but
preferences. requires high level of staff may have higher food cost
Generally higher skills. Stock can run out. percentage. Customer may
quality food offerings May require special only have one course but
equipment this may mean you get 2-3
settings per service period
Table d'hôte Kitchen can prepare Limited choices may mean Usually lower food cost as
meals in advance. fewer return visits by portion control and waste is
F&B can set up tables customers. May not be able much better. Less skilled
based on menu. to charge higher prices due staff required for a shorter
Service is quicker to customer expectations for time period. On-selling, e.g.
set menus being cheaper desserts, is not possible
Bistro Can provide a wider Can be considered cheap Cheaper food cost due to
variety of food at and people may only visit simplicity of dishes. Higher
affordable prices with occasionally. Lack of care in revenue due to fast service
quick service times preparation or execution of times and customer
due to less elaborate dishes can develop easily turnover. Not possible to
dishes charge high prices
Importance and Factors of the Menu
The menu is the key marketing device used by a restaurant. It is a legal contract between the
restaurant and the customer. It states what is on offer and the client can expect that the description
reflects the actual product. The legal obligations vary between countries so ensure to check on
the obligations.
As the menu is the “public face” of the catering operation it must be considered carefully in
regards to its presentation, the actual offerings such as entrées, main courses and desserts and the
wording and grammatical correctness. The menu must be written with careful planning as the
chef must consider a wide range of impacts:
The type of enterprise – fine dining, bistro, restaurant, formal or informal
Physical presentation of the menu – printed menu, inserts, typed or hand written?
Content of the menu – how many courses, dishes, specials?
Size of the establishment – how many customers can you seat? How big is the kitchen?
Equipment – design the menu with the available equipment in mind
Availability of commodities – seasonal and local produce, suppliers
Target clientele – who is the intended client? Family restaurant, professionals coming for
dinner after work, tourists?
Price points – how much can you charge for the dishes, does the price align with the
intended clientele, will the menu produce a profit?
Print and the Menu
The menu type you choose will underline the style of your establishment and inform its general
format. Remember that printed menus convey an initial impression of the establishment so it is
important that they appear professional. A well-written and balanced menu can bring in far more
money than a poorly written and constructed one.
The print should be easy to read, spelled correctly, grammatically correct and reflect the theme of
the restaurant. Word processing programs with their huge choice of fonts and designs can be used
to easily create an individualised template that meets all these requirements and can be amended
quickly when changes occur. It pays to involve a graphic designer or even a marketing company
at this stage as they specialise in this field and can provide valuable input.
Print can appear in many styles with some easier to read than others. You can have different sizes,
which means it may be easier or harder to read. If you have mainly younger clientele, smaller
print size will not matter as much, whilst older customers may have problems reading a menu
written too small, especially if the restaurant is dimly lit.
Paper types also play an important role since the texture and thickness of the paper will leave an
impression on the customer. The amount of money spent on the printing of the menu depends on
your turnover rate of the menus. If you constantly change the menu it might pay to have an
outside, sturdy cover and print the menu inserts on your own printer.
Menu Factors
Planning is the key to the success of the chef and successful planning starts with the menu – the
chef’s main priority. Designing the menu and establishing how the individual recipes will be
cooked are pivotal to the success of the business.
There are many ways of writing a menu. Once we have explored the menu type and service style,
we need to explore which commodities are readily available from wholesalers, local producers
and markets.
Fresh produce is usually cheapest when in season and supply is abundant. However you must
consider how long a menu will be in place and whether the ingredients will be available at a
reasonable price for that period. Decisions must be made to ensure consistent quality of all menu
items and to avoid negative budget impacts if a menu needs to be changed or amended. Once you
design the menu, check the following:
Have you got all the required menu items in stock?
Establish order lists and time frames for when you want to receive the stock
Have procedures in place to check incoming goods and their appropriate storage
Establish the preparation lists
Check the final dish prior to putting it on the menu, for quality assurance
Decide who will control the final production and plating of the dish
Take stock of your menu for the next shift/day
This continuous planning cycle is referred to as the “Catering Control Cycle” and can be
applied to the daily menu as well as other menus.
Terminology
Menus use a wide array of terms depending on tis cultural context. Traditional restaurant menus
based on French cuisine use many French culinary terms such as:
Table d'hôte – the table of the host – usually a set menu
Á la carte – menu items cooked to order
Amuse bouche – a small taster item served complimentary at the beginning of the meal
Hors d’oeuvres – small appetisers at the beginning of the meal
Potage – soup which can be clear or bound
Entrée – depending on the country this can be a starter or the first course, in a classical
sense it is a meat dish using a portion cut e.g. Beef tournedos
Relevé – a whole joint cooked by nay cookery method other than roasting e.g. braised
lamb shoulder
Fromage – cheese, this can be any kind such as washed rind, white mould or hard cheeses
Farinaceous – term used for dishes based on cereal e.g. rice, pasta, gnocchi
