CHAPTER 3

MENUS AND MENU

PLANNING
MENU
 The menu is a list of food
and beverage items that
can be offered by a food
service outlet. The menu ,
like much of the
terminology of cuisine, is
French in origin. It
ultimately derives from
Latin "minutus,"
something made small.
MENU PLANNING
 Menu planning is the process by which menus
are planned taking into consideration all aspects
like customer satisfaction, employee motivation,
and success of the management.
 Factors considered while planning menu may be
from two aspects:
 1. The Management’s Viewpoint

 2. The Consumer’s Viewpoint

FROM MANAGEMENT’S VIEWPOINT
1. Organizational Goals and Objectives:
Plan menu according to the goals and objectives of
the operation like the foodservice is institutional
or commercial.
2. Budget:
Planning menu requires careful consideration of
the relative cost of food, labor and equipment and
also consumer counts
FROM MANAGEMENT’S VIEWPOINT
3. Food Market Conditions:
Menu planning depends on
Availability of raw food products
Seasonal fluctuations
Demand and supply
Access to the market
4. Physical facilities and equipments:
Based on the type of menu
5. Personnel Skills:
Employee’s capability and availability
Labor cost
6. Types of Production and Service Subsystem:
Based on foodservice systems like conventional, ready
food service or commissary.
FROM THE CONSUMER’S VIEWPOINT
1. Nutritional Requirements:
Nutritional needs as in hospitals, nursing homes and schools.
2. Food Habits and Preferences:
Consumer food preferences depends on
Intrinsic factors such as appearance, color, texture,
temperature, flavor, quality and presentation.
Extrinsic factors like environment, situation expectation,
advertising, time and seasonal variations.
Biological, Physiological and Psychological Factors
Personal factors like level of expectations, priority, familiarity,
influence of other person, appetites, moods and emotions.
Socioeconomic factors
Cultural and religious factors
FROM THE CONSUMER’S VIEWPOINT
3. Food characteristics:
▪ Characteristics of food include sensory or
organoleptic properties such as Color, Texture
and Shape, Consistency, Flavor, Method of
preparation like frying, baking, broiling, boiling,
steaming, grilling, stewing, braising or
combination of these methods.
▪ Serving temperature whether hot or cold.
Presentation – the final appearance of food
whether on plate, cafeteria counter, serving tray,
buffet table or in a display case or takeout
packages.
MENU PATTERNS
 A menu pattern is the outline of food items and
choices to be included in each meal. It is divided
as follows:
1. Set or Nonselective Menus:
 No choices among food items offered.

 Followed in institutional foodservice

 Saves time and reduce waste

2. Selective (or Free-Choice) Menus:

Two or more choices for each meal or course.
Followed in restaurants, fast foods and cafeterias.
It’s a complex process to plan and serve.
MENU PATTERNS
3. Partially Selective (or Partial Choice)
Menus:
Provide choices among entrees, vegetables or
deserts.
Followed in many foodservice operations.
4. Menu Cycles and Cycle Menus:
Menu Cycle refers to the time period for which
menus are planned ranging from a few days to
several weeks.
Cycle Menu refers to a set or different sets of
carefully planned menus that are rotated at fixed
intervals of time. Cycle menus are used in
institutional foodservices.
TYPES OF MENU
 The à la carte menu
 The table d’hôte menu

 The function menu

 The cyclic menu

THE À LA CARTE MENU
 Means according to the
card
 Customers are able to
choose the number and
type of dishes.
 It lists all the dishes
available arranged in
courses and priced and
priced separately.
 The dishes are “cooked
to order”; so there is a
waiting time and each
guest is served at his or
her own table.
THE TABLE D’HÔTE MENU
 Means: “table of the host”
 Includes a fixed and limited numbers of courses

 Commonly 3-course meal with coffee.

 There is some choice of dishes within each

course.
 The price is fixed

 All guests are served the same meal one course

at a time. (figure 2)
 A typical 3-course table d’hôte menu has the
following sections: appetizers, main course,
dessert and coffee or tea.
FUNCTION MENU
 This menu is for
special occasions such
as wedding or parties.
 Has a fixed price.

 Offer little to no
choice
 4-8 courses depend on
time and cost.
CYCLIC MENU
 A service of fixed meals
which are rotated
overtime
 Used in hospitals,
institutions and camps.
 A cycle can be from 5
days to 5 or more weeks
 It offers limited choice
for 3 meals in a day
 Good variety of foods
can be offered.
MENU STYLES
A table d'hôte (a complete meal for one
price)
 A la Carte (items are listed and priced
separately)
 Combination (combination of the table
d'hôte and a la carte pricing styles)
 Fixed menus: a single menus for several
months
 Cycle menus: designed to provide variety
for guests who eat at an operation
frequently - or even daily 16
TYPES OF MENUS
 Breakfast
(offers fruits, juices, eggs,
cereals, pancakes, waffles,
and breakfast meats)
 Lunch
(features sandwiches,
soups, salads, specials;
usually lighter than
dinner menu items)
 Dinner
(more elaborate, steaks,
roasts, chicken, sea food
and pasta; wines,
cocktails, etc..) 17
TYPES OF MENUS - SPECIALTY

 Children’s
 Senior citizens’
 Alcoholic beverage
 Dessert
 Room service
 Take-out
 Banquet
 California (breakfast, lunch and dinner menu items
on one menu)
 Ethnic
18
SELECTING MENU ITEMS
 Menu category:
 Appetizers
 Salads

 Entrees

 Starch items
(potatoes, rice, pasta)
 Vegetables

 Desserts

 Beverages

19
ELEMENTS OF MENU COPY
 Headings
- Appetizers
- Soups
- Entrees
 Sub-heading
- Under entree:
 Steak, seafood, today’s
specials

20
ELEMENTS OF MENU COPY
 Descriptive copy
(describe the menu
items)
- should be
believable and made
in short, easy-
to-read sentences
- no description is
needed for self-
explanatory item.
i.e. Low Fat Milk
21
TRUTH-IN-MENU
 Grading (foods are graded by size, quality,
in line with official standards)
 “Freshness” (cannot be canned, frozen or
fresh-frozen)
 Geographical origin (cannot make false
claims about the origin of a product)
 Preparation (if the menu says baked, it
cannot be fried instead)
 Dietary or nutrition claims (supportable
by scientific data)
22
SUPPLEMENTAL MERCHANDISING COPY
Includes information such
as:
 Address
 Telephone number
 Days and hours of
operation
 Meals served
 Reservations and
payment policies
 History of the
restaurant
 A statement about
management’s
commitment to guest
service 23
MENU LAYOUT
 Sequence:
 Appetizers, soups, entrees, desserts
 Depends on the operation (side orders, salads,
sandwiches, beverages)
 Depends on popularity and profitability
 Placement:
 artworks; space; boxes; clip-on; etc.

24
MENU LAYOUT
Format:
 Menu’s size
 General makeup
Typeface:
 Printed letters
 Font size
 Type face

25
MENU LAYOUT

Artwork:
 Drawings, photographs, decorative
patterns, borders
Paper:
 Texture
Cover:
 Color
 Texture
26
MENU DESIGN AND DISPLAY
 Depends on the type of menu and the foodservice
facility.
PRESENTING A MENU
 Word of mouth: the
waiter informs the
guests
 A printed or hand
written menu on paper
for each
 Colored photographs or
drawing of dishes
 One or more large
boards with list of
dishes written on them
 Displaying food on a
buffet or counter
COMMON MENU-DESIGN MISTAKES
 Menu is too small
 Type is too small
 No descriptive copy
 Every item treated the same
 Some of the operations’ food and
beverages are not listed
 Clip-on problems
 Basic information about the property and
its policies are not included
 Blank pages 29
MENU EVALUATION:
QUESTIONS MOST OFTEN ASKED
 Is the menu attractive?
 Do the colors and other design elements
match the operation’s theme and decor?
 Are menu items laid out in an attractive
and logical way?
 Is there too much descriptive copy? Not
enough? Is the copy easy to understand?
 Is attention called to the items managers
most want to sell, through placement,
color, description, type size, etc.?
30
MENU EVALUATION:
QUESTIONS MOST OFTEN ASKED
 Have guests complained about the menu?
 Have guests said good things about the
menu?
 How does the menu compare with the
menus of competitors?
 Has the average guest check remained
steady or increased?
 Is there enough variety in menu items?
 Are menu items priced correctly?
 Are you selling the right mix of high-profit
and low-profit items?
31
MENU EVALUATION:
QUESTIONS MOST OFTEN ASKED

 Is the typeface easy to read

and appropriate to the
restaurant’s theme and
decor?
 Is the paper attractive and
stain-resistant?
 Have the menus been easy to
maintain so that guests
always receive a clean,
attractive menu? 32