Entrepreneurship and Food

Service Management UNIT 5 FOOD MANAGEMENT: MENU PLAN-

NING — FOCAL POINT OF ALL
ACTIVITIES IN FOOD SERVICE ES-
TABLISHMENTS
Structure
5.1 Introduction
5.2 The Importance of Menu and Menu Planning in Food Service Organization
5.2.1 Definition and Functions of a Menu
5.2.2 The Need for Menu Planning
5.2.3 Knowledge and Skills Required for Planning Menu
5.3 The Types of Menu and its Applications
5.3.1 Types of Menus
5.3.2 Uses of Menus
5.4 Steps in Menu Planning and its Evaluation
5.4.1 Construction of Menu
5.4.2 How to Plan a Menu?
5.4.3 Characteristics of a Good Menu
5.4.4 Display a Menu
5.4.5 Evalaution of Menu
5.5 Let Us Sum Up
5.6 Glossary
5.7 Answers to Check Your Progress Exercises

5.1 INTRODUCTION
In the last unit we were introduced to the concept of entrepreneurship and the
characteristics, which are basic for a successful entrepreneur. You might have realized
that any project to be successful should be planned properly and every phase of it
chalked out meticulously. The work centers should be determined on the bases of the
operations involved in the production of a finished product from its raw material. This
must have a sequential flow and ensure smooth operations. The activities that are
common in any type of food producing and serving unit are:
Menu planning → procurement → receiving → storage → preparation → production
→ holding/packing → service.
Food mangement is the ability to manage these activities so that work flows smoothly
to the point where the meal reaches the customer(s) and gives them physical,
physiological and emotional satisfaction. Menu planning is the “heart” of any food
service organization upon which all activity is centered. The menu determines the
foods to be purchased, the equipment needed and the personnel required etc. The
success of a food service organization is largely dependent on the menu. This unit
will focus on the importance of menu planning in food service organizations, the types
of menu’s and their applications, as well as, the steps in menu planning and finally
evaluation of the menu’s planned.
Objectives
After studying this unit, you will be able to:
• discuss the importance and advantages of menu planning in food service
organizations,
116 • apply planning/organizing considerations to the menu planning process,
• identify the various types of menu’s commonly used in food service organizations Food Management: Menu
and select ones appropriate for the various need, Planning — Focal Point of
all Activities in Food
• plan different types of menus, and Service Establishments

• evaluate menus to ensure its appropriateness for customer satisfaction and for its
efficacy for various types of food service organizations.

5.2 THE IMPORTANCE OF MENU AND MENU

PLANNING IN FOOD SERVICE ORGANIZATION
Look at Figure 5.1, which outlines the typical operations in a food service establishment.
What do you notice? Yes, consumer needs and organizational objectives are the initial
driving force for a food service establishment. Menu is the one essential, critical focal
point of all activities in a food service establishment and requires careful planning. As
you may have noticed in Figure 5.1, it serves as a control and spells out the monetary
prerequisites for purchasing food, personnel and equipment for production and service.
The goal of the menu is to maximize resources to produce highest quality products
having greatest financial return.

Consumer Organizational
needs objectives

Menu Planning

M
E
N
U

Equipment Identifying Manpower

selection food material selection
needs

Production Service

Purchasing

Receiving

Figure 5.1: Flow chart of typical operations in a food service establishment

Let us then further elaborate on the functions of a menu, but first let us define menu.
5.2.1 Definition and Functions of a Menu
A menu is a list of dishes planned for production in a food service organization and
may include full meals, snacks or beverages either alone or in combinations. Planning
menu’s for the food service organization, as already mentioned above, is the most
important activity of food service organizations and based on what menus have to be
prepared and in which manner they have to be served will determine the entire
planning process of establishing a food service organization.
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Entrepreneurship and Food So then menu lists the items offered for sale. Is there more to a menu! Let us find
Service Management out next under the functions of menu.

Functions of a menu
Besides serving as a control the menu is crucial in establishing a food service unit. It:
1) introduces the establishment to the customer,
2) helps in production of meals in the kitchen,
3) is a primary marketing device, which helps to prepare a purchase list for foods
and ingredients and forms the basis for establishing purchasing procedures,
4) determines the type of equipment, staff skills and the type of supervision required,
5) helps to organize spaces and work in stores, kitchens and service areas,
6) determines employees work schedule,
7) determines the style of service to be set up,
8) forms the basis for the calculation of food and labour cost, overhead expenses
and desired profits,
9) determines the amount of space required for seating, storing, purchasing and
preparation,
10) reflects the type of customer the establishment wishes to attract,
11) satisfies the needs of the customer for adequate nutrition, remove hunger, as well
as, fulfill their social and psychological needs, and
12) introduces interesting food combinations to customers, and through specialty
foods imparts knowledge of the foods eaten in different states, countries and
cultures.
Let us now look at the basic need for planning a menu.

5.2.2 The Need for Menu Planning

Planning of menus is essential when food has to be bought, prepared and served in
large quantities to people of various tastes, and requirements. The advantages of menu
planning are:
• It helps to provide appetizing, nourishing and attractive meals to customers at a
fair price. This is only possible if meals are planned in advance so that one can
buy in bulk and during peak seasons to get the best price at a reasonable cost.
• Planning menus helps to foresee the requirements accurately, so that advance
buying could be done as the quantities required of various food ingredients could
be calculated.
• Planning minimizes the food waste; fuel costs and helps in management of
leftovers effectively and creatively in the next day’s menus. For example, total
milk required for the menu can be boiled together and left over milk of the day
could be used for setting of the curds and curd leftover of the previous day could
be used as starter for curd setting or for making paneer, buttermilk, Kadhi etc.
• Planning saves times and efforts spent in purchasing, receiving and cooking and
frequent trips to the market. It helps in distribution of work throughout the day
rather than rushing during the peak hours as pre-preparations like cutting and
chopping of vegetables, making basic sauces or gravies etc.
• Planning helps to understand the popularity of various dishes on the menu and
helps in making accurate estimates of the servings that need to be prepared of
each item on the menu.
• Planning also offers an opportunity to serve wide variety of dishes including
seasonal varieties well in advance.
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• Advance planning removes lot of anxiety of the manager and kitchen production Food Management: Menu
staff as clear cut instructions can be given in advance and kitchen staff is aware Planning — Focal Point of
all Activities in Food
of the instructions to be followed which helps to create harmony among people Service Establishments
at work. It also helps to continue work even in the absence of a manager, as the
staff knows what is to be done in various situations.
• Planning helps to estimate actual cost of the food item and inclusion of profitable
items on the menu. It also helps to determine the selling costs of the items and
helps in estimation of profits.
• Planning accounts for the seasonal fluctuations in determining the selling costs of
various food items throughout the year.
The success of a food service establishment thus depends heavily on those who plan
the menus and how it is served to the customer. Good menu planning requires a lot
of skills. What are these skills? Let us find out next.

5.2.3 Knowledge and Skills Required for Planning Menu

Before we get down to learn about the skills, can you suggest who plans or determines
the menu. Yes, usually it is the management or the owner of the establishment who
determines the menu. Other sources may include the cook/chefs or the customers.

The person responsible for planning a menu must be creative and imaginative and
must have wide knowledge of food, their availability in different seasons and their
cost, various ways in which the foods could be prepared and served and customers’
choices and preferences. He/she must have the ability to work within the confines of
the budget. Let us review these factors in greater detail.

Wide knowledge of foods

Good knowledge about different kind and varieties of foods, their seasonal availability,
nutritional and anti-nutritional factors, presence of toxic elements in certain food
varieties, the edible portions obtained for each food, colour, taste and flavour differences
and how they can be combined for meals, their acceptability and cost factors. Thus
the planner should be able to visualize food and its arrangement and should be able
to manipulate food to achieve the desired outcome.

Knowledge of different methods of preparing and serving foods

Knowledge of various cooking methods by which food could be prepared is essential,
similarly knowing how best a food could be served, as well as, what foods can be
cooked and served in large quantities is important. An awareness about the new
products and the trends is useful.

Knowledge of the methods of serving various types of foods

Serving of a meal with an aesthetic appeal is a very important component of food
service organization. Good knowledge of how the menu will be served while retaining
its colour, texture and appeal is an important consideration for planning a menu.

Knowledge of the customer

A planner should know consumer preferences. Food service organization has to decide
what type of customer it will like to attract. The menu thus has to be planned keeping
the customers preferences and choices in mind. A general idea of customer’s food
preferences, physiological requirements, paying capacity, social standing and the reasons
for eating out is essential for achieving customer satisfaction.

Remember, there must be sufficient time allowed for menu planning. A good menu
planning is described as one where planning is done in advance, preferably two weeks
minimum to allow necessary planning and ordering. We shall learn about the points
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Entrepreneurship and Food to be considered in menu planning in a little while from now. Before we move on
Service Management to the study of the different types of menu’s, let us recapitulate what we have learnt
so far.

Check Your Progress Exercise 1

1) Define menu and list its five functions.
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2) Why should one plan menus. Enlist five reasons.
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3) Mention the types of knowledge and skills required to plan a good menu.
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4) Give reasons as to why is it necessary to know your customer before making
menus.
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Now that you have a good insight into the importance of menu planning, let us now
get to know about the types of menus and their applications.

5.3 THE TYPES OF MENU AND ITS APPLICATIONS

When was it the last time you dinned out? Do you remember, what kind of food you
ordered? Chinese, Mughlai, Indian, Continental or was it a pure vegetarian meal. What
items did you select and how? Yes, that’s right the menu was the guiding factor. A
detail list of all dishes, food served and at times also the description of the dishes
certainly were a great help. While dinning out, you may have also noticed that a menu
can be offered in a variety of forms, each written in a manner that is designed to
suit the needs of the food service institution. In this section we shall get to know about
the different types of menus and their uses in a food service establishment.

5.3.1 Types of Menus

Menus can be planned for commercial operations such as restaurants, cafeterias,
buffet, fast foods etc. or for mid day meals or school lunch programmes or college
hostels etc. – all welfare operations. The objective of these welfare operations is to
provide nutritionally adequate and reasonable priced meals for the target groups and
to contribute to better understanding of good nutrition and foster good eating habits.
Besides these operations, menus are planned for college and university dining (hostels)
and for patients as in the hospital set-up or for employees as in the office canteens
etc.
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Menus can be selective, static or set as in restaurants, can be cyclic or single use Food Management: Menu
menus or can be classified as A la Carte, table d’hote or du jour based on the pricing. Planning — Focal Point of
all Activities in Food
Basically, you would find that menus are classified as: Service Establishments
a) A la Carte d) Single use menu
b) Table d’hote, and e) Du Jour
c) Combination of the two f) Cyclic
Refer to Figure 5.2, which illustrates a few examples of menus. Let us understand
these menus by going through the discussion presented next.

A la Carte Menu (Choice menu)

In Figure 5.2, you would have noticed that a la Carte menu is basically a choice menu
and generally offers choice of dishes to customers. The choices can be under various
food categories such as appetizers/starters, soups, main dishes, side dishes, staples/
breads, salads, desserts, sandwiches, snacks and beverages etc. as also illustrated in
Table 5.1.
Table 5.1: Choice menu
Beverages Sandwiches and Burgers/Hot Ice creams/
Snacks Dogs/Pizzas Desserts
Cold Drinks Club Sandwich Veg. Burger Ice creams
Cold Coffee Veg. Sandwich Cheese Burger Ice cream Sundays
Mocktails Cheese Sandwich Chicken Burger Ice cream with
Milk Shakes Chicken Sandwich Big Boy Burger hot chocolate sauce
Russian Sandwich Veg. Hot Dog Pineapple Souffle
Cheese Hot Dog Orange Souffle
Chicken Hot Dog Trifle Pudding

Thus it is clear that in ‘a la Carte’ menu a list of items is given on a menu card, and
a customer can select any item from the list. Each dish is priced separately so that
a choice can be made according to the taste and purchasing power of the customer.
The variety of dishes offered under the above-mentioned categories may vary according
to the type of organization, for example a cafeteria may have a very limited choice
while a restaurant may have a wide choice. These types of menus are generally
offered by profit making enterprises and are suitable for people who want to eat at
leisure, as the selected items can take a little long time in preparation because of the
wide choices offered in the menu. The advantage of this type of menu is that customer
can choose the items as per his own needs, moods and pocket.
Now let us review the table d’hote menu.
Table d’hote Menu (Table of the host)
This is basically a set menu in which the hosts plan number of dishes and food is
served and offered at a set price (for entire meal). A typical table d’hote menu, most
popular in India is the thali menu as illustrated in Figure 5.2 (c). These menus generally
do not provide any choice but slowly these menus are now being planned so as to
offer a limited choice to the customer. These types of menus are seen in clubs, hotels,
marriage parties, hostels, college canteens etc.
Having gone through the description above you may have got a clear idea about the
A la Carte and the table d’hote menu. You may sometimes come across a combination
menu. Let us find out what these are.
Combination Menu
The combination menu can take the form of a table d’hote menu with in built choices
as far as possible. Generally a la Carte menus with “special for the day” or “today’s
special”. These special may be dishes with an accompaniment or a plated meal offered
at a set price. Refer to Figure 5.2(b).
Next, let us understand the concept of cycle menu. 121
Entrepreneurship and Food
Service Management

a) A la Carte menu

Cream of Potato Soup

Sweet and Sour Soup
Mushroom and Tomato Soup

Vegetable Biryani
Rajma Chawal
Malai Kofta
Mattar Paneer
Tandoori Vegetables
Masala Naan Spec ial Thali Dishes
Gulab jamun
Rasmalai V egetarian Thali....Rs. 89
Rabri Jalebi Includes 10 items
Gujia
Shrikhand N on vegetarian Thali....Rs. 115
Includes 10 items
Coffee Expresso
b) ‘Special for the day’ menu c) Table d'hote menu
Figure 5.2: Different types of menus

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Cyclic Menus Food Management: Menu
Planning — Focal Point of
Cyclic menus are menus, which are planned in advance for periods of time varying all Activities in Food
from five days to one month, which are then cycled or repeated at fixed intervals. Service Establishments
In case of hotels, hospitals, homes and institutions, menus are planned in advance for
periods of time varying from five days to one month. These are then cycled or
repeated. Such menus are termed as cyclic menus and are usually combination menus,
providing choices within a set framework. A sample of the cycle menu is given in
Table 5.2. Such types of menus are used for captive consumers whose numbers do
not fluctuate and budgets are limited. But note, short-term cycle menus like five day
or seven days menus can be unpopular because of menu fatigue and customers tend
to eat on the day their favourite dishes are served and may skip other days. Therefore
to improve the popularity of cyclic menus following points should be considered:
A) Planning should be done for odd number of days, so that a menu does not fall
on the same day of the week or same date of the month. Plans may be of 5,
9,11,23 days to prevent people from associating a particular menu with a particular
day of the week or particular date of a month.
B) A general menu structure may be set, but dishes changed to introduce variety.
For example, for a thali one could set a fixed structure like one main dish, two
side dishes, chappati, rice, sweet dish etc. but each day different types of these
dishes may be given. This also provides for flexibility to the planner, who can
mix and match foods and flavours according to stocks, seasonal availability,
budget, special occasions etc.
Table 5.2: A sample 5-day cycle menu for a college hostel

Breakfast Plate Lunch Tea/Snacks Dinner

Day 1 Paneer Stuffed parantha Kachori Chutney Vegetable Pulao,
Sandwich and Boondi Raita Tea/Coffee Biryani, Pakodi
Tea/Coffee Raita, Green Chutney
Fruit Sweet
Day 2 Vegetable Rice, Rajma and Idli and Chutney Puri,
Cutlet Vegetable Tea/Coffee Channa,
Bread with Boondi Raita,
Butter/Jam Salad
Tea/Coffee Sweet
Day 3 Vada and Uttapam, Dosa, Dhokla and Zeera Rice,
Sambar Sambar and Chutney Mixed Veg.
Bread with Chutney Tea/Coffee Subji
Butter/Jam Sweet
Tea/Coffee
Khadhi,
Day 4 Poha Bun Cake Plain Parantha,
Bread with Vegetable/Meat Tea/Coffee Dry Urad Dal
Butter/Jam Cutlet Mint Raita
Tea/Coffee Coleslaw/Salad Salad
Sweet
Day 5 Bread with Kulcha Chole Vegetable Bonda Onion Rice,
Butter Pickle Tea/Coffee Rajma, Aloo Gobi
Egg Omlette/ Salad Subji/Cucumber
Besan Cheela Raita
Tea/Coffee Sweet
Finally, a word about other menus.
Other Menu
Apart from the menus mentioned above, a menu can be a single-use menu, where
a menu is planned for just a day and is never repeated again in the same format,
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Entrepreneurship and Food although certain food items and dishes can be teamed with other food item and can
Service Management be included later. The du jour menu also called as the menu of the day. Mostly these
menus are termed under ‘Today’s Special’. These menus are planned on a daily basis
and serves as a good means of using leftover food. This in turn is a way to conserve
money for a food service unit. Refer to Figure 5.2(c), which gives an example of ‘Du
Jour’ menu from a continental restaurant.

So we have looked at the various types of menus commonly used in a food service
establishment. Let us next, review the uses of menus.

5.3.2 Uses of Menus

Menus may be used in many ways, according to the requirements of the food service
organization. Menu planning requires time and efforts; it should not be changed very
frequently. A la Carte menus are not changed frequently as they contain a large variety
of dishes that can be offered, but table d’ hote menu are changed more frequently
to provide variety of set menus within the same price range.

Thus, a well-planned menu can be very effective tool of management, however, it

should have some flexibility to introduce seasonal variations, special needs of different
individuals and control costs.

Having gone through the discussion above we have a good idea about the types of
menu. Next, we shall review the steps involved in planning a menu. But first let us
check our understanding about the types of menu and their uses by answering the
questions given in check your progress exercise 2.

Check Your Progress Exercise 2

1) Fill in the blanks
a) A la Carte menu is basically a …………………………… menu.
b) Table d’ hote menu is basically a ………………….. menu in which
number of dishes are planned by the host
c) Combination menus are the combination of …………………and
………… menus.
d) A la Carte menu is normally served in ……………. .
e) Table d’ hote menu is normally served in ………………………
2) What do you understand by the word cyclic menus?
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3) What are the advantages of serving cyclic menus?
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 Food Management: Menu
4) Give reasons as to why cyclic menus are not popular. Planning — Focal Point of
all Activities in Food
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5) Suggest ways of improving the popularity of cyclic menus.
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5.4 STEPS IN MENU PLANNING AND ITS EVALUATION

From our discussion so far it must be evident that a menu serves as a guide to organize
the work in the kitchen and is indeed a very effective tool of management. Hence,
it is important that we plan the menu systematically. The points to be kept in mind
while planning a menu are elaborated next.

5.4.1 Construction of Menu

A menu is constructed in a systematic manner according to the following steps:
• Decide the suitable menu pattern, whether one wants fixed menu, a la Carte menu
or a selection of both. For example if we are planning a menu for a college hostel,
we would need to plan for a 3-4 meals/day pattern i.e. breakfast, lunch, tea and
dinner and that too a cycle menu as illustrated in Table 5.1 earlier. In case of
a restaurant perhaps an a la Carte menu may be required.
• Decide the degree of flexibility that needs to be kept in the menu.
• Decide on the main dish of the menu and side dishes can be planned around
it. The selected dishes should enhance the colour, texture, flavour and taste of
the meal.
• For cyclic menus ensure that the same food item or dish does not appear
consecutively on two or more days for example avoid using potatoes for a snack,
as well as, meals on the same day.
The aim of menu planning should be to create consistent menus in terms of their
quality characteristics, costs and their selling prices from day to day. Seasonal variations
and price fluctuations should be kept in mind while planning a menu and efforts should
be made to plan cheaper side dishes with main dish in which there are likely to be
fluctuations in price and vice versa, also care should be taken that the selected side
dishes compliment the main dish in terms of flavour, taste, colour and texture. When
choices are given ensure that all the choices offered have the same ‘value for money’,
however, variations in terms of different cooking methods, seasonings and garnishing
are welcome.

Selection of desserts should generally relate to the main course of the menu. For
example, if the main course is light, the dessert chosen can be rich and vice versa.
Various types of desserts which are normally included in the menu are: Fruity, hot and
cold puddings, cream or ice cream based, cakes, gelatins or pie based, souffles (egg
based), custards, Indian sweets like Kheer, Gulabjamuns, Halwas etc. The selection
of the dessert in the menu could be related to the rest of the menu and season of
serving should also be covered, for example, hot desserts are preferred in winters while
cold desserts are preferred in summers.
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Entrepreneurship and Food For a food service establishment serving full meals, meal timings can be specified for
Service Management serving main meals; however, all food service organizations do not serve meals. Small
cafeterias, canteens, mobile vans, fast food joints may not serve full meals but may
offer fixed mini meals, snacks and beverages. These types of food service organizations
are more popular in today’s times as people are now interested to have a quick meal
while working or traveling. Similarly, some menus served by an organization may be
same every day as these are most popular items and people love to eat the same thing
again and again. For example chat corners in India, where three four fixed chat items
are served everyday, or fast food joints like pizza hut or Mc Donald’s etc.

Menu planning is thus an art involving knowledge of not only the types of foods but
also their popularity amongst customers, creativity to use various types of service
styles to attract customers, initiative to plan something innovative etc. It is also
important to note that commercial food service (restaurants, cafetaria’s etc.) do not
need to be considered about meeting the nutritional needs of the clients. Profit is the
primary objective. But in resident or welfare food service (such as school lunch
programmes, hostels etc.) menus must be so planned to meet the nutritional needs
of the clients and may/may not generate profit.

5.4.2 How to Plan a Menu?

Menu planner must be able to visualize the presentation of the food on the plate, sense
the taste and aromas and judge texture and consistency in his/her mind. Before
planning a menu, the following basic points need to be considered:
A) The situation of the food service organization
The basic factors to be considered here include:
a) Location of the organization in relation to the market
b) Space available for storing food safely
c) Size of kitchen and service areas
d) Number of staff and their skills
e) Equipment available in kitchen and service areas
f) Policy of the food service organization in terms of the:
• types of customers it wishes to attract, based on the pricing policy will have
to be determined, higher the clientele one wants to attract, higher will be the
pricing and vice versa
• the extent to which the organization wants to invest on catering as compared
to other areas of expenditure such as furniture, décor, equipment etc.
• degree of automation and labour saving devices desired
• personnel in terms of trained staff or cheaper unskilled labour
• profit margins
• type of service, i.e. whether the food will be served or pre-plated, handed
over or packed and delivered.
B) The Customer
Customers of an organization could be from varying ages, activities, occupations, sex,
physiological status and backgrounds. They would also belong to various religious and
cultural backgrounds, some perhaps having rigid religious beliefs and habits. The
following illustration demonstrates how various requirements of a customer form the
basis for menu planning. For example, if a menu has to be planned for a fast food
joint the factors that will have to be considered will be:

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a) The kind of customers one is likely to have will be youngsters or young office Food Management: Menu
going executives so the menu planned should cater to the liking of this group Planning — Focal Point of
all Activities in Food
b) The service should be fast Service Establishments

c) Menu must give variety, as well as, interesting cost effective combinations could
be offered
d) The menu should offer special dishes for special days like during Christmas
varieties of cakes, cookies etc. as desserts could be offered
Now that we have a good knowledge about how to plan a menu, can you suggest
what would be the characteristics of a good menu? Write down these characteristics
and compare them with the characteristics enumerated next.

5.4.3 Characteristics of a Good Menu

Generally, you will find that planning menus requires a little time and effort, but will
save us much time and effort later and it can save us a lot of worry or stress. A little
planning helps us to enjoy cooking and serving meals rather than regarding them as
tiresome, necessary chores. Remember, a good menu is one which considers the
following:
• Preferences of the customer or guest for whom it is planned, and provide a wide
variety to choose from that will help the customer derive pleasure and satisfaction.
• The cook incharge of making the menu is able to cook the menu in an attractive,
palatable and nourishing way within the resources available.
• The cooked food adds vibrancy and energy to the meal by ensuring that the right
colour, texture, consistency and flavour combinations are included and the food
is served well and at the right temperature to the customer. For example, a menu
should avoid including meals where all the foods have similar textures. To
illustrate, avoid serving a creamed soup followed by a chicken in a bland sauce
and end with a vanilla ice cream or creamy pudding. The menu should try to
match crisp or piquant foods with bland ones and combine soft textures with crisp
ones.
• The dishes/meals are prepared using a variety of preparation methods.
• Balance costly ingredients with low cost ones within a day.
• Include garnishes, which add to the presentation and are appropriate to the item
they are garnishing, and
• Management is able to satisfy the customer, as well as, earn profits for the
organization.
Besides the factors mentioned above, a good menu may also consider the portion
sizes, i.e. are portion sizes of food in proportion to one another.
Now that you are familiar with the basic characteristics of a good menu, surely you
would be able to plan one for any occasion. The next aspect which we would like
to cover in this unit is how to display a menu. Read the next sub-section and find out.

5.4.4 Display a Menu

The menu, we know is the most fundamental ingredient in a food service establishment.
In the unit so far we have learnt about the types and characteristics of good menus.
Here we shall also focus on how to display a menu appropriately. Read the following
considerations regarding menu display:
• Menus can be written out with names of dishes in a following order as illustrated
in Figure 5.3.

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Entrepreneurship and Food • Menus must be written in a form that is simple, legible, and attractive to draw
Service Management the customer’s attention.
• Names of the dishes should be clearly understood. If unfamiliar terms are used,
descriptions should follow the name so that customer knows exactly what is being
ordered.
• Sauces and accompaniments create a feeling of good value for money and must
be indicated on the menu as illustrated in Figure 5.2.
• Care is necessary in word selection and correct spelling of the dishes, particularly
if they are written in foreign language.
• Some indication of portion sizes or number of servings should be written.
Menus can be written in many ways according to the purpose for which they are
intended. In food service where a waiter style of service is offered, the menu is
generally presented in the form of a folder. Menu card also introduces the organization
to the customer hence very often it includes information about the address, telephone
numbers, service timings along with the list of dishes and their cost.

We end our study on menu planning by highlighting the importance of constant

evaluation of menu .

Figure 5.3: Menu display

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5.4.5 Evaluation of Menu Food Management: Menu
Planning — Focal Point of
Menu evaluation is a critical and essential part of the menu planning process and all Activities in Food
should be a ongoing process. Constant evaluation is a necessity and it involves the Service Establishments
following:
— Watch tray/plate returns
— What is new on the market?
— What is the competition doing?
— What are the customers saying?
Periodic assessment of the menus is valuable as they not only guide the management
but also provide insight into what plans and policies to adopt for the success of the
operation. A handy guideline/checklist can be adopted for evaluative purposes. The
points to be considered include:
1) Do the menus satisfy the nutritional needs of the clients?
2) Does the menu meet the organization objectives?
3) Are the foods in season, available, and within the budget?
4) Can the food be prepared by the available personnel and equipment?
5) Are garnishes used appropriately?
6) Do the foods offer contrasts in:
• Colour • Texture
• Temperature • Consistency
• Size, shape and form • Preparation methods
• Flavour • Lightness
7) Is the repetition of flavour or a food item(s) within a day or meal?
8) Do flavours complement one another?
9) Do the combinations make a pleasing whole some meal, and will they be
acceptable to the client.
10) Are costly ingredients/meals balanced with lower cost ones?
Evaluation as mentioned above may be done based on the plate waste or through
informal customer comments or through formal customer feedback obtained through
customer feedback forms.

Check Your Progress Exercise 3

1) What are the steps for constructing a menu?
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2) What are the points to be considered with respect to a food service organization
before planning a menu?
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Service Management 3) How will you check that the menu is well planned for the type of organization?
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4) What care will you take to display a menu?
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5.5 LET US SUM UP

In this unit we focused on menu planning. We learnt that a menu is a list of dishes
planned for production in a food service organization and includes full meals, snacks
or beverages either alone or in combinations. It is most important activity of a food
service organization.
Menu Planning, we learnt, has wide variety of functions and has many advantages.
Good menu planning requires knowledge and skills for planning a good menu. It
requires a wide knowledge of foods, different methods of preparing and serving foods,
customer’s preferences etc.
There are basically three types of menus, namely A la Carte Menu, Table d’ hote
menu and combination menu. These menus are widely applicable in the whole world.
Similarly, cyclic menus all commonly used in institutions like hostels, hospitals etc,
and have many advantages as it helps in better planning of resources and personnel.
A menu has to be constructed systematically for its optimal use. The aim of menu
planning is to create consistent menus in terms of their quality, characteristics, costs
and their selling price from day to day. Before planning a menu some basic points,
have to be kept in mind related to the location or situation of the food service
organization and the type of customer it proposes to target. Similarly, evaluation of
the menu planned is important, as it helps us to understand whether the planner has
a thorough knowledge of the requirement of the organization.
Displaying menu is also equally important, as the customer has to be attracted to your
organization. Display has to be aesthetically designed and should be written out in a
logical and clear manner and the information should be complete giving details of
selling cost, brief details about the dish if the dish planned is uncommon.
Thus, to conclude, this unit has helped us to understand the functions, advantages
of menu planning and has detailed the steps and the knowledge and skills that are
required to plan a good menu. It has also helped us to critically evaluate a given menu.

5.6 GLOSSARY
Menu : a menu is a list of dishes planned for production in a
food service organization and may include full meals,
snacks or beverages either alone or in combinations.
Cyclic Menu : menus, which are, planned in advance for periods of
time varying from five days to one month, which are
then cycled or repeated at, fixed intervals.
A la Carte Menu : choice menu.
Table d’ hote Menu : fixed menu (A menu ordered by the host).
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5.7 ANSWERS TO CHECK YOUR PROGRESS Planning — Focal Point of
EXERCISES all Activities in Food
Service Establishments
Check Your Progress Exercise 1
1) A menu is a list of dishes planned for production in a food service organization
and may include full meals, snacks or beverages either alone or in combinations.
Functions include: a) Introduces the establishment to the customer b) Helps in
production of meals in the kitchen c) Helps to prepare a purchase list for foods
and ingredients and forms the basis for establishing purchasing procedures and d)
Determines the type of equipment, staff skills and the type of supervision required.
2) The reasons for menu planning include:
a) It helps to provide appetizing, nourishing and attractive meals to customers
at a fair price.
b) Planning menus helps to foresee the requirements accurately.
c) Planning minimizes the food waste; fuel costs and helps in management of
leftover effectively and creatively in the next day’s menus.
d) Planning saves times and efforts spent in purchasing, receiving and cooking
and frequent trips to the market.
3) In order to plan a good menu one should have the following basic information
on:
a) Wide knowledge of foods
b) Knowledge of different methods of preparing and serving foods
c) Knowledge of the methods of serving various types of foods
d) Knowledge of the customer
4) It is necessary to know the customers before menu planning because it helps to
provide meals according to the customer’s food preferences, physiological
requirements, paying capacity, social standing and the reasons for eating out and
for achieving customer satisfaction.
Check Your Progress Exercise 2
1) a) choice
b) set
c) A la Carte, Table d’ hote Menus
d) restaurants/hotels
e) clubs, marriages parties etc.
2) Cyclic menus are menus, which are planned in advance for periods of time
varying from five days to one month, which are then cycled or repeated at fixed
intervals.
3) The advantages of a cyclic menu include
a) Once a basic menu pattern is established, the menu planner can use his/her
own creativity to attract customers in case of holidays, special occasions, or
during staff shortages, delays in service etc.
b) It helps the staff (both kitchen and service) to get better organized, because
they know futures needs and can do the pre preparation.
c) It helps to standardize the recipes and making food service most cost
effective for both the management, as well as, the customer.

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Entrepreneurship and Food 4) Cyclic menus can be unpopular because they could be planned for short term
Service Management i.e. for five day or seven days, which leads to menu fatigue and customers tend
to eat on the day, their favourite dishes are served and may skip other days.
5) The popularity of cyclic menus can be improved by planning for odd number of
days, so that a menu does not fall on the same day of the week or same date
of the month. Further, a general menu structure may be set, but dishes changed
to introduce variety.
Check Your Progress Exercise 3
1) Steps in constructing a menu are:
a) Decide the suitable menu pattern, whether one wants fixed menu, a la Carte
menu or selection of both.
b) Decide the degree of flexibility that needs to be kept in the menu.
c) Decide on the main dish of the menu and side dishes can be planned
around it.
d) The selected dishes should enhance the colour, texture, flavour and taste of
the meal.
2) Points to be considered with respect to the food service organization before
planning a menu are:
a) Location of the organization with relation to the market
b) Space available for storing food safely
c) Size of kitchen and service areas
d) Number of staff and their skills
e) Equipment available in kitchen and service areas
f) Policy of the food service organization.
3) The menu is considered to be well planned when :
a) Preferences of the customer or guest for whom it is planned is considered
and a wide variety to choose from is provided to them.
b) Cook in charge of making the menu is able to cook the menu in an
attractive, palatable manner.
c) The cooked food is served well and at the right temperature to the customer,
and
d) Management is able to satisfy the customer, as well as, earn profits for the
organization
4) The care to be taken while displaying a menu include:
a) Menus must be written in a form that is simple, legible, and attractive to
draw the customer’s attention
b) Names of the dishes should be clearly understood. If unfamiliar terms are
used, descriptions should follow the name so that customer knows exactly
what is being ordered
c) Sauces and accompaniments create a feeling of good value for money and
must be indicated on the menu.

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