Foodservice Organizations
The Menu
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Learning Objectives
3.1
Differentiate menu-related terms such as static, cycle, and
single-use menus and à la carte versus table d’hôte.
3.2
Evaluate the aesthetic characteristics of a menu.
3.3
Plan a static or cycle menu for a foodservice operation.
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Menu Presentation
Menus can be handwritten on chalkboards, fluorescent illuminated
blackboards, or electronic plasma screens.
Many operations post their menus on their Web site as well.
Table d’hôte (the host’s table) is a complete meal consisting of several courses
at a fixed price.
À la carte is where food items are priced individually.
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Menu Psychology
Eye Gaze Motion
Font Size & Style
Menu
Psychology
Primacy &
Recency
Color &
Brightness
Spacing & Grouping
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Menu Psychology
• Techniques used in the graphic design and layout
of a menu to influence menu selections by
customers often are referred to as menu
psychology.
• These techniques include print style and size,
paper type and color, ink color, graphic
illustrations and designs, and placement on a
page.
• These techniques are not designed to make
customers buy things they do not want, but
rather to showcase items in such a way as to
encourage customers to give thought to items.
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Key elements used in menu psychology include:
• Eye gaze motion: The eye will travel in a set pattern
when viewing a menu.
• Primacy and recency: Position menu items you want to
sell more of in the first and last positions within a
category as the first and last things a customer reads.
• Font size and style: Increase the size of font to attract
the customer’s attention to an item; decrease the size to
deflect attention from an item.
• Color and brightness: Increase the brightness, color, or
shading of visual elements to attract customer attention.
• Spacing and grouping: Use borders around items or
placement of items together within a space to draw
attention to items.
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Types of Menus
Static
Single Use
Cycle
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Types of Menus
• The three types of menus are static, cycle, and single use.
Deciding which type to use depends upon expectations of the
customer when eating away from home.
• Static. A static menu is one in which the same menu items
are offered every day.
• many hospitals are using restaurant-type menus as well.
• Cycle. A cycle menu is a series of menus offering different
items each day on a weekly, biweekly, or some other basis,
after which the cycle is repeated.
• Single Use. The last of the three basic menu types, the
single-use menu, is planned for service on a particular day
and is not used in the exact form a second time.
• This type of menu is used most frequently for special
events.
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Factors Affecting Menu Planning
Customer
Satisfaction
Sociocultural
Factors
Aesthetic
Factors
Food Habits
& Preferences
Sustainability
Government
Regulations
Nutritional
Influence
Management
Decisions
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Factors Affecting Menu Planning
• The crux (crucial point) of menu planning is that the
menu is customer driven; the overriding
concern in all facets of planning should be the
satisfaction of customer desires.
• The concept of value cannot be ignored in
menu planning; value prompts the clientele to
select a particular item from the menu.
• Although satisfying customers is a primary
concern for all foodservice managers,
producing menu items at an acceptable cost is
also a priority.
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Factors Affecting Menu Planning
–Customer Satisfaction. Sociocultural
factors should be considered in planning
menus to satisfy and give value to the
customer.
• Nutritional needs provide a framework for
the menu and add to customer satisfaction.
• Probably the most important aspects for
satisfying customers are the aesthetic
factors of taste and appearance of the
menu items.
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Factors Affecting Menu Planning
•Sociocultural factors. Includes the customs, mores,
values, and demographic characteristics of the
society in which the organization functions.
• Sociocultural processes are important because they
determine the products and services people desire.
• Customers have food preferences that influence the
popularity of menu items.
•Food Habits and Preferences. Consideration of
food habits and preferences should be a priority in
planning menus for a particular population.
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Factors Affecting Menu Planning
• Cultural food patterns, regional food preferences, and age
are related considerations.
• Too often, menu planners are influenced by their own likes
and dislikes of foods and food combinations rather than
those of the customer.
– Food habits are the practices and associated attitudes that
predetermine what, when, why, and how a person will eat.
– Food preferences express the degree of liking for a food item.
• Nutritional Influence. Nutritional needs of the customer
should be a primary concern for planning menus for all
foodservice operations, but they are a special concern when
living conditions constrain persons to eat most of their
meals in one place.
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Factors Affecting Menu Planning
• In healthcare facilities, colleges and
universities, and schools, for example, most of
the nutritional needs of the customer are
provided by the foodservice.
• Increasing public awareness of the importance
of nutrition to health and wellness also has
motivated commercial foodservice operators
to consider the nutritional quality of menu
selections.
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Factors Affecting Menu Planning
– Aesthetic Factors. Flavor, texture, color, shape, and
method of preparation are other factors to consider in
planning menus.
– Sustainability. Sustainability concepts are having an
increased influence on menu planning in many
foodservice operations.
– Government Regulations. Menu planning in some
foodservice organizations will be impacted by local,
state, and/or federal regulations governing the types
and quantities of food items to be served at a meal.
– Management Decisions. The menu should be viewed
as a managerial tool for controlling cost and
production.
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MyPyramid
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MyPyramid
• A companion to the Dietary Guidelines is MyPyramid
• MyPyramid is a complex illustration that can be used
interactively at the MyPyramid.gov Web site.
• It includes nutrition and physical activity messages
from the Dietary Guidelines:
• Make half your grains whole.
• Vary your veggies (veget.)
• Focus on fruits.
• Get your calcium-rich foods.
• Go lean on protein.
• Find your balance between food and physical activity.
• Keep foods safe to eat
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Aesthetic Factors
Flavor
Consistency
Aesthetic
Factors
Texture
Color
Shape
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Aesthetic Factors
– Flavor. Flavor is the taste that occurs from a product in the mouth
and often is categorized as salty, sour, sweet, or bitter.
• A balance should be maintained among flavors, such as tart and sweet, mild
and highly seasoned, light and heavy.
– Texture. Texture refers to the structure of foods and is detected by
the feel of foods in the mouth.
• Crisp, soft, grainy, smooth, hard, and chewy are among the descriptors of
food texture, which should be varied in a meal.
– Consistency. Consistency of foods is the degree of firmness,
density, or viscosity.
• Runny, gelatinous, and firm describe the characteristics of consistency, as
do thin, medium, and thick when referring to sauces.
– Color. Color on the plate, tray, or cafeteria counter has eye appeal
and helps to merchandise the food.
– Shape. The shape of food also can be used to create interest in a
menu through the variety of forms in which foods can be
presented.
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Sustainability
Use of locally grown/produced items
Use of “in season” foods
Use of sustainable seafood
Limited use of processed foods
Replacement of meat entrees with vegetarian entrees
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Sustainability
• Sustainability concepts are having an increased
influence on menu planning in many foodservice
operations.
• Sustainable menu planning typically focuses on one
or more of the following:
– Use of locally grown/produced items. The use of locally or
“hyper” locally (having one’s own garden) grown/sourced
meat, seafood, and produce items are becoming much more
common.
– Use of “in season” foods. Seasonality might mean serving
vegetables such as asparagus only in the spring, tomatoes in
the summer, and butternut squash in the late fall when those
vegetables are available from local growers and not serving
them at times of the year that they are not available locally.
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Sustainability
– Use of sustainable seafood. Sustainable seafood is
from fished or farmed sources that are not impacting
the ecosystem by its production
– Limited use of processed foods. Processed foods
often involve more energy, packaging, and
transportation than the onsite production of similar
foods
– Replacement of meat entrees with vegetarian
entrees. A focus on vegetarian rather than meatbased entrees also is deemed more sustainable
because livestock production is more harmful to the
environment than the growing of vegetables.
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Management Decisions
Management
Decisions
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Management Decisions
– Food Cost. Food cost is the cost of food as purchased.
Foodservice managers in a competitive situation must be
cost conscious in all areas of operations.
• Because the menu is a major determinant of pricing for food
items, the manager must be particularly aware of both raw
and prepared food costs for each menu item.
– Production Capability. To produce a given menu, several
resources must be considered, labor being a primary
concern.
•
•
The number of labor hours and the number and skill of
personnel at a given time determine the complexity of menu
items.
Some menu items may be produced or their preparation
completed during slack periods to ease the production load
during peak service times.
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Management Decisions
– Type of Service. Type of service is a major
influence on the food items that can be
included on a menu.
• A restaurant with table service will have a
different menu from that of a school
foodservice.
– Availability of Foods. Improvement in
transporting food both nationally and
internationally and in food preservation makes
many foods that were once considered
seasonal available during most of the year.
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Areas of Potential
Misrepresentation on Menus
Quantity
Points of Origin
Quality
Merchandising Terms
Price
Means of Preservation
Brand Names
Food Preparation
Product Identification
Dietary or Nutritional Claims
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Areas of Potential Misrepresentation on Menus
• Quantity. Misleading or unclear terms describing portion
size or amount being served should be avoided (e.g., extralarge salad).
• Quality. Federal and state standards of quality grades exist
for many products, including meat, poultry, eggs, dairy
products, fruits, and vegetables and should be accurately
used (e.g., choice sirloin of beef).
• Price. Extra charges for service or special requests for food
items should be brought to the customer’s attention.
• Brand names. Any product brand that is advertised must be
the one served (e.g., if the menu says Oscar Mayer hot dog,
then the Oscar Mayer brand of hot dog must be served).
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Areas of Potential Misrepresentation on Menus
• Product identification. The products being served or
the substitute being used must be clearly identified
on the menu, such as blue cheese for Roquefort
cheese.
• Points of origin. Claims of origin should be accurately
documented (e.g., Maine lobster can only be used if the
lobster is in fact from Maine).
• Geographic names used in a generic sense, such as
New England clam chowder, are permitted.
• Merchandising terms. Terms for specific products
need to be accurate (e.g., flown in daily could only be used
if the the product was flown in daily).
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Areas of Potential Misrepresentation on Menus
– Means of preservation. For preservation, food may
be canned, chilled, bottled, frozen, or dehydrated.
• If a method is identified on the menu, it should be
correct (e.g., if the menu says fresh squeezed orange
juice, then frozen reconstituted orange juice should
not be served).
– Food preparation. Any descriptions of food preparation
techniques should accurately describe what preparation
method was used (e.g., charcoal broiled is not
appropriate if the item was pan-fried).
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Areas of Potential Misrepresentation on Menus
– Verbal and visual presentation. If a picture of a meal
or menu item is shown, the actual meal or menu
item must be identical (e.g., if six shrimp are shown,
six—not five—must be served).
– Dietary or nutritional claims. Misrepresentation of
nutritional content of food is not permitted.
• The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has
defined required nutrient content for claims such
as low calorie and fat-free (e.g., low calorie must
be supportable by specific data).
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Key Terms
À la carte Food items priced
Food preferences
individually.
Express the degree of liking for
a food item.
Cycle menu Series of menus
offering different items daily on a
weekly, biweekly, or some other
basis, after which the menus are
repeated.
Dietary Guidelines for
Americans Recommendations
for good health developed by the
USDA and the U.S. Department of
Health and Human Services.
Food habits The practices and
associated attitudes that
predetermine what, when, why, and
how a person will eat.
Menu List of items available
for selection by a customer and
the most important internal
control of the foodservice
system.
Menu psychology
Designing and laying out a
menu in such a way as to
influence the sale of foods
served on that menu.
MyPyramid Illustration of
nutrition and physical activity
recommendations.
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Key Terms
Observation A method that
requires trained observers to
estimate visually the amount of
plate waste.
Plate waste The amount of food
left on a plate; a method used as a
measure of food acceptability.
Recommended Dietary
Allowance (RDA)
Recommendations for dietary
intake of nutrients for healthy
growth.
Single-use menu Menu
that is planned for service on a
particular day and not used in
the exact form a second time.
Spoken menu Menu that
is presented by the technician
orally to the patient.
Static menu Same menu
items are offered every day;
that is, a restaurant-type menu.
Self-reported consumption
Table d’hôte Several food
Another technique for measuring
plate waste in which individuals are
asked to estimate their plate waste
using a scale similar to one used
by trained observers.
items grouped together and
sold for one price.
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