Menu Planning
Culinary Technology
Unit 4
2007
The Role of the Menu
The menu serves several purposes to
both the restaurant and its customers:
It determines the supplies to be
ordered.
 It determines the equipment needed in
the restaurant and its layout.
 It determines the skills needed by your
staff.
 It determines the type of customer you
will attract.
 It is your overall "selling tool."
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Menu Types
Menus are as varied as the many types of
restaurants and food service establishments
available, but a menu can usually be grouped
into one of the following categories:
 Fixed menus
 Cycle menus
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Within these two categories, you will find
various styles of menus or meal plans: à la
carte, table d'hôte, and prix fixe menus.
Fixed Menus
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Fixed menus offer you the same foods every
day.
You will find fixed menus in most commercial
restaurants and fast food establishments.
The meals on these menus are offered à la
carte or table d'hôte.
Items offered à la carte are priced individually.
For example, if you were to order a meal,
dessert and beverage, you would pay
individual prices for each item.
Fixed Menus con’t
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The meals that are served table d'hôte are
"all inclusive;" one price is given for the
complete meal. You often see this as
"combo" or "full meal deals" in fast food
restaurants.
Some restaurants offer table d'hôte meals for
their special of the day.
Caterers, who provide full meals at banquets,
weddings, etc., usually operate on a table
d'hôte meal pricing system.
“Prix fixe menu”
a close relative of the table d'hôte menu.
 The major difference between these two
types of menus is that the customer will
usually be allowed to choose from one or
more of a selection of foods, offered by the
food service establishment.
 A prix fixe menu can be used almost
anywhere and is quite often found in very
elegant restaurants on fixed menus.
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Final Note on Fixed Menus
Customers who dine at a restaurant
that offers a fixed menu always know
what to expect before they arrive; very
seldom does the menu change.
 Menus are very expensive to have
printed, and therefore, a restaurant
may not change it for several months
or years.
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Cycle Menus
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designed to offer different foods each day,
for a set period of time. The time frame for a
cycle menu could be days, weeks or even
months.
The most common and advantageous cycle
menus are those that repeat after two–four
weeks. At the end of each time period, the
cycle will start over again. For instance, if the
menu is on a weekly cycle, then each
Monday the restaurant would offer the same
foods. Tuesday will offer the same foods as
the previous Tuesday and so on.
Another Advantage!
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Cycle menus can provide an advantage
to the managers responsible for
ordering supplies and preparing work
schedules. Food order and work
schedules may be planned so they
coordinate with the cycle menu. When
the orders and schedules are prepared
once, they can then be repeated.
Who Uses Cycle Menus?
Most institution kitchens
 School cafeterias
 Hospitals
 Some commercial restaurants
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One problem—if the cycle is repeated
to often the menu becomes predictable
and monotonous for the customers.
Assignment 1
Value 20 points
 Complete on loose leaf or computer
generate.
 Answer in complete sentences
 Blue or black ink
 Due date: April 19, 2007
 1 day late assignment: -40 %
 2 or more days late: -90 % and
detention.
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Influences on the Menu
Target customers.
 Price of food.
 Type of food.
 Equipment.
 Employee skill
level.
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Geography and
culture.
 Eating trends.
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Planning Menus
Menu Planning Principles
Variety.
 Balance.
 Truthfulness.
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Nutrition.
 Flexibility.
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Menu Planning Principles
(continued)
Variety: Type of food, preparation
style, and visual appeal.
 Balance: Placement, serving size,
proportion, and the number of
food items on a plate.
 Truthfulness: Follow the Truth-inMenu Guidelines.
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Menu Planning Principles
(continued)
Nutrition: Nutritious, appealing, and
well-prepared meals.
 Flexibility: Changes due to cost,
additional choices, and seasonal
foods.
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Truth-in-Menu Guidelines
Brand names must be represented
accurately.
 Dietary and nutritional claims must be
accurate.
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Truth-in-Menu Guidelines
(continued)
The preservation of food must be
accurate.
 Quantity must be accurate.
 Location of ingredients must be
accurate.
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Truth-in-Menu Guidelines
(continued)
Quality or grade must be accurate.
 Proper cooking techniques must be
accurate.
 Pictures must be accurate.
 Descriptions of food products must be
accurate.
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Writing Menu Descriptions
Use appealing language.
 Use short descriptions.
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