Why do people eat at Restaurants?

Demographics

What about the people?

Planning a Menu-don’t forget the ______________!

Type of Institution• The menu must serve the needs of the customer.• The ranges of food, speed, and different levels of customer

service must be considered.

Business Times• Breakfast- Mainly stay the same within the country• Lunch- Must contain speed, simplicity, and variety• Dinner- More selection, more service, and higher prices

Types of Menus• Static versus Cycle-

• Static- Menu stays the same day to day while the guests rotate• Cycle- Menu rotates daily and eventually repeats itself

A la Carte and Table d Hote• A la Carte- each item on the menu is individually listed with

its’ own price• Table d Hote- no choices in the menu. Each menu is listed as a

group with one price. • banquets

Building the Menu

• Classical Menu• Cold hors d oeuvre• Soup• Hot hors d oeuvre• Fish• Main Course• Hot Entree

• Cold Entrée• Sorbet• Roast• Vegetable• Sweet• Dessert

Variety of Foods• A few guidelines for Table d Hote Menus

• 1. Do not repeat flavors• 2. Change textures• 3. Serve foods with a variety of shapes

A La Carte Menu

Design

“Design should not dominate things. Not dominate people, it should help people…”

• 1. The Upper Right-Hand Corner• That’s the prime spot where diners’ eyes automatically go first.

• 2. The Anchor• The main role of that $115 platter—the only three-digit thing on the menu—is to make everything else near it look

like a relative bargain

• 3. Right Next Door• At a mere $70, the smaller seafood platter next to Le Balthazar seems like a deal, though there’s no sense of how

much food you’re getting.

• 4. In The Vicinity• The restaurant’s high-profit dishes tend to cluster near the anchor. Here, it’s more seafood at prices that seem

comparatively modest.

• 5. Columns Are Killers• It’s a big mistake to list prices in a straight column. “Customers will go down and choose from the cheapest items.

• 6. The Benefit Of Boxes• A box draws attention and, usually, orders

• 7. Menu Siberia• That’s where low-margin dishes that the regulars like end up. The examples here are the easy-to-miss (and relatively

inexpensive) burgers.

• 8. Bracketing• A regular trick, it’s when the same dish comes in different sizes. Here, that’s done with steak tartare and ravioli—but

because “you never know the portion size, you’re encouraged to trade up , Usually the smaller size is perfectly adequate.”

Guidelines for A la Carte Menus• 1. Consider kitchen limitations

• Equipment• Personnel• Availability of foods

Complete Utilization • Plan menus that utilize scraps.• Plan production to avoid left-overs• Plan ahead for use of left-overs• Avoid minimum use perishable items

Menu Accuracy• 1. Point of Origin• 2. Grade or Quality• 3. Cooking method• 4. Fresh ?• 5. Imported• 6. Homemade• 7. Size or portion