MENU PLANNING PRINCIPLES AND FACTORS TO CONSIDER

• Menu planning principles include balance, nutritional quality, aesthetics, and variety, including color, texture, flavors, shapes and sizes of food. The equipment and personnel available to produce and serve the menu are also important considerations in planning the menu. Along with all of these considerations, the effective foodservice manager also has to consider costs, production and other management issues.

• Factors affecting menu planning can be organized into two main areas: customer satisfaction and management decisions. Both of these areas must be considered when menus are planned. Having a menu without customers is like having 1000 acres of land for sale—in Antarctica. At the same time, a menu with items that cannot be produced at an acceptable cost will simply put a foodservice operation out of business or drive a noncommercial operation into the red. Most foodservice directors know that this could mean the end of their job.

Four factors related to customer satisfaction include sociocultural background, food habits and preferences, nutritional influence, and aesthetics.

Customer satisfaction.

• Knowing your customers (and your potential customers) is obviously a key to planning and designing menus. Think about yourself as the customer. What are some of the reasons you like or dislike a menu? You probably have certain preferences— certain foods and combinations of foods—from your experiences growing up. Many of us only like the way mom makes spaghetti sauce or the way dad grills the steaks; or we think that grandma’s sugar cookies are definitely the best. We almost can’t eat tomato soup without grilled cheese sandwiches or meatloaf without mashed potatoes AND gravy. Collecting some market research on our customers and studying food and menu trends can help menu planners to keep the menu fresh and satisfying for our customers. Always keep the sociocultural background and food habits and preferences of the customer in mind when planning menus.

The influence of nutrition and government regulations

• Increasingly, our knowledge of nutrition is influencing the way we eat. The U.S. government issues Dietary Guidelines with recommendations about how people should eat. Many nutrition trends, such as smaller portions, ethnic foods, and gluten-free diets also affect menu planning. Think about the new food products that have become available in your grocery store or your local restaurants in the last year. Many of these new items have some nutritional claim that has brought them to the store shelf or the plate. Noncommercial foodservice operations, particularly in schools and in health care settings, have a nutrition mandate from both the government and the customer.

• When it comes to feeding children and the elderly, many other different issues surface. Some of these issues involve foods and surroundings unfamiliar to kids, and the ability of older patients to chew and swallow. The list goes on. Sometimes customers may be misinformed about nutrition; then we have the bigger job of educating them, as well as trying to feed them a well-balanced, healthy diet. In some settings, the menu also serves as a nutrition education tool.

A few key points to remember for the non-commercial sector:

• A “textbook” approach to menu planning is not enough. As a foodservice or dietetic professional, you have to recognize those unique factors that significantly affect each individual consumer.

• You must design your menus to ensure a balanced, nutritious diet that reflects more of the recipient’s values than your own. The introduction of unusual or unfamiliar foods may cause a customer to lose interest in eating altogether.

• A noncommercial foodservice menu can be used to help a consumer adjust to a new, unfamiliar regimen. But this educational function usually requires an increased menu variety with a greater food production effort and perhaps higher costs.

Aesthetics

• Not to be forgotten is the issue of aesthetics. You’ve heard it many times before: we do eat with our eyes. How our food is presented, along with texture, consistency, color, shape, and the preparation method, influences how we feel and what we think about a menu. It can even influence our appetite and our interest in eating.

Menu planning:

• Menu planning is the process of organizing meals ahead of time. The main course and sides are determined in advance, and menus can be planned for the week or month.

There are various factors involved in planning of a menu before startup of any restaurant or hotel:

Factors to Consider in Menu Planning:

• Availability of Foods- A menu is primarily based on what can be bought in the market. In fact, this should really be the basis for planning for planning specific dishes. Always consider food in season. Think of available ingredients as substitutes for those off-season.

• Food Habits of Costumers- Food managers can take a survey in the vicinity where food establishment is located. The survey can consider the culture of the people living in the vicinity (their customs, traditions, religion and etc.) People will patronize a food establishment where their needs and desires, as well as their beliefs and practices are not violated in the food they eat.

• Amount of Money Available- A food establishment has a definite budget intended for food preparation. Control in expenses, by operating within a given budget, allows the food manager to predict cost and, at the same time, predict profit. It is important, however, that expenses incurred in food compensates for the bulk of sale expected or predicted for the day.

• Amount of Time Available- Food preparations must meet deadlines. Costumers have their own meal schedule to meet. Quick service is one important asset of an ideal establishment. Food ordered should be prepared in the shortest time possible. To realize this, time-saving techniques must be employed by the cooks especially if orders keep coming in.

• Types of Consumers- This refers to the age, sex, occupation, socio-economic status, and nutritional needs of the costumers. for instance, the school canteen where students are the major patrons of the establishment, the canteen manager must offer food high in carbohydrates and protein since most of the students are growing kids.

• Environmental Conditions- Here, one thinks of hot summer months and the cold rainy months. Specific dishes offered in food establishments should consider the environmental temperatures. Special hot foods can be offered on cold rainy days and vice versa. Aside from the regular menu of the establishment, will be seasonal offerings in keeping with the conditions of the environment.

• Occasions- Especial occasions like Christmas, birthdays, anniversaries and etc. require special menus. The manager must prepare a complete list of main dishes, entrees, appetizers, salads and desserts from which patrons will choose from.

• Types of Business- This includes the kind of food establishment you will have, either luxurious, canteens, coffee shop, cafeteria and the likes.

• Hours of Business- Includes the time of the day that the establishment will be opened.

• Types of Menu- The type of menu is considered in this factor. It will be either A La Carte, or Du Jour Menu. And the way these foods will be served-buffet, self-service or sit-down.

• Personnel and Facilities- Includes the number of employees needed to work in different areas such as in preparation, cooking and service.

• Points to be considered in personnel and facilities.

• To plan menus adequately, it is important to analyze your prospective costumers.

• The menu affects the number of people employed.

• The kitchen facilities and kitchen layouts including the service area, affect the menu.

• The menu affects the way food is prepared and the size of the portion served.