The correlation between the

restaurant concepts and a

professionally written Menu
Jorge Yeshayahu Gonzales-Lara
MA Marketing

Standardized recipes and cost control are very

apparent in the delivery of a consistent
service and controlling costs

The restaurant menu is one of the most important instruments in the gastronomic business since it
is the piece through which the customer who has already chosen us will select what they will
consume. The menu is the organ of communication between the restaurant and the client and
therefore it must promote a meeting between the preferences or tastes of the client and the offer of
the premises.

The menu is the most important tool in a restaurant. The communication process between diners
and restaurant staff is the menu. The menu has mainly the function of informing. The menu
oversees showing the customer the dishes available to them and, in most cases, the price of each
one of them.

• This greatly facilitates the sales process, since the customer can select what they want to
consume directly from there.

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 • The menus will also allow you to introduce the concept of the restaurant and will let the
customer know what the chef's specialties are, what type of food is offered and what the
price ranges are.

• The menu is part of the company's marketing and advertising strategies since it is related
to the image of the restaurant.

Menus are so important to the operation of restaurants that they are, in fact, indispensable. The
absence of letters in business hinders the communication process between diners and restaurant
staff, or in other cases, could completely cancel it, creating obstacles when ordering and taking
orders.

• The menu is also important if you want to establish a specific image or standard for the
company.

• The menus are the "presentation letter" of the restaurants, and depending on how they are
made, the customer's perception could change for better or for worse.

Menu design is vital if you want to use it as a visual tool to drive sales.

• To achieve this goal, an attractive but practical design must be used.

• And although on the internet it is possible to download various predetermined templates

for preparing the menus.

The design of a menu is significant for its success. It not only depends on making it as attractive
as possible, but also that it is in accordance with the concept of the restaurant and the colors that
define it.

The standardization of recipes

The standardization of recipes, or preparation of the "master recipe", is one of the key aspects in
the success of a gastronomic establishment, since it allows to pay for the dishes, set prices
according to the expectation of profitability, reduce hidden costs and optimize the kitchen

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operation, since it is the benchmark so that any chef who takes charge of preparing the dishes has
his reference.

The standard recipe also guarantees optimal customer service since all the dishes will have the
same size and presentation, and serves the purchasing area for more efficient management, since
it allows stipulating the exact quantities of each product to be purchased according to with the
expectation of sale.

In this sense, it is then, an essential element for any gastronomic undertaking that wants to work
professionally.

The standard recipe

It is the element that recognizes and describes all the constituent elements of the dish, raw
materials, condiments that its preparation takes and where the decoration that the presentation of
the dish is also standardized. All chefs must then prepare, in accordance with the restaurant menu-
menu, the folder with standardized recipes and must appeal to it for the preparation of the dish.
The standard recipe is the dish formula.

We must take into account the physical and environmental conditions of the restaurant, preparing
at least three times in the same conditions until obtaining a dish that does not change in
performance, gastronomic quality and even in the form of presenting itself on the plate.

Menu Division.

• Group 1: Hot and cold snacks, consumed as a first course.

• Group 2: Broths, soups, creams, and broths. They are also served as a first course and,
preferably, during dinners.
• Group 3: Vegetables and salads: they can also be served as first courses and on many other
occasions they are part, as a garnish, of the main dishes based on meat and fish.\
• Group 4: Pasta, eggs, and rice: what is indicated in the previous paragraph is valid for
these food products.

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 • Group 5: Fish and seafood: as a rule, they are generally served after the first courses and
before meat, and today they are considered a main dish that can replace meat.
• Group 6: Meats: they are almost always the main course and are generally served before
desserts.
• Group 7: Desserts: among other specialties, they generally include fresh fruits, in syrup
and fruit salad; cake shop; kitchen sweets; and ice cream.

Other notable determining factors are

• Purchasing and storage capacity,

• The facilities and

• Brigade available and financial capacity available.

A very ornate letter makes reading difficult, confuses the client and delays the time of choice.
Therefore, the appropriate number of dishes can be between 25 and 40 well-chosen specialties
distributed in only four or five series:

• tickets,
• hors d'oeuvres,
• main courses,
• suggestions or specialties and dessert.

The cost of food

The cost of food is the relationship between how much it costs in raw materials to make a dish and
how much income it generates from that dish. There are two ways to measure the cost of food: one
will take the literal cost of a plate by breaking down each unit and pricing the plate accordingly.
The other considers how much it has in assets, that is. the value of your inventory, to determine
how much it costs to make a plate for every dollar your business earns.

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By finding the value of your inventory and the cost percentage of your food, you can cost your
dishes accurately and efficiently. Your food cost percentage is an important number for your
business, which will guide many crucial business decisions.

As simple as the cost of food sounds in theory, it can be as difficult to measure in practice. The
food costing process requires a lot of dedication, organization, and full attention. Despite the
challenges, the cost of food can and should be done.

It is important to determine the potential cost of the dish and the pricing, standardize the production
process and the presentation to the customer

• Offers optimal service

• The dishes will have the same size and presentation

1. This allows calculating and determining the type of equipment and the infrastructure
conditions that the kitchen requires for its preparation.

2. In the warehouse it allows to control that the quantities of raw material are the ones that
are really required for the preparation and production, which avoids that there are surpluses,
thefts or leaks and problems such as shortages or limited production, which generate losses
to the service.

Food costs in general

1. Invest in technology: Time and time again, restaurant owners say the money they spent on
technology, like an effective POS system and an inventory management system, has saved them
ten times as much money. This is because the right technology will save you time, provide you
with all the data you need, and detect any discrepancies like theft, leakage, or waste right away.

2. Reduce waste: Whether you have more inventory than you need, you find that portion sizes are
too large and food is constantly thrown away, or you can maximize your ingredients more
efficiently by finding ways to reduce waste in your restaurant. As much as possible, it will certainly
reduce your food costs.

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3. Use menu engineering techniques: Use your sales reports to determine which dishes on your
menu are stars, plow horses, dogs, and puzzles. In this way, you can determine which dishes should
remain on your menu and what should be modified.

Some common mistakes found in making recipes

• Many times, the direct or indirect costs are not exactly known. The indiscriminate use
frequently of the percentage of 30% as direct and indirect expenses,

However, it is not an advisable procedure since it does not correctly reflect the actual sale
price of the recipe.

The standard recipe is a format for internal use (which may be different in each restaurant)
which must contain the following elements:

1.-The name of the recipe, as well as the corresponding category (starter, soups, etc.)

2.-Preparation procedure, to achieve consistency in texture and flavors.

3.-Net quantities of product per production, to achieve consistency in costs.

4.-Number of servings (particularly important to obtain the unit cost per sales unit.)

5.-Detailed ingredients.

6.-Net quantity to use of each ingredient and unit of measure.

7.-Photograph of the assembly or presentation of the dish.

In some recipes it is required to indicate the type of equipment used for its preparation, as well as
other sub-recipes such as sauces or dressings.

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A menu planning or opening of a restaurant cannot be complete if the operators in charge of the
production and preparation of the dishes do not know exactly how much, how to prepare and serve
each of the recipes that comprise it.

This objective is achieved through the standardization of recipes and portions, as well as a correct
implementation through the training of those responsible for preparing the dishes.

Types of standard recipes can be made

• One for free cooking of ingredients that serves only as a guide and another

• With detailed costing for the financial control of the restaurant.

Currently the standard cookbook can be in

• Digital format integrated into a tactical screen or tablet in the kitchen for easy access and
handling.

Miami, May 19, 2020.

References.

• Ericson. MH, Recipe Standardization- SAGE Journals. and Recipe Costing. Pp 196.
1960.
• Marzullo, Daniel. 4 Things to Know About Your Food Cost Percentage, December 7, 2018.

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