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Definition The menu or ‘bill of fare,” as it is popularly known, is a list of food and beverage
that can be served by an establishment to a guest at a price.

The History The word ‘Menu,’ probably dates back to a story about a person of nobility, the
Duke of Brunswick, in 1541, who while attending a banquet, was found referring to
a long list. Upon being asked he said he is referring to the list of items that are
being served and he is accordingly reserving his appetite for the forthcoming
dishes.

Nevertheless, in earlier times, the menu which was termed as the ‘écriteau,’ was
written in ceremonial meals and was displayed on the wall to enable the kitchen
staff to follow the order in which the dishes were served. It is noted in the history
that in the olden times, menus were like a large dictionary with sections covering
variety of dishes that were to be served. During the reign of Louis XIV, the variety
and number of dishes served was unbelievable and the guests tasted only few of the
dishes served. The menu was very long and it was placed at the end of the table to
inform the guests of what is being served.

As the time went by the menus became smaller and the number of dishes were
divided into sections. In the early 19th Century, guests in Parisian restaurants were
given a small, handy reproduction of the menu displayed at the entrance.

The Functions of A menu of an eatery serves multipurpose functions.

Menu
Judging from various angles- individually being evaluated from customers’, the
service staffs’, the production staffs’, or the managements’ viewpoints, each would
have something else to offer.

A Menu form customers’ viewpoint it serves him as a

a) Tool to know what dishes are being available
b) To choose dishes according to his budget.

Form the point of view of service staff it helps them to

a) Make the inventory of the catering equipments.
b) Decide upon the type of service required.
c) To deduce the number and skill of service staff that would be necessary
d) Make the mise-en-place of the restaurant by laying the specific crockery and
cutleries required as per the dishes that are being served.
e) Take the order of the dishes.
f) Pick up and serve dishes in accordance to the order given and according to the
sequence of the menu structure.
g) To present correct check to the guest.

Considering from the viewpoint of production staff and the chef it helps as a guide
to
a) Deduce the requirement of production staff and their individual skill
accordingly.
b) Helps to deduce the type of production equipments required.
c) To order raw materials.
d) To prepare the dishes.

The management by the menu comes to

a) Analyse the cost and evaluate the utility of the dish.
b) Predict trends and to plan the future course of action for the outlet.
c) Know the recovery in terms of currency from each dish through the cashier who
in turn can make the bill correctly.

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POINTS TO BE CONSIDERED WHILE PLANNING A MENU

Introduction Menu Planning is an art. The menu is considered as a link between the
establishment and the customer, and therefore its presentation should be distinctive
so as to leave an impression on the guest. The presentation not only means the get-
up but it emphasizes too on the list of dishes that one caters to the guests. Great care
should be taken while planning it so that the dishes served are acceptable to the
diners.

With the change in eating habits among the people no menu should be regarded as
last and the final. The old ideas of partaking food may be with all respect be
revered and such menus may be classified as the “Classical,” but may not be
continued if they are no longer be acceptable by the people if one wants to stay
ahead with the business. Hence menus need constant market probe, evaluations, re-
search and updating according to market trends.

Some of the points a caterer must consider while planning a menu are:

a)Type of Consider the type of establishment for which the menu is made. For example:-
Establishment i) A menu for the restaurant of a 5-star hotel,
ii) Menu for coffee shop, menu for a departmental store
restaurant,
iii) Menu for school children, or industrial canteen, or hospitals.

b)Type of Customer The menu should be appropriate with the type of customer for whom it has been
designed. The type of customer may include an individual’s age, the person’s social
status, the locality, etc. This has more significance while arranging private parties.
For example:-
i) Senior citizens meet.
ii) Banquet given by Prime Minister to honour the winning
cricket team
iii) Visiting overseas students at Mayor’s high tea.

c) Religious Rules As and where applicable the religious rules must be strictly adhered to. Lack of
knowledge or understanding may easily lead innocently giving offence. For
example the food habits of the:-
i) Jews, which are guided by the principle of Kosher Meals.
ii) Muslims, restricted to a particular type of slaughtering
animals.

d)Average spending It refers to the spending capacity of the customer who would visit the
capacity establishment. This is compliment to the other factors as type of establishment, the
type of customer, the locality, accessibility to the establishment etc.

e) The Price Range The dishes on the menu should be priced in relation to certain factors like the type
of dishes they are, how fast they move and their popularity, the way they are
served, the type of catering equipments in use and the ambience of the
establishment etc. and vice-versa the acceptability of such dishes by the customers
and the revenue expected through customers’ throughput.

f) Time of the Year This includes

1) The Climatic Condition: The prevailing temperature
should be considered as certain dishes in cold weather may not be acceptable
during hot summer months.

2) Seasonal Foods: The food available during season

not only tastes the best but also makes it economically viable. As for example
a dessert made from mango in summer months.
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3) Festival Dishes: Catering of specials dishes on certain days or at certain time

of the year. As for example Roast Turkey or Christmas Pudding in Christmas
Season.
g)Time of the Day It means considering when the menu is to be served during the day, i.e., whether the
menu is for breakfast, brunch, lunch, etc.

h)Supplies The local market should always be given the priority. The endeavour should be
always to procure materials locally whichever is available. This not only reduces
the cost but also ensures the availability of the raw materials.

i) Type of Always assess the type of kitchen and the staff available in relation to its number
Production Area and skill.

j) Type of Food Assess the type of food service area and the staff available in relation to
Service Area
a) The number of staff available
b) Their skill.
c) Availability of chinaware, glassware and silver ware.
d) The space available for service.
e) Number of covers to be served within a set period of time.

k)Providing a Balance the meal through

Balanced Meal
a) Making it in such a way that it begins with light dishes reaching the heavy ones
and then concluding back to light.
b) Vary the sequence of preparation- boiled, fired, roasted, steamed, etc.
c) Vary the seasonings, flavourings and presentations from course to course.
d) Harmonise garnishes with the main dish.
e) Vary usage of commodities; never repeat base commodities.
f) Vary the texture of the food- hard, soft, or crisp.
g) Vary the foundation ingredient of sauces, e.g. reduced stock, demi-glace,
veloute, cream, yoghurt, mayonnaise, etc.

l) Language & The following should be borne in mind as far as language of the menu is concerned:
Menu
Presentation a) The language when specially used to describe a dish it should be simple and
easy to understand.
b) It should be framed in such a way so as to give a wrong notion.
c) There should not be any spelling errors.
d) When writing the name of any ethnic dish it should be written the way it is
pronounced or termed locally like “Beijing Duck” and not “Peking Duck.”
e) Spelling errors should at all times be discouraged.
f) When written in any local language the entire menu should be in that local
language, and never mixed up.

The presentation of the menu highlights the standard of the establishment and
therefore
a) Judicious use of font style and font size along with bold, italics or plain script
should be used bearing in mind which area needs to be highlighted or
emphasised.
b) Picture communication, laying out the historical background of the dish or the
menu style, highlighting cultural background, giving biography of the chef who
invented the dish and subtle but catchy descriptions are some of the tools that
can make the menu much impressive.

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