SITHKOP015

Design and cost menus

Major Assessment C Activity
Version 1.0

Contextualised and customised by MIA

RTO: 40813

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Trainer/Assessor
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This activity will enable you to demonstrate the following performance evidence:
 Source and evaluate information on current and emerging food service trends, customer
preferences and target markets and use to inform menu design outlined below
 Develop and cost one menu from each of the following menu types based on the above
information:
o à la carte
o buffet
o degustation
o table d’hôte
 Develop the above four menus demonstrating:
o current and emerging food service trends
o methods and formulas for calculating portion yields and costs from raw ingredients
o desired profit margins and mark-up procedures
o summary of menu costings.

This activity will enable you to demonstrate the following skills:

 Reading skills to:
o read and interpret documents about food service trends, customer profiles and
preferences, and market preferences
 Writing skills to:
o write comprehensive and creatively expressed menus and product descriptions to
explain menu dishes and promote sales
 Numeracy skills to:
o interpret market statistics when calculating the cost of producing dishes for menus
o calculate mark-ups and selling price for profitability
o compare menu items based on their anticipated yield, budgetary constraints and
profitability
 Learning skills to:
o continually research and source information on current and emerging food service
trends and synthesise this information for menu updates
 Problem-solving skills to:
o consider all operational constraints and develop menus that can be realistically delivered
by the organisation
 Initiative and enterprise skills to:
o initiate the development of new menus to meet changing customer demands
 Planning and organising skills to:
o access and sort all information required for menu planning and to coordinate a timely
and efficient menu development process
 Technology skills to:
o use computers and software programs to cost and document menus.

Answer the activity in as much detail as possible.

Equipment needed:

 A suitable work environment with access to a computer with page layout and spreadsheet
software, and menu costing tools
  Internet for research
 Information on financial data and budgets for the organisation (real or simulated)
 Information on products, including purchase specifications, price lists, recipes, food supply
costs and menu naming conventions.

This activity does not require observation.

1. You are required to develop, cost and produce four different types of menus. This may be for
an organisation or a simulated organisation.

(If simulated, you should identify a type of food business to base your menu items on.)

You must produce the following menu types:

 À la carte
 Buffet
 Degustation
 Table d’hôte.

First, you will need to source and evaluate information about the current customer market.
This should include identifying what sells well and what customers like in regard to food
service. Identify your customer profile(s) and food service trends, and identify how market
trends will influence the style of service and cuisine of the organisation you are developing the
menus for (real or fictitious).

Write an evaluation document that identifies what you have found and who your target
market or markets are in relation to the organisation. This should be written on A4 paper; it
should have a document heading and should be written professionally on a computer. No
word count is provided, but it should be concise and convey your evaluation points. Check
your work is accurate in spelling and grammar. Attach a copy of this to your workbook.

2. Following on from your evaluation in activity question one, use this information to develop
your menus for your target audiences. Select the dishes and items for each menu. You should
assess operational requirements and constraints, so you are able to make decisions that are
within the organisation’s capacity.

Menus should have:

 A balanced variety of dishes

 Items appropriately ordered and sequenced
 Components within the dishes written down.

Cost each menu to identify their potential profitability. You should:

 Calculate the portion yields

 Calculate ingredient costs
 Identify the net production costs of menu items (how much it is to make dishes or items)
 Identify a suitable profit margin (and mark-up)
 Determine the selling prices
 Assess profitability to ensure dishes and items provide a balanced yield
 Adjust costs to make sure the menus are competitively priced.
 Write down your menu dishes and items, along with your costing information on a computer.
Check the spelling and when completed, print this information on A4 paper and attach a copy
to your workbook.

3. Produce your four draft menus. These should be drafted on a computer. They may be
produced as listed information on one or more pages that shows where information will be
positioned. They should be formatted with consideration of font style, size and colour.

The aim of this activity question is to write your content and determine the content
positioning.

You should:

 Write menus using names and terms that are suitable for the intended audiences and the
type of menu
 Follow a naming convention that is appropriate for the organisation and target audience
 Show the sequence of service for customers
 Include clear and innovative menu descriptions to promote menu items.

Check and print your four draft menus, and attach them to your workbook when completed.