Lecture 6:

Meal Functions and Menu

Planning
AHHM2623 Catering System and Operation
Type of Meal Functions
• Breakfast
• Refreshment break
• Luncheon
• Reception
• Dinner
Purpose of Meal Function
• Things to consider when planning a meal function is the client’s reason for
hosting.
• Reasons:
 To satisfy hunger
 Create an image
 Provide opportunities for social interaction and networking
 Showcase a person, product or idea
 Present awards
 Honor dignitaries
 Refresh convention attendees and sharpen their attention
 Increase attendance at convention
• Basic menus that can be included in a catering program are:
 Breakfast, lunch and dinner menus,
 Hors d’oeuvres menus
 Reception menus
 Special function menus
 A la carte menus
 Beverages menus
• Six major factors for the identifications of specific menus:
 Style of service – determine equipment, staffing and food production needs
 Price range – determine both the forecasted catering sales volume and the annual profit
 Menu item selection – based on the availability of raw and prepared food products, the
food costs and the quality of food products
 Cuisine Orientation – determine the pricing structure of the menu program
 Food Production capabilities – based on available equipment and skill level of the
production personnel
 Awareness of customer needs – reflected in knowledge of current trend in dining eating
patterns
Menu Planning
• Food cost - based on the budget
- caterer can give more if the budget is high
• Guest background - race or religion
• Nutrition concerns - healthy food
• Hard to produce foods - difficulty level
• Standardized menu offerings – fixed package menu
Menu Planning
• Variety - to attract clients, able to choose food from variety of menu
• Seasonality and market availability
• Local and sustainable foods - production of food, other plant or animal products
using techniques that protect the environment, public health, human
communities, and animal welfare  organic food
• Product shelf life - fresh food vs canned food
Menu Planning
• Menu balance - protein, carbohydrate, fibre, nutrients
• Equipment - based on equipment available
• Labour - experience chef and staff
• Matching food and wine - eg.: red meat, red wine and white meat, white wine
• Entertainment value - buffet line and food plating
• Menu trends - follow current trend
• Style of service - American service, silver service
The Recipe Manual
• Start with recipes you’ve created, gathered, modified, tested and used
successfully in the past.
• Caterer organize their recipes to make them both comprehensive (complete) and
accessible.
• Whether the recipe are kept in computer file or arranged in a printed manual, a
recipe compilation will help maintain the consistency and efficiency of menu
production.
• All recipes should:
 Use only standard measurements
 Be written with instructions that are easy to understand
 List ingredients in the order in which they are used
 Include the number of servings or another form of yield
 Include notations on ingredients substitutions, quirks in preparation, serving
tips and cost of ingredients
 Include instruction on recipe conversion
Standardized Recipes
• To maintain food quality, in term of taste and look.
• To ensure consistency:

 Secure reputable purveyors for ingredients

 Implement procedure for receiving and storing food products
 Develop and test all recipes
 Compile recipes in a manual
 Use ingredients that are readily available
 Purchase and maintain the proper equipment
 Supervise food handler
 Taste all products prior to service
 Educate front-of-house on all menu items
The Production Plan
• A catering chef will not order the food for an event until a week or less before the
event takes place  in order to guarantees a fresh product.
• Frozen products may be ordered farther in advance.
• Certain menu components such as soups, sauces that can be prepared in advance
or frozen.
• A reputable chef will compile a weekly production plan or prep list.
• Based on the guaranteed count.
• Working with purveyors
 Develop relationships with companies supplying ingredients (food products,
beverages, paper goods, equipment, office supplies etc.)
 Consider service and quality when you select your vendors
 Work with multiple product supplier (quality, price, deliveries)
 Maintain a good relationship with suppliers by order products as far in advance
as possible and pay their bills in timely fashion.
• Seasonal Menus
 Design menus around fresh, locally grown, readily available foods
 Locally grown products in season are at their best quality and at their lowest
price.
 Perishable food items imported from distant areas often lose quality during
transport.
Event- and Venue- Driven Menus
• Ease in preparing, holding and serving
 All chefs do the initial preparation of their menu items in advance.
 Catered food is normally prepared in larger volumes, and only o the extend that
it needs only final cooking, reheating or assembling prior to service.
 Ease of serving – rather than cook whole beef tenderloin, much better cutting
the beef into portion-size slices.
 Foods practical for a sit-down banquet may not be practical for buffet service
and vice versa (asparagus placed in chafing dish on a buffet will overcook and
deteriorate rapidly)
• Matching Menu Items to an Event
 A catering venue’s atmosphere (beachfront, garden, formal dining room) will
influence the menu.
 Certain foods are just not appropriate for certain events, occasions or venues.
 For eg.  serving mayonnaise, ingredients for salad at an outdoor buffet (unsafe
if kept unrefrigerated for too long)
 Time of event also has impact on its menu design. For eg: Sunday afternoon vs
Sunday evening (fancier and heartier menu)
Practical Fresh Ingredients

• Meat for Roasting

 Practical for catered events. Most are large and serve ten to twenty people each.
 Eg.: Veal (calf meat) rack, veal loin, beef rib, beef loin, beef tenderloin, lamb leg,
rack of lamb, turkey breast

• Meats for Pan Searing, Pan Frying, Deep Frying or Sauteing

 These portion-size items cook individually. Have less holding ability.
 Eg.: Veal rib chops, lamb loin chops, beef loin, beef rib, chicken breast, duck
breast
• Meats for Braising and Stewing
 Braised meats, inexpensive and lesser-grade cut. Can be delicious and practical for fall or
winter events or when trying to cut menu costs.
 For eg.: Beef chucks, bone-in chicken, lamb shanks, veal shanks.

• Fish and Shellfish

 Have shorter shelf life than meat. Do not hold well after cooking unless cooled quickly and
served chilled.
 Suggest thicker cuts of oily fish, such as salmon, tuna.
 Popular shellfish items such as shrimp, crab and lobster.
 For eg.: Lobster Salad, Steamed lobster, stuffed and baked shrimp, smoked salmon, baked
clams.
• Vegetables
 Green vegetables are the least stable but the most popular.
 Root vegetables (carrots, turnips) are stable and simple to cook.
 Vegetables stews are the easiest to hold and can be prepared ahead of time.
 Vegetable dishes will be prepared in advance of an event. Green vegetables are
typically parcooked in boiling water or steamer, then drained, reheated in
batches close to service time.
 For eg.: asparagus, broccoli, green beans, sautéed spinach
• Starch Products
 Can be served successfully at any banquet if proper handling is exercised.
 For eg.: potatoes gratin, mashed potatoes, baked potatoes, steamed rice,
risotto, stir-fried rice, pasta, lasagne.
Transporting Food
 Full service, off premise caterers always transport food, beverages, equipment
and personnel to their events.
 Some prepared foods do not transport well and are best prepared on-site.
Include fruit and vegetables (oxidize quickly) and airy foods such as whipped
cream or meringue.
 Catering vehicle, station wagon, a van, refrigerated truck.
 Fit the vehicles with speed racks, coolers, crates and boxes to prevent them
from moving while driving.
 Keep the vehicle well maintained and clean.
• Packing for Transport
 Pack food in thermo-insulated containers and coolers  to keep food hot and
cold.
 Liquids foods such as sauces, soups and beverages should be packed in
containers with tight-fitting lids.
 Square containers will save space.
 Used hotel pans to layout portioned food, wrap them completely with plastic
film whenever possible.
 Encourage all employees to lift catering products and equipment safely and
properly.
Remaining Food
• With proper planning, leftover food from a catered events can be minimized.
• If the clients does not refrigerated the leftover food until hours after the event, it
may be contaminated and cause illness when consumed.
• Its best to remove leftover food from the event, store it properly for possible
future use.
• Food that has been prepared on advance, cooled and stored correctly, and has
not gone its final preparatory cooking stage, may be used again.
• Leftover food that has been fully prepared and held at an unsafe temperature,
should be discarded.
• Food donation
Menu misrepresentation:
• Quantity
• Quality
• Price
• Brand name
• Product identification
• Point of origin
• Merchandising terms
• Means of preservation
• Means of preparation
• Verbal or visual misrepresentation of menu items
• Misrepresentation of dietary or nutritional claims