Menu Planning (Management II) - Lecture 4 PDF

CHPTER THREE MENU PLANNING four areas and several related methods and techniques of particular importance to food service managers and menu planners. These are: (1) menu format, which addresses the design of the menu as an effective communication and marketing tool; (2) p...

CHPTER THREE MENU PLANNING four areas and several related methods and techniques of particular importance to food service managers and menu planners. These are: (1) menu format, which addresses the design of the menu as an effective communication and marketing tool; (2) pricing strategies, which describe several approaches to arriving at what to charge for menu items; (3) menu evaluation, which gives suggestions for review of menu performance before and after implementation; and (4) menu-planning computer applications, which point out some advantages and limitations of computer-assisted menu-planning programs. Planning Considerations Because of its impact on the success of a health care food service operation, the menu must be developed with great care. The following factors should be considered: - Food preferences of customers Nutrition requirements of group(s) being served Budget allocations within the department Availability and skills of food service workers Amount of time required to prepare and serve the food Current marketplace conditions and availability of specific food supplies Type of production and service system in use Amount of space and type of storage, preparation, and service equipment available Menu-Planning Process A primary purpose of planning menus is to prepare and serve nutritious foods that meet the budget allocation as well as the needs of the target market. Many decisions must be made before the process can begin, including:- Layout and design of menu Number of choices to be offered How many meals Type of menu Length of menu Flexibility for special occasions Frequency of revision Menus need to be planned in advance to have them printed, purchase needed food and supplies, standardize new recipes, and determine if the skills needed are available. In health care, a nutritional analysis of each menu should be made in advance. If brand names are used, the available product must be the one that is advertised on the menu; that is, if one brand name for a beverage is given, another brand should not be used. How the food is prepared—such as baked, broiled, fried, and so forth—should be described where appropriate. Do not claim to use products that are not used or that cannot be proved, such as brown eggs when the eggs used are white or pasteurized. The menu planner should organize the procedure and schedule adequate time and resources for this activity. The planner should gather all reference materials needed for the task, including previous menus, inventory lists, standardized recipes, market reports, results of food preferences and acceptability studies, trade publications, other manuals, and the like. Usually these are available from professional food service and health care associations. A standard menu-planning form (which lists meal patterns, meals served, and days of the week in the period being planned) should be used. New items on the menu will need to be evaluated for cash value and customer satisfaction. Cash value and customer acceptance may include determining whether it is more feasible to purchase a ready-to-serve product even though it may be more costly, or use raw ingredients, which is more labor intensive and the resulting labor expense reduces the advantage of the lower food cost. Menu Format Because the menu is an important marketing tool, its format must be designed to ensure effective communication. Therefore, the menu planner writes the final menus out in two different formats, one for purchasing, production, and service personnel and the other for patients and other customer groups. The menu used in the kitchen usually provides the names and numbers of the recipes to be followed and the production forecast. Information on portion sizes, special comments about the recipes, and advance preparation requirements can be added. The name of each menu item should be specific. For example, the kind of fruit juice, the flavor of gelatin, the type of bread item, and so forth should be stated if not already specified in the recipe. This information ensures that the intended balance of flavors, colors, and textures will be produced. Printed Menus The method used to present a menu to a customer has a significant effect on the food service operation and on sales in the non patient area. The menu design and format should appeal to customers to stimulate sales and influence them to select food they want to eat. The food service director and production staff with, as appropriate, a consultant choose the menu cover, color, print size, and message that will go on the outside of the menu. The cover of the menu should be designed to complement the overall theme of the operation. The name of the facility should go on the cover. The menu size will depend on the number of items, amount of copy to describe each item, and the print size. The weight, quality, and color of the paper add the overall impression. The sequence of the placement of menus may follow the progression of the meal or a focal point on the menu (when a daily special “meal” is listed). Most health care organizations use a three-fold perforated design for selective menus. The layout may be breakfast, lunch, and dinner or lunch, dinner, and breakfast. The layout will depend on the food production system and distribution of the meal trays. The typeface must be large enough and legible to allow customers (patients) to read the description. The most common typeface used is Times New Roman. It may be set in uppercase, lowercase, or italics. There should be a space between each line. Black print is the easiest to read and the most acceptable regardless of the color of the paper. The inside of the menu should use descriptive words to identify a food item. The wording should be accurate to enable customers to visualize the food item. Avoid terms or phrases that do not tell customers what the food is unless a description is provided. Misleading names given to the menu item are unfair and illegal. Menus must accurately describe the foods to be served. If Maine lobster is on the menu, then the lobster must come from Maine. Descriptive terms such as “under- the-sea salad,” “autumn delight,” or “vegetable medley” do not adequately indicate the contents of the menu item. However, such descriptive words as “red delicious apples,” “iceberg lettuce,” “chilled juice,” and “homemade warm cobbler with cream” paint a clear picture of the menu item.  The menu is an important marketing tool for all customers. In nonpatient areas, menu boards and signage should be posted that describe the food and beverages that are available for purchase. Menu boards should be designed to attract attention, provide information, and should be tailored to each operation. They come in a variety of sizes and shapes and may be illuminated and custom designed. Patient Menus In a health care operation, the primary customer group is patients. When planning patient menus, the menu planner must weigh the planning considerations described earlier in this chapter, particularly the challenge of balancing patient needs (nutritional requirements) with patient desires (food preferences). To help meet this challenge, a systematic planning process that starts with normal diets should be followed. Menu Planning for Modified Diets Because variety is an important element of satisfying and appealing food service, the menu planner should double-check at the end of the planning process to make sure that repetition has been kept to a minimum. Offering a variety of flavored seltzer waters, herbal teas, frozen yogurts, frozen flavored ice sherbets, and ice cream can enhance even liquid diets. The form can identify individual items that appear on the menu too frequently. When this is disclosed, a similar food can be substituted to add variety to the planned menu. For example, mashed potatoes might be replaced with diced or au gratin potatoes. Or pudding, canned fruit, or ice cream might be offered in place of gelatin on certain menus. Menu Planning for Special Services Offering options in food service is one way to increase patient satisfaction and improve how the surrounding community views the hospital. Some patients are even willing to pay extra for special services. To satisfy these demands, many health care institutions have implemented gourmet mealprograms and guest trays for family members.  A health care gourmet menu is much like a hotel room service menu in that menus are made available in patients’ rooms, and patients or their visitors may call the food service department directly to request service. The order is taken and the price of service is verified over the telephone. After the department checks the patient’s diet prescription to verify that the selection is allowable, the order is given to the appropriate production employee for preparation. A food service employee who collects cash or credit card payment for the service then delivers the food to the patient’s room. Non patient Menus If food service is provided to nonpatient customers, appropriate menu formats must be developed to provide adequate communication between the operation and these customers. An appropriate format for the cafeteria would be a menu board. Lettering used on a menu board should be legible and large enough for ease of viewing by customers with differing visual acuity. The board also should be designed to allow changes to be made easily. In more upscale operations where table service is provided, a printed menu should be developed. Design features include the menu cover, visual format and layout, copy (text), and graphics (pictures). Menu production features deal with typeface style, paper, ink color, and color of graphics. Menu design should reflect current cultural trends, which may mean that customers favor designs that are simple and light (not too crowded or “busy”). In-house desktop publishing can produce menus appropriate for many occasions. However, because of its importance as a marketing tool and the cost of producing this type of menu, the food service director might consider contracting for the services of a menu design consultant.  Menu Evaluation Because of its effect on the food service operation’s success, an effective menu evaluation system must be established to provide mechanisms to measure menu performance before implementation, with a focus on specific menu features. After implementation, menu performance must be evaluated for customer acceptability and contribution to the financial status of the department. Menu Features Once the menu-planning process is finished, the proposed menus should be evaluated by dietitians to see whether all nutritional objectives have been attained, by food service department managers to determine whether the department’s resources have been used effectively, by the production supervisor to determine equipment use and skills of personnel, and by customer focus groups to disclose whether the menus will be appealing to customers. The following list, which describes the characteristics of a good menu, can easily be used as an evaluation checklist: Menu pattern: Each meal is consistent with the established menu pattern (that is, three-, four-, or five-meal plan) and includes all food components and portion sizes specified as necessary to meet the customers’ nutrition requirements and, at the same time, minimize plate waste. Color and eye appeal: The color combinations in each meal are pleasant and blend well, and a variety of colors are used in each meal. Attractive garnishes are included when appropriate. Texture and consistency: A mix of soft, creamy, crisp, chewy, and firm foods is included in each meal.  Flavor combinations: Food flavors are compatible yet varied. Having two or more strong-flavored foods (such as broccoli, onions, turnips, cabbage, and cauliflower) in the same meal has been avoided. Combinations of foods with similar flavors (such as tomato juice with macaroni–tomato casserole and macaroni and cheese with pineapple–cheese salad) also are avoided. Sizes and shapes: Meals include a pleasing variety of food sizes and shapes. Having several chopped or mixed items in the same meal (such as cubed meat, diced potatoes, mixed vegetables, and fruit cocktail) has been avoided. Food temperatures: A balance between hot and cold items is offered for each meal. The climate or season of the year (or both) also is a consideration in selecting food temperatures. For example, cold vegetable soups are appropriate in summer, whereas hot bean soups are more suited to cold weather. Preparation methods: Offering more than one food prepared in a particular manner in a meal has been avoided. A balanced distribution of creamed, boiled, fried, baked, and braised foods is offered each day. Popularity: Popular and less-popular foods are part of the same meal when a selection is offered. Serving all popular foods at one meal and all less- popular foods at another has been avoided. Day-to-day distribution: The types of food offered for consecutive meals and on consecutive days are varied in ingredients and in preparation method. For example, the menus avoid offering meat loaf at lunch and another ground beef entree for dinner or supper. Variations in the foods offered the same day each week are planned. Serving hot dogs every Monday and chicken every Sunday, for example, has been avoided. Customer preferences: The menus are appropriate for the cultural, ethnic, and personal food preferences of the operation’s customers. The menu planner’s own food prejudices are not taken into consideration. Availability and cost of food: Seasonal foods are used frequently. High- and low-cost foods are balanced within each day’s menus and throughout the menu cycle so that budget constraints and customer pricing demands are met. Facilities and equipment: The equipment available is adequate to produce high-quality menu items. Equipment use is balanced throughout the day and the menu cycle. Menu items are compatible with the capacities of transport and service equipment. Enough serving dishes of appropriate sizes and types are available for the attractive presentation of menu items. Personnel and time: The department’s staff—that is, the number of workers and their skill levels—is adequate for the preparation and service of items on the menu. The department’s workload is balanced from day to day and week to week. Adequate time is available for producing and serving the foods on the menu. Menu form and presentation: Descriptions of the menu items are specific, appealing, and accurate. The menu follows a consistent and accepted sequence of consumption. After correcting any problems noted during the pre-implementation evaluation, the menu planner should recheck the menus one final time. This procedure should be followed every time menus are planned, but less time is required when cycle menus are used. Whenever a menu is actually produced, any problems encountered should be noted on the master menu form and the appropriate changes made before repeating the menu in another cycle. Records should be maintained concerning the problem and how it was solved. These records then are used when the next cycle of menus is planned. Acceptability by Customers Surveys help determine customer acceptance of various menu items. The form asks for customer comments on specific new menu items. and a multipurpose survey that asks for suggestions and comments from cafeteria customers on various services and food items. Keeping precise sales histories on menu items helps in forecasting demand and in eliminating unpopular items from the menu. Observing plate waste is another good way to assess the customer acceptance of various menu items. The management of the food service department must establish minimum standards of acceptability based on customer input. If the acceptability of a menu item falls below the standard, a change must be considered. Computer Applications Computer-assisted procedures are used for menu planning in some facilities. To take advantage of the computer’s speed, accuracy, and capacity, menu-planning information must be expressed in quantitative terms. Programs can be designed to plan menus that consider labor and raw food costs, nutrient content, color, consistency, frequency, and other factors. However, two variables—nutrient content and raw food cost—are the most widely used in current computer assisted menu-planning programs.