Menu Planning
Menu Planning tests menu balance, seasonality, cost, kitchen capacity and menu engineering. Expect questions on a la carte versus table d'hôte, dish classification and pricing logic.
Menu balance
A balanced menu varies proteins, cooking methods, textures, colours and price points. It should reflect seasonality and available equipment. Avoid too many fried or oven-baked dishes if equipment capacity is limited. Consider nutritional balance and dietary options.
Menu engineering
Classify dishes by popularity and profitability: stars are high popularity and high profit; plowhorses are popular but low profit; puzzles are unpopular but high profit; dogs are low in both. Stars are promoted, plowhorses re-engineered, puzzles repositioned, and dogs removed or redesigned.
Pricing
Food cost percentage is food cost divided by selling price. A common target is 28–35%, depending on the operation. Price must cover labour, overhead and profit, not just food cost.
Worked example
A chicken dish sells 120 covers and has a 32% food cost; a steak sells 40 covers and has a 45% food cost. The chicken is a star if its contribution margin is strong, while the steak may be a puzzle if profitable per unit but unpopular. The cook/manager tests a smaller steak portion or a price change rather than guessing.
Traps that cost marks
Planning dishes that all need the same oven; ignoring seasonality; pricing from food cost alone; and adding dishes without checking prep capacity.
Key points
- Balance proteins, methods, textures and price points.
- Menu engineering uses popularity and profitability.
- Stars: popular and profitable; dogs: unpopular and unprofitable.
- Food cost percentage is food cost ÷ selling price.
- Check equipment and labour capacity before adding dishes.