Developing a Menu Considerations for Success

Menu Development Overview □Menu development is cumbersome task that require diligent attention and knowledge. It is important for the one who creates the menu to know the trends in the food market, nutritional facts, employee skill level compliance to produce the menu items. Goal □The goal of this lesson is to introduce the menu development process and effective factors that have a role in menu creation to the learners.

Objectives At the end of this lesson, learners will be able to: □Define menu creation process □Explain the consumer trends in food market □List the considerations in menu creation □State employee skills and equipment necessities to produce menu items □Comprehend the nutritional facts affecting menu design

Consumer Trends □45% of consumers report that they are cooking fewer meals at home than they were just two years ago □78 % make at least one carryout or delivery purchase in a typical month. □72 % of consumers say that they want to eat more healthy □Americans eat out 200 times a year. □Consumers have more choices than ever before in history. □Retailers are constantly re-developing popular concepts to be delivered in non-traditional locations.

Key Considerations for Menu Design □Needs and desires of guests □Capabilities of cooks □Equipment capacity and layout □Consistency □Pricing □Nutritional analysis □Accuracy in menu □Menu analysis □Menu design and layout

Guest Expectations □Guests have more choices and it is easy to duplicate elements of successful concepts. □Guests are more educated on eating out. □Most guests will not tell employees when they have a problem. □95 % of all guests want value from their dining purchases. Fair price for a fair product. □The success of chains like Olive Garden and Applebee’s suggest that food quality is not the number 1 reason that these chains are successful.

Skill Levels of Employees □Do they match the demands of the menu □Dependant on the type of foodservice system employed □Does the operation allow time for training staff with the necessary skills? □If training is not possible, can staff be hired with required skills?

Equipment Capacity and Service Style □Does it have the capacity to keep up with demands? □Today, foodservice equipment allow for changes in the proportion of front of the house to back of the house □cooking equipment is being designed to be viewed by the customer □Space availability will have an impact on selecting suitable equipment

Consistency of Product □Can product be purchased consistently throughout the menu cycle? □At acceptable cost? □In acceptable quantities? □Does menu pricing allow for changes in menu cost? □Can the operation product menu item in a consistent manner given, food quality, equipment capacity, and employee skills?

Pricing □Does the price of the menu fit the target market? □Is it competitive with other local options? □ Are menu pricing dynamic? Or static? □Can prices be updated quickly to meet changing external forces?

Nutritional Analysis □Customers consistently advocate for healthier menu choices □However, menu trends show that these items are not ordered as often as the rhetoric. □Consumers do want healthy alternatives on menus. □Successful strategies include heart healthy menu analysis.

Key Benefits A Well Developed Menu is: □a marketing tool □an effective tool for evaluation of food service success □supportive of building brand loyalty in the marketplace □beneficial toward building employee loyalty in the staff