SOP Number: Kitchen / F&B Production SOP – 10
Department: Kitchen / Food Production – Menu Planning and Design.
Date Issued: 21-Sep-2018
Time to Train: 30 Minutes
Purpose of this SOP:
To create menus that match the restaurant’s concept, guests’ expectations and the organization business goals. The Chefs / Kitchen Staff should only source quality, seasonal produce that ensures consistency for the selected menu.
The Executive Chef and F&B Manager / Director should be responsible to planand design the restaurant menu in a systematic manner and to ensure a consistently high guest expectation and the business goals. The hotelmanagement should develop and implement written menu planning and design to ensure the same is implemented correctly throughout all the F&B outlets.
Kitchen Menu Planning and Design Standard Procedures:
1) How to ensure menu planning adequately reflects the concept and style of the restaurant?
- Menus are planned in a timely manner, taking into account financial and customer requirements.
- Managers and employees are involved in the menu planning process.
- Menus enhance the projected image of the restaurant and overall concept.
- Customer volumes, logistics and style of service should be always considered.
2) How to address the expectations of the customer appropriately while planning the menu?
- The restaurant menus should be well presented and customer friendly.
- Menus should always offer variety and appeal to a broad range of tastes.
- Special dietary needs are adequately catered for.
- Menu items are nutritious, well- balanced and reflect current healthy eating trends.
- Menus avoid repetition of ingredients.
3) Consider production capabilities and purchasing power to obtain quality ingredients.
- The chef should consider the seasonality and availability of items when planning menus.
- All kitchen staff should have the required skills/knowledge to confidently and consistently produce dishes to a high standard.
- Kitchen storage and production resources for the items selected should be sufficient.
- Ideally, all dishes should be represented by a standardised menu card.
4) How to ensure business financial goals are incorporated while menu planning?
- Effects on food cost and profit margins are addressed.
- Potential effects of new menus on average guest spend is explored.
- Menus are designed that achieve gross margin and profitability targets.
- Menu planning adequately balances innovation and creativity with financial logic.
Training Summary questions:
Q1. What is the purpose of this SOP?
Q2. Who is responsible to check and develop the menu for the hotel/restaurant?
Q3. How to address the guest expectations while menu planning?
Q4. What is the importance of creating a customer friendly menu?
Q5. How to ensure the business financial goals are incorporated while planning and designing the menu?
