Home / The way to Plan a Restaurant Food selection - Tips and Ideas

The way to Plan a Restaurant Food selection - Tips and Ideas


One area that needs your focused attention when you are starting out in the restaurant business is menus planning. Many new operators simply have no idea of how to plan a restaurant menu that caters to what their target market is looking for as well as being practical in terms of preparation.

In this article we have a closer look at bistro menu planning and 10 of the points that you have to consider as you learn to assemble the necessary content.

Restaurant Concept

Firstly, you have to think about your restaurant concept and the sort of clientele that you are usually hoping to attract. These things will have your location, restaurant premises and style among other factors. Your overall concept may affect the style, quality and portion sizes of the cuisine you will feature on your restaurant menus.

Different Types of Cafe Menus

Most restaurant newks menu are static in that they're fixed for lengthy time periods and cannot easily be changed. The alternative is to supply a menu that is constantly changing. The latter is great for restaurants that use seasonal ingredients that fluctuate in price for instance seafood. 'Soup of the day' is actually another common menu variation which could change as often since daily. However it makes this difficult if new menus must be printed frequently. Options for menus that vary frequently include writing your menu through to a chalk board or perhaps printing out special inserts with daily specials.

A la carte cafe menus require customers to select menu items individually and everything is priced independently. On the other hand Prix Fixe menus offer several courses contained in one set meal for any fixed price. Then there is buffet style dining which usually requires little when it comes to menus at all but instead just descriptions on the dishes at the point where customers serve themselves.

Menu Size

One thing to remember when assembling a menu is to supply enough of a variety to offer diners a great selection while also keeping it reasonably simple so they don't get overwhelmed. A simple menu will also likely reduce the number of errors while orders are now being taken and give personnel less headaches remembering details on each dish. A menu with an inferior range of offerings may also make it easier that you should manage your inventory also to reduce food waste.

Consult a Chef

At the lower end with the restaurant spectrum you may basically do your restaurant menu planning and hire kitchen staff that can handle making the dishes that in store. However, if you will end up being hiring a chef then you need to consult with him or her about the style of cuisine that she or he specializes in. A chef will no doubt be able to offer invaluable tips and suggestions about your menu so it's well worth consulting one if possible.

Testing and Tweaking

Before you go ahead and include a dish on your menu it is important to decide on exactly how the dish will be produced and presented. It not only needs to meet your personal taste but also needs to meet the tastes of the general public. Before you launch a brand new menu item you will need to do some testing. Get some opinions coming from cooks or chefs to check out slight modifications that could be made to improve a dish much more.

Kitchen Space and Equipment

Your menu possibilities might be limited by how big the kitchen space which you have available or by the equipment that is required to make certain menu items. Do an assessment of the equipment which you have and the equipment that you will be prepared to buy at the same time as you are organizing your menu.

Something for Everyone

Try to cater to many tastes and dietary requirements if at all possible. You may have a different menu section for children or your menu may include options for vegetarians. Allergies are a concern for most these days so you ought to have additional menu notes that staff can reference. If they are requested by diners if specific dishes contain peanuts, eggs or other common what people are allergic to then they can offer accurate information. Include as much critical details about these ingredients on a menu as possible.

Let Customers Personalize the Dish

One nice idea is to allow your customers to have some input into the dish that they want to order. At the basic level they might just be choosing between french fries or a baked potato. To take it a step further they are often choosing sauces, salad dressings, different kinds of cheeses or the intensity of spices or herbs such as chili that may be added to the dinner.

Popular Trends

Trends in food can alter faster then most people think so you may want to follow these food developments and make alterations for your menu accordingly, to keep up using the times. Members of the public happen to be educated about cuisine by celebrity chefs on TV or could be following the latest dietary craze that is getting attention in the media like the low-carb diet.

More than One Menus?

More upscale restaurants usually need several menu. A separate drinks menus or wine list will be common but other courses for example dessert could also have their very own menu. You may also demand menus for different times of the day such as breakfast time.

If you want in order to open a restaurant and succeed then it is essential that you know the way to plan a restaurant menu, how to set menu prices and how you can design a menu in a way that maximizes sales and the particular diner's experience.



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