Introduction
In a food service, the main thing is the menu, this is the set of foods that make up a dish at any meal time (breakfast, lunch or dinner). On the other hand, the menu is a summary of each and every one of the dishes served there, including menus. For the menu to be adequate, foods that are easily accessible and prepared must be chosen, the cost of each material resource must be analyzed to be able to define their price, as long as they are in line with those on the market.
As for the design of these, they must be made of resistant and attractive material, that is, with an appropriate size and typeface, as well as with colors that are not opaque and the dishes must be in order according to the meal times. In addition, attention must be paid to the standardization of the dishes to avoid economic and customer losses.
The design and production of the menus and the menu will give the company prestige, as well as the relationship between flavors, texture and the nutritional value that they carry. In the following writing it is explained more fully how to prepare a menu, the parts that it carries, how costs are defined, among other points.
Preparation of the menu in food services and restaurants
Menu features
The menu is the offer of foods that depend on the raw material that is available and in the same way the type of establishment to which it refers. This must also have certain characteristics from various points, for example:
Economic. Review the raw materials that are available so as not to discard any, likewise use food from the area where the establishment is located so as not to add extra expenses such as transportation, as well as seasonal ones that have a relatively low cost.
From the organization. Distribute the functions in an equitable manner as well as foresee what situation may arise when acquiring the raw material, therefore it must be done in advance.
From the presentation. The menu should be made with strong, light-colored paper, and a small space should be left between the name of the meal time and the dishes offered so that it does not accumulate on one side and can bore the diner, the letters must be clear as well as avoid misspellings.
Elaboration of the menu
In order to prepare a menu in a food service, the following procedure is presented:
Preparation of the repertoire of recipes
Firstly, the person in charge of this stage must select various recipes (soups, rice, salads, desserts, vegetables, doughs, that is, all kinds of dishes that fit the characteristics of the service) obtained from magazines, cookbooks, newspapers or the same service if you already have some, then some of them must be eliminated because it will be impossible to carry out all of them; Some reasons why they are eliminated are: its difficult preparation, it does not please the diner, it exceeds the budget and the bioavailability of food. Having carried out these two steps, there are a certain number of recipes that will facilitate the choice of those that are part of the menu.
Preparation of the general menu program
After the previous stage, you already have recipes, the next is to prepare the menu program you want to offer, for this you must also follow an order: first of all, you must choose those dishes that will be main dishes at each meal time, because this way you will know which are the other dishes that best go with the main one and can accompany it; at this stage both inexpensive and high-cost dishes must be mixed, in addition to having good design and flavor. It should be mentioned that in this main dish there should not always be meat as it is daily served, but it can be another food.1 Secondly, those dishes that will accompany the previously selected dish must be chosen, in this choice the cereals (bread, rice, pasta), legumes (beans, lentils, soybeans),tubers (potatoes, carrots, sweet potatoes) or bananas; An example of a side dish can be rice with celery and a touch of yellow, it can also be mixed with almonds, parsley and onion; what is important and fundamental in these dishes is that they be creative, colorful and in turn have a pleasant flavor for the diner. As a third step, the vegetables that complement it are selected, in order to make them colorful and varied. In fourth place are the soups to serve, these must be prepared carefully so that they have a good flavor and are appetizing. Finally there are desserts, in these we can use fruits, cakes, ice creams, jellies or cookies; but, especially those that are nutritious, simple and with a relatively low caloric content should be chosen.An example of a side dish can be rice with celery and a touch of yellow, it can also be mixed with almonds, parsley and onion; what is important and fundamental in these dishes is that they be creative, colorful and in turn have a pleasant flavor for the diner. As a third step, the vegetables that complement it are selected, in order to make them colorful and varied. In fourth place are the soups to serve, these must be prepared carefully so that they have a good flavor and are appetizing. Finally there are desserts, in these we can use fruits, cakes, ice creams, jellies or cookies; but, especially those that are nutritious, simple and with a relatively low caloric content should be chosen.an example of a side dish can be rice with celery and a touch of yellow, it can also be mixed with almonds, parsley and onion; what is important and fundamental in these dishes is that they be creative, colorful and in turn have a pleasant flavor for the diner. As a third step, the vegetables that complement it are selected, in order to make them colorful and varied. In fourth place are the soups to serve, these must be prepared carefully so that they have a good flavor and are appetizing. Finally there are desserts, in these we can use fruits, cakes, ice creams, jellies or cookies; but, especially those that are nutritious, simple and with a relatively low caloric content should be chosen.it can also be mixed with almonds, parsley and onion; what is important and fundamental in these dishes is that they be creative, colorful and in turn have a pleasant flavor for the diner. As a third step, the vegetables that complement it are selected, in order to make them colorful and varied. In fourth place are the soups to serve, these must be prepared carefully so that they have a good flavor and are appetizing. Finally there are desserts, in these we can use fruits, cakes, ice creams, jellies or cookies; but, especially those that are nutritious, simple and with a relatively low caloric content should be chosen.it can also be mixed with almonds, parsley and onion; what is important and fundamental in these dishes is that they be creative, colorful and in turn have a pleasant flavor for the diner. As a third step, the vegetables that complement it are selected, in order to make them colorful and varied. In fourth place are the soups to serve, these must be prepared carefully so that they have a good flavor and are appetizing. Finally there are desserts, in these we can use fruits, cakes, ice creams, jellies or cookies; but, especially those that are nutritious, simple and with a relatively low caloric content should be chosen.As a third step, the vegetables that complement it are selected, in order to make them colorful and varied. In fourth place are the soups to serve, these must be prepared carefully so that they have a good flavor and are appetizing. Finally there are desserts, in these we can use fruits, cakes, ice creams, jellies or cookies; but, especially those that are nutritious, simple and with a relatively low caloric content should be chosen.As a third step, the vegetables that complement it are selected, in order to make them colorful and varied. In fourth place are the soups to serve, these must be prepared carefully so that they have a good flavor and are appetizing. Finally there are desserts, in these we can use fruits, cakes, ice creams, jellies or cookies; but, especially those that are nutritious, simple and with a relatively low caloric content should be chosen.especially those that are nutritious, simple and with a relatively low caloric content should be chosen.especially those that are nutritious, simple and with a relatively low caloric content should be chosen.
On the other hand, when you want to prepare a breakfast it is important to be careful so that it is appetizing and varied, because it is the most important meal of the day and that various studies have proven to help prevent overweight and obesity. In this you can serve empanadas, fruits, breads, eggs, among other options.
Checking the general menu program
In this last stage the elaborated menu is analyzed, it must be taken into account:
- Nutritional value Foods that are in season and easily accessible. Kitchen equipment and utensils are available for their preparation. There are frequent repetitions of dishes. If there is a relationship between flavor, texture and if it is attractive. food in all or several meals.
In addition, you must constantly monitor both dishes that are offered and their costs, you must see which are the most consumed and those that are least requested to make changes, you can also add new dishes or create promotions with existing ones.
Define costs
The fixing of these is essential for the company to be successful in the market, for its definition the expense of the raw material used in each dish must be considered individually, later the extra expenses must be considered, for example gas, personnel, among others., without neglecting the market prices in other establishments that are competitors, without neglecting the quality of the dishes offered.
Menu sections
The menu sequence offered in a food service should be:
- StarterSmall snacksAppetizersSoups and saladsMain dishesDessertsDrinks
Menu types in a food service
Therapeutic or modified diets
The elaboration of the hospital menus is in charge of a nutritionist, after a previous review with a general doctor; Because the characteristics of this must be according to the type of patient being treated, the daily menus must meet the characteristics of the correct diet (complete, balanced, safe, varied and sufficient), its caloric value must also be reduced., the content of fat, sodium and sugar; and, increase fiber intake.
Calories
It is important to consume the calories that our body needs to maintain an adequate weight, in addition to a balance between what is ingested and the physical activity that is carried out so that the food is used as energy and the accumulation of this is prevented causing overweight and obesity.
Grease
You must consume the type of fat that benefits our body, when the consumption of saturated or trans fats is excessive, these are reflected in cholesterol levels, becoming their important factor for coronary heart disease, on the contrary, monounsaturated fats and Polyunsaturated helps reduce cholesterol levels due to its plant origin.
Sodium
If consumed in excess it can increase blood pressure, for this reason you should decrease the consumption of foods rich in salt.
Sugar
As with sodium, excessive glucose consumption is associated with diabetes mellitus, obesity, coronary heart disease, and in children it can present dental caries in addition to hyperactivity due to its high caloric intake.
Fiber
This is of plant origin and its consumption is related to the improvement of the gastrointestinal transit so it helps people with constipation, other pathologies in which the consumption of fiber is beneficial are: coronary heart disease, diabetes, colon cancer and diverticular disease.
Menus for special events and celebrations
It is presented in meetings that are presented one or more times a year, for example: birthdays, visits, first communions, among others. Due to this, the dishes must be different from those usually offered. The previous planning of this type of menu helps that it is not something unexpected and therefore the person is stressed thinking about what he can prepare. In addition to food, it is also important to provide the decorations and clothing of the employees so that they go according to the event.
Menus for contingencies
These types of menus are used when the number of people that are planned is greater, so you must have extra raw material to make new dishes and be able to serve everyone. It should be mentioned that if this were to occur in the hospital setting, contingency menu planning should not affect any patient's menu.
Snack menus
It is used on occasions when you want to provide a snack between each main dish, these should be simple, inexpensive and easy to prepare.
Menus for cafeteria
In order to prepare a menu in this type of establishment, you must see if the area available for cooking has the space and material you need, but you must take the appropriate precautions. You must have orders to take away, offer variety, that is accessible (economy) to the diner, just to mention a few.
Menu for commercial food services
Nutritionists intervene in these types of menu because they must be varied and not static, that is, they must not have a single type of dish. Simple preparations for the cook and light for the client should be offered, in addition to those that preserve the nutritional value of each food; For this reason, care must be taken with the exposure time and the heat to which each one is subjected, reducing the consumption of salt and increasing the intake of fruits and vegetables, likewise promoting the consumption of whole grains and serving small or adequate portions. for the diner.
Recipe and Portion Standardization
This part is essential because the elaboration of menus is not only knowing what to prepare but knowing how much to serve, a standardized recipe is one that details the quality and quantity of both ingredients and how they are prepared, this process is intended to help control costs, facilitate work for employees as well as facilitate the acquisition of raw materials. The reasons why this stage is important are listed below:
To control expenses. It is related to the portion to be served, for example: approximately 150 people reach a food service and more than 70% are served meat, but this is weighed raw and the portion is 100 g, and, already cooked 130 g servings are served an economic loss to the organization.
To control quantities. In other words, if it is calculated for 100 servings, it is these that should be served and no more and no less.
For staff safety. It is basically to build trust in the same employee, since he will have knowledge of how much he will prepare and how much he has to serve.
To satisfy users. Servings of the same size should be served so that customers are not dissatisfied, but will give a bad image of the service.
Errors that may occur in preparing the menu
Of the letter
- You can use dark colors that do not allow you to read the dishes that are offered. It can present misspellings, which would give a bad image of the company. Have meal times in order and do not stir them. Use the wrong typeface.
conclusion
The preparation of the menu must be done carefully and by people who have knowledge of these, in a food service it is important to have affordable prices, variety of dishes and good flavor. Regarding its design it must be original, understandable and attractive, the meal times within it must have an order; breakfasts, snacks, entrees, desserts and drinks are generally offered.
With the completion of this work we learned that not necessarily the main dish must carry some type of meat, but that it can be another food. In addition, this must be the dish that is chosen at first to later determine which will accompany it, such as cereals, pasta, among others. There are also other menus such as special occasions, or therapeutics that are related to the hospital setting and are provided to patients with any pathology.
Bibliographic references
- Dolly BD. Food service administration: quality, nutrition, productivity and benefits. 2nd ed. Editorial Universidad de Antioquia: Colombia; 2007.Characteristics to consider when preparing a menu. García A. Academia. © 2015.. Available at: http://www.academia.edu/6096674/Caracteristicas_que_deben_considerar_para_la_elaboracion_de_menusPasos to design the menu. Anonymous. Successful restaurants. © 2014.. Available at:
