Menu

• Menu


  A printed brochure that shows the list of options for a diner to select
• Menu

  • It impacts every phase of a restaurant operation, including the type of customer the establishment will attract
  • It affects the kitchen layout and type of equipment required, the number of workers needed and the skills they must possess, and the type and quantity of supplies the restaurant will order
• À la carte


  The à la carte menu prices and serves each item separately. The customer chooses and pays for the exact dishes or beverages he or she orders; dishes are prepared to order
• Semi-à la carte


  The semi-à la carte menu prices and serves some items together and other items separately
• Prix fixe


  The prix fixe menu charges a set price for the entire meal. Regardless of what the guest chooses from each course, the price is the same; no choice in selection
• Table d'hôte


  Offers a complete meal for a set price. However, the degree to which a guest may choose individual dishes may be more limited (2-3 courses) than on the prix fixe menu; fixed selling price; ready to be served and available during a pre-determined time
• Fixed menu


  Offers the same dishes every day for an extended period of time
• Cycle menu


  Changes daily for a set period and then repeats. The cycle menu is most common in institutions that serve the same people day after day, such as cruise ships, schools, hospitals, and military foodservice facilities
• Buffet menu


  Availability and quantity of the food items will depend on price; quantity is not limited to portions; one set price for all dishes
• Carte du jour


  "Card or specialty of the day"; shows a selection of seasonal dishes and specialties allows the Chef to offers lists of "specials" in addition to pre-printed menu
• Promotional Menu


  Concerned with selling of a menu or product to increase the interest of the customer
• Kid's Menu


  Designed to appeal to the kids
• Degustation


  "Tasting menu"; small portions of numerous dishes usually specialties of the restaurants or chosen by the Chef served with wines usually served on a whole table
• Menu planning


  Utilizes the expertise of a variety of people such as the executive chef, food and beverage director, corporate chef, and registered dietician
• Sample Fine Dining Menu

  • Appetizers
  • Main Courses
  • Desserts
• Factors considered in menu planning

  • Target market
  • Type of food
  • Equipment analysis
  • Skill level of employees
  • Geography
  • Religious and cultural background
  • Nutritional concerns (carbohydrates, protein, starches, vitamins/minerals)
  • Age and health issues (sickness and deficiency)
  • Occasions/Festivities(funeral, wedding, birthday,christmas)
• Menu components

  • Variety
  • Serving temperature
  • Cooking techniques
  • Texture
  • Height
  • Taste
  • Shapes
  • Balance
  • Composition
  • Descriptive Copy
  • Truth in Menu
• Menu style and design

  • The Printed Menu
  • Table Tents
  • Menu Board
  • Secret Menu
  • Digital menu boards
• Composition


  Refers to a plate's visual and sensory appeal. Generally, an odd number of foods on a plate is more visually appealing than an even number. One side or section of a plate should not overwhelm another
• Descriptive Copy


  Menu text that describes each menu item which include information about the method of preparation, portion, size and accompaniments or garnishes. It uses food terminology such as toasted, whipped, grilled, glazed, and sautéed
• Truth in Menu


  Federal law requires menu information about quantity, quality, price, brand names, product identification, origin, merchandising terms, preservation methods, food preparation, and verbal and visual presentation must be accurate
• Menu Style and Design

  • The Printed Menu
  • Table Tents
  • Menu Board
  • Secret Menu
  • Digital menu boards
• Learning Objectives

  • The classifications of food menu
  • Salad dressings, side dish and condiments
  • The different kinds of meat
  • What is kobe and wagyu
  • Kosher and halal considerations
  • What is poultry & game
  • The kinds of fish and shellfish
  • The popular desserts and petit four
• Sequence of menu items

  • Hors-d'oeuvres
  • Soups (potages)
  • Egg dishes (oeufs)
  • Pasta and rice(farineux)
  • Fish (poisson)
  • Entree
  • Sorbet
  • Releve
  • Roast (roti)
  • Vegetables (legume)
  • Salad (salade)
  • Cold buffet (buffet froid)
  • Cheese (fromage)
  • Sweets (entremets)
  • Savoury (savoureux)
  • Fruit (dessert)
  • Beverages
• Appetizers or Hors d'œuvre


  Food items served before the main courses of a meal, consisted of variety of compound salads but may include pates, mousses, fruit, charcuterie, and smoked fish. A one-bite appetizer, is known as an amuse-bouche. In many reception and cocktail party events, hors d'oeuvre are sometimes served with no meal afterward
• Hors d'oeuvre

  • Canapés
  • Caviar
  • Pate
  • Cold cuts
  • Crudités
  • Deviled eggs
  • Cheeses
  • Cocktail sausages
  • Dumplings
  • Bruschetta
• Soup


  A liquid food made by combining ingredients, such as meat and vegetables in stock or hot/boiling water, until the flavor is extracted, forming a broth. The word soup comes from French soupe ("soup", "broth"), which comes through Vulgar Latin suppa ("bread soaked in broth")
• Classifications of Potage (soups)

  • Clear soups: Bouillon, Consommé
  • Thick soups: purées, bisques, cream soups, veloutés
• Oeufs (Egg)

  • Fried Egg
  • Scrambled Egg
  • Simmered Egg
  • Poached Egg
  • Baked Egg
• Farineux


  Pasta and rice referred to as farinaceous dishes. Includes spaghetti, macaroni, ravioli, pilaff or risotto
• Entrée


  A main course is the featured or primary dish in a meal consisting of several courses. It usually follows the entree ("entry") course, and the salad course. The main ingredient is usually meat or fish
• Kobe Beef


  Cattle raised in Kobe, Japan, are the source of a special grade of beef that is rich in flavor, has abundant marbling, and is extraordinarily tender. Kobe beef comes from the Wagyu breed of cattle, which are famous for the extensive marbling of their meat
• Beef Meat Parts

  • T-Bone
  • Prime Rib
  • Tenderloin
  • Striploin
  • Sirloin
• Doneness of Steaks


  • Rare
  • Medium Rare
  • Medium
  • Medium Well
  • Well Done
• Veal


  The meat of calves (young cattle). Most veal comes from male calves of dairy cattle breeds
• Lamb


  The meat of young animals belonging to the genus Ovis, which includes both domesticated and wild sheep
• Pork


  The culinary term for meat from the domestic pig, often specifically the fresh meat but can be used as an all-inclusive term. It is eaten in various forms, including cooked, cured or smoked, or a combination of these methods. Pork consumption is taboo in Islam and Judaism
• Poultry


  • Chicken
  • Turkey
  • Duck
  • Guinea Fowl
  • Goose
  • Pigeon
• Furred Game

  • Large Animals: Deer
  • Wild Boar
  • Elk
  • Bear
  • Moose
  • Venison

  Small Animals: Rabbit

  • Squirrel
  • Opossum
  • Wood Chuck
  • Beaver
  • Muskrat
• Feathered Game

  • Pheasant
  • Woodcock
  • Quail
  • Ostrich
  • Teal