{"id":5803,"date":"2021-02-03T13:00:17","date_gmt":"2021-02-03T19:00:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.escoffier.edu\/?p=5803"},"modified":"2023-09-29T19:52:49","modified_gmt":"2023-09-30T00:52:49","slug":"4-menu-planning-tips-for-young-chefs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.escoffier.edu\/blog\/culinary-arts\/4-menu-planning-tips-for-young-chefs\/","title":{"rendered":"4 Menu Planning Tips For Young Chefs"},"content":{"rendered":"

Proper menu planning is much more than listing your favorite recipes on a sheet of paper and putting it in front of customers. A good menu is a deliberate, careful blend that suits the restaurant\u2019s theme and design<\/a> and meets the desired price point. The kitchen team has to be able to execute the menu in their available kitchen space. And it all has to be done without exceeding food and labor costs.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t get overwhelmed! Menu planning is a skillset that chefs build over time. If you\u2019re just starting out, these four menu planning tips can help you use the menu as a tool to improve the restaurant\u2019s efficiency and profitability.<\/p>\n

1. Consider Seasonality<\/h2>\n

Incorporating seasonal produce into your menu can have several benefits. First, seasonal produce tends to be more affordable, since the supply is so large. It also tastes significantly better. Big, plump, in-season strawberries are a far cry from their small, bland cousins that one finds in the winter!<\/p>\n

And if you\u2019re able to buy both seasonal and local<\/em> produce, you get the added benefit of supporting a local farmer. Supporting area farmers highlights your connection to the local food community, which is important to many diners.<\/p>\n

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\"Farmer“I think that if you can really work menus around the season, mother nature provides such a natural rhythm to what we should put on [those] menus. If you can start with availability of product in season and build around that and let her dictate which direction you go it’s going to be the highest quality, best flavored and usually a very good value.”
\nFarmer Lee Jones, The Chef\u2019s Garden<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n

Some restaurants completely rewrite their menus<\/a> seasonally. But it\u2019s more common to have a \u201cstandard\u201d menu with a small selection of seasonal items that change several times per year. These seasonal changes keep the menu fresh and give regular customers something to look forward to.<\/p>\n\"brown\n

Austin\u2019s Kerbey Lane Cafe, for example, releases their Tomato Menu every summer, highlighting fresh local tomatoes in dishes like their famous Tomato Pie. It\u2019s something their long-time customers look forward to each year.<\/p>\n

2. Plan With Cost Control and Pricing in Mind<\/h2>\n

Chefs must consider the cost<\/a> of every ingredient when they\u2019re planning their menus. Everything from the protein to the seasoning contributes to the overall costs in the kitchen. And the more unique items you have, the more quickly those costs can add up.<\/p>\n

There are economies of scale that come with bulk pricing, which is why you may see one side item accompanying several entrees. But you can\u2019t repeat the same recipes too often, or the menu will grow dull. Chefs have to balance the number of unique ingredients on their menus with the cost of each.<\/p>\n

Chefs also must consider the final price of each dish when planning their menus. Let\u2019s say every entr\u00e9e on your current menu is under $25. Then, you develop a fantastic New York Strip recipe that you can\u2019t wait to share. But when you consider the cost of the ingredients and the labor required, you realize that you\u2019ll have to charge $50 for that dish to be profitable.<\/p>\n

An entr\u00e9e that costs 100% more than any other dish on the menu doesn\u2019t fit in. The customers at your restaurant aren\u2019t looking for $50 steaks. They\u2019re looking for a dinner under $25. Your New York Strip won\u2019t sell, and you\u2019ll waste product.<\/p>\n

\"Steak
\nWhen planning their menus, chefs must always keep food cost and menu pricing in mind, to make sure they\u2019re making smart financial decisions and keeping the restaurant profitable.<\/p>\n

3. Think Ahead to Prevent Waste<\/h2>\n

Kitchen food waste<\/a> is a common problem in restaurants, hotels, and catering companies that chefs can tackle in the menu planning stage. While some amount of waste is inevitable in a kitchen, a clever menu can help manage the problem.<\/p>\n

For example, if you find that you\u2019re wasting leftovers of a certain ingredient, where can you repurpose it on the menu to use it up? Maybe you serve a summer salad topped with goat cheese, but you end up throwing some cheese away week after week. You can either remove the cheese from the salad entirely, or add it to another menu item to use more of it. Perhaps atop a crostini?<\/p>\n

\"Bread
\nAnother option is to repurpose \u201cwaste\u201d items into different dishes. Bones and vegetable scraps can make a rich stock for soups and risottos. Look through your current waste to see what inspiration you can find for the menu.<\/p>\n

\n

\"Damian“I was inspired because of what I learned at Escoffier. At Bubba Gump [Shrimp Company], we use a lot of shrimp, and often we just throw away all the shrimp shells. But I learned at culinary school that you can make a profit out of almost everything. I had learned how to make stock out of scraps, so I made some with the shrimp shells. I just used that as a base, added more seasonings, and turned it into shrimp bisque. They all liked it!”
\nDamian Palacios, Escoffier Online Culinary Arts Student<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n

4. Think About Pacing and Speed<\/h2>\n

It\u2019s tempting to think of an entr\u00e9e as a single, individual entity. But a chef has to think holistically. Diners rarely eat alone. So you have to consider how long it takes to prepare each different item on the menu.<\/p>\n

When a party of four sits down, they may each order different appetizers, entrees, and desserts. If you have a specialty roast chicken that takes 25 minutes to prepare, you\u2019ll have to slow down the entrees for the rest of the table, as well. This will not only require careful maneuvering in the kitchen, but could also reduce the number of times you can turn that table in a night, and reduce your sales.<\/p>\n

Is that dish worth it? The answer may be yes.<\/p>\n

\"Four
\nDifferent restaurants can \u201cask more\u201d of their guests, in both time and money. But a family-friendly restaurant generally requires a quicker pace than a fine-dining one, and you must keep that in mind when planning your menu.<\/p>\n\n\t

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