The old adage that everything starts with the menu is as true today as it was a hundred years ago. In today's complex makeup of food service management, the menu is involved in nearly every facet of the operation. Add to this the diversity of restaurants from quick service to fine dining as well as the nonprofit food service segment and the subject of menu planning suddenly becomes quite intricate. It is for this reason that Profitable Menu Planning was written. While there are some excellent textbooks on the market dealing with the various aspects of menus, few, if any, cover all the points necessary for a complete dialogue on the subject.
The third edition has some major changes. First and foremost is the addition of Jennifer Adams Aldrich as co-author. A professor of Hospitality Management at Johnson and Wales University in Providence, Rhode Island, Jennifer has taught menu planning for a number of years. In addition, she has served as editor of Hosteur Magazine, an international publication for Hospitality Management students. Her industry background, academic experience and unique writing style have been combined to enhance the content of the text.
Other changes include a more comprehensive explanation of computer applications to the process of menu planning. This is a vital addition as more and more restaurant and foodservice operations are printing their menus in-house. In addition, Chapter Eight has been completely revised and is now concerned with the process of writing the menu. Demographic data as well as many of the menus have been updated.
The content is divided into four areas beginning with planning the menu. In the first section,market segmentation, demographics, and food preferences of the customer are discussed, along with updated material and illustrations. The capabilities of the staff and equipment to produce the menu are also included in this section. The second part deals with menu profitability. Creating cost cards, menu selling price (markups), and menu analysis are covered to assure a profitable operation. The software included with the book plays an integral part of this section. The third section deals with writing the menu and covers nutrition, menu content, descriptive terminology, and "truth in menu," concluding with menu layout and printing. The fourth section delves into the many types of menus from quick service to fine dining and everything in between. The software contains questions along with the correct answers for every chapter in the text.
Proper menu planning and writing is vital in today's society with consumer advocate groups demanding fresh and healthful listings, corporate boardrooms demanding more sales and profits, and government bureaucracy demanding accurate menu terminology. This text attempts to help the student, manager, or owner answer these demands with clear, easy-to-read, solutions to the problems.
