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 Production
Have you ever been to McDonalds and watched them scoop the chips into the chip containers? The receptacles are designed to hold a particular amount of product and the design precludes them from adding any more.
The soft drink machines are designed to only dispense a certain amount; McDonalds have their production systems down pat.
I believe that most Australians do not understand the true cost of food. Just ask yourself how much do you throw out of our fridge each week, because the use by date has passed or, we are a little suspicious of the time the meal has spent in the fridge, Maybe it looks off, or it doesn’t taste the same.
Any restaurant that doesn’t practice profitable preparation could have this scenario multiplied 100 fold. Every item of food thrown out immediately increases your food cost and depletes your profit margin.
In every restaurant I have ever managed, I have made it a point to have a chat with the chefs at each meal period just after the peak service time, which gives me the opportunity to review all aspects of one menu production from the customer’s point of view. Being near the stewarding area I’m there to look at what is coming back on the plates, to see if the majority of the plates are empty, what is popular and what is not. I can also see what the portions like are, and what is being left on the plate. To evaluate a good menu it’s the only place to start, and you can see your customer’s needs, likes and dislikes.
The rubbish bin can also tell you how the food is being prepared; what the trimming is like, the quality of portioned food, the quality of the holding cool rooms and fridges. So a good starting point is the end point.
But if we had to start at the beginning what is the first point of call ?….
1. STANDARD RECIPES
You have to use standard recipes consistently.
Steps to standardize Recipes:
- Determine the exact quantities of ingredients
- List ingredients in order of use
- Reference equipment to use and include temperature, cooking times, mixer speeds
- Show exact container sizes
- Include yields and portion sizes
- Give garnish specs for each plate
- Display photos of final Plate Presentation
A very good recipe costing program available for free trial is resortsoftware. This is a program designed by chefs for chefs and is an Australian product. It is available for download on the web at http://www.resortsoftware.com/
I mention this because this program enables chefs, restaurateurs, to build a library and a repertoire of Recipes and Menus that can be fully costed and maintained. Keep an eye on our site for a tutorial on Resortsoftware.
2. Implement a policy of no nibbling, Enable the staff to sample the menu and have knowledge of the products and how they are infused together. Make sure the staff knows how much the production of food costs.
3. Pre-portion wherever possible.
4. Use the right portioning tools
- Scales cups, scoops, ladles
- Keep enough utensils on hand
- Audit the process
- Document and ensure correct portion sizes & tools to use in the right areas.
5. Don’t over-produce. With today’s POS systems it is easy to track the popularity of dishes by unit numbers as well as profitability ( see Menu Engineering)
6. Serve HOT food HOT and COLD food COLD. Ensure that you don’t have a customer reject a meal simply because of the temperature of the meal.
7. Don’t let employees consume mistakes. The quickest way to increase Food Cost would be to promote this practice.
8. Become obsessed with sanitation. In the Magazine "Food service" Nov 06 there is an article on Greg Doyle, and his restaurant Pier. In the article they describe the extent that Greg goes to keep his fish produce Fresh, individually wrapping the fish in wax paper and placing them on specially designed stainless steel containers designed to take any excess moisture.
9. Find creative ways to use leftovers, One of the attributes of a well designed menu is the variety of dishes that can be created with the same ingredients. Develop innovative and creative solutions to utilize your ingredients.
10. Keep all equipment in proper working order, develop a preventative maintenance program for large equipment and look after the functionality of small equipment. Keep knives sharp.
The kitchen is the production factory of the restaurant, treat it as any other production facility, Utilize Just-in-time Management techniques and inventory controls. Keep abreast of new ideas, and continually examine the cost benefit of proportioned foods against raw product. |
