Catering

Price of Menu and Portion Control

Price of Menu

Customers are generally willing to pay a fair price for a fair portion. The price the caterer can charge will depend on the quality of the food and the surroundings. The price you expect to pay for a meal in McDonald’s would not be the same as you would expect to pay in a five-star hotel, where you are paying not only for the food but the service and the surroundings

Caterers working in residential establishments like hospitals, homes, prisons and schools usually have only a limited budget, so have to keep costs to a minimum.

Commercial establishments have to make a profit in order to stay in business. The selling price, (price shown on the menu) must consider:

Food costs Overheads (gas, electric, lighting, rates and

rent) Labour costs (staff wages) Profit

The actual food costs are calculated at about forty percent of the selling price. This means that if a dish costs £4.00 per portion to make, it would be sold for £10.00 per portion

How much will your dish cost?

Use the receipts to work out the cost of your dish Add up the cost of your ingredients remembering that

you might not have used all of some of them and will need to work out the cost of the part you have used

Divide the total by 4, this gives you 10% of the cost. Multiply this figure by 10 to get the total selling price of

your dish Ingredients cost £4.00÷4=£1.00 £1.00x10=£10.00 this is the price your dish will cost on

the menu Ingredients cost £6.00÷4=£1.50 £1.50x10=£15.00 selling price

Costing:

It is vital to cost dishes accurately to make a reasonable profit. Portion control (keeping the size of a portion the same every time by using the same size container or serving spoon).

The total cost of a food item depends upon 3 things:Food or materials cost the cost of the raw materials or ingredients. Labour costs - Direct labour cost e.g. the wages of the chefs, Indirect Labour

costs - other people who work in the restaurant.Overheads - the cost of rent, rates, heating, lighting, electricity, gas.

Sales - Food Cost = Gross ProfitSales - total cost = Net ProfitFood cost + Gross Profit = Sales

Gross Profit is usually around 40%Net Profit (after Labour & overheads have been taken out) is around 20%

Weights & Measure Act 1985 Weights and measurements of products must be accurate.

Portion Control

Portion control concerns the amount of each menu item produced and served. It will depend upon the type of customer, the actual food item (some foods are very rich and only served in small portions) and the selling price of the food.

Good portion control is needed to:Keeps costs downKeep losses in food preparation and

serving to a minimumTo offer customers a ‘satisfying’ portion

without wasteTo make a profit

Portions can be ‘marked’ in the kitchen i.e. cutting lines are marked on dishes to show how big the portions should be.

Careful garnishes or decorations (such as on a gateau or cheesecake) will also indicate portion size.

There is also a range of equipment that can be used to portion food:

Scoops – used for ice cream, mashed potatoes ladles – used for soups, sauces and gravies Fruit juice glasses – for fruit juice Individual pie dishes – shepherds pie, fish pie, steak and onion

pie, steak and kidney pie, lasagne Ramekins – egg custards, mousses, pates Sundae dishes – Sundae dishes Individual moulds – jellies mousses Individual pudding basins – summer pudding, Christmas pudding,

steamed pudding, meat pudding Butter-pat machines – butter Milk dispensers – milk Soup plates or bowls – soups, salads Serving spoons/tablespoons – fruit or vegetables