One of the most important points of catering service is menu planning. For catering companies, the reason for success or failure can be menu planning. Many catering companies lose both money and, more importantly, the trust and appreciation of their customers because they cannot make the right menu planning. The subtleties of menu planning await you in this article from Besler Catering, the leading name in the catering, mass catering, ready-made food, and transported catering sector in the Adana, Mersin, Osmaniye, and Hatay regions.
In menu planning, it is necessary to be able to make the correct combination of quality, flavor, and affordable price. Universal menu planning methods are utilized for this.
Menu Planning Methods
There are 3 basic methods frequently used in the world for menu planning for catering companies. Customers can choose the one most suitable for their own needs and possibilities from these methods, which we call Standard Menu, Categorized Menu, and Selective Menu. These three different methods may have their own pros and cons. Let's examine each one individually.
1- Standard Menu
The standard menu is the most frequently preferred menu planning method by both catering companies in our country and client companies requesting this service. The determined menu is presented in the same form at a standard price for every customer.
What Are the Advantages of the Standard Menu?
- Standard menus provide great convenience for the catering company in both operation and planning stages. Preparing a standard menu is a much easier operation than preparing different meals in the same food production center.
- Standard menu planning, which also reduces the costs of the client company, will make it easier for them to receive quality service at a much more affordable price.
- Since different menus are not prepared for each customer, the shipment and presentation operation will also become much easier, faster, and more economical.
Disadvantages of the Standard Menu
- Customers do not have much say over the menu individually, and it observes the general appreciation without fully meeting the wishes of those with different preferences...
- Standard menu planning is not individual customer-focused. It provides convenience more for the client company and the catering company.
- It is not a sufficiently ideal planning in businesses where people who are vegan, have gluten allergies, or follow special nutrition programs work intensively.
Multiple Choice Menu
The selective menu provides a chance for a catering company to offer a more comprehensive service to its customers. In this menu planning, where different main courses, side dishes, fourth courses, and salad services are offered to customers, the catering company prepares monthly selective menus. The client company can choose one of two or more options from within this menu.
Advantages of Selective Menu Planning
- The chance to choose a menu increases the happiness and satisfaction customers feel from the catering service they receive.
- It ensures that customers with different demands can be served at the same time.
- Preparing different menus at the same time from the same kitchen will increase the operational experience and capability of a catering company.
- The working tempo of every sector and the amount of calories employees need to take are different. This menu planning creates the chance to serve customers with different expectations at the same time.
What Are the Disadvantages of the Selective Menu?
- Offering selective menu service will increase the operation expenses and costs of the catering company, and consequently, this will be reflected in prices.
- The personnel who will manage all this difficult process will also need to be experienced and qualified. The personnel budget needs to be increased.
- Material expenses, stock costs, and the amount of waste and loss in purchased materials will increase.
Categorized Menu Planning
One of the menu planning and design methods of the catering sector is categorized menus. In this method, which is less preferred compared to the other two methods both in our country and in the world, the produced meals are priced by dividing them into 2, 3, 4, or even 5 types of categories in different grammages and versions. Although the meals are the same in the categorized menu, the grammages are different.
Advantages of Categorized Menu Planning
- The opportunity to respond to different price demands of customers arises.
- Compared to the selective menu, both the production cost of the food and the operation expenses are lower.
- It is easier to calculate the calorie measurements of the meals.
Disadvantages of Categorized Menu Planning
- Since an increase in the number of customers will cause an increase in the number of categories, presentation becomes difficult and the operation cost increases.
- Since classifying and shipping the produced meals according to categories will become difficult, there will be an increase in the margin of error and costs.
You can choose the menu planning most suitable for you and your employees and start enjoying Besler Catering's mass catering service at universal quality standards. You can click here to get a quote.
