The Factors Influencing Menu Planning and Menu Product Development Processes - Essay Example

Menu Planning and Product Development (Unit 25) Table of Contents Task A: Produce a Research Report Describing the Factors Influencing Menu Planning and Menu Product Development Processes 3 a)Principles of Recipe Development 3 b) Factors That Influence Menu Planning Decisions 4 c)Factors That Influence Service Methods 5 d)Discussion of the Stages of the Planning Of Menu Product Development 5 e)Evaluation of the Influences on the Menu Product Development Process 7 Task B: Produce a Research Report Presenting Your Findings and Recommendations Related To a Food Service Environment and Develop a New Food Service Concept 8 a)Justification of the Design Menu by Taking into Concern Recipe Development 8 b)Justification of the Development of the Food Service Environment to Support the Menu, Recipe and Service Style 9 Task C: Produce a Research Report Presenting Your Findings Related To a New Food Service Concept 11 a)Creation and Assessment of a New Food Concept 11 b) Research of Customer Requirements for the New Food Concept 12 c) Recommendations on Launching the New Food Concept 13 Task D: Self-Evaluation 14 a)Review of Own Performance with Suggestions for Improvements 14 References 16 Task A: Produce a Research Report Describing the Factors Influencing Menu Planning and Menu Product Development Processes a) Principles of Recipe Development Prior to discussing about the principles of recipe development, it can be affirmed that a recipe is mainly regarded as one of the taste procedures and standardized sets of preparing any food. It determines which ingredients are to be used along with their proportion and mixing in preparing quality and delicious product. Thus, in this context, one of the fundamental principles of recipe development is conducting proper planning about designing a specific menu item, which is being accepted by the customers having different tastes. Apparently noted, recipes are developed for several reasons and these must be designed in such a way so that the recipes meet the needs of the customers. The product development aspect is denoted to be one of the reasons for promoting the existing and new products, which mainly falls into the procedure of recipe testing. This could be the other basic principle of recipe development. Apart from the above discussed principles, evaluation is also regarded as the other prime principle of recipe development. Justifiably, recipes are mainly evaluated to observe the responses and the ways these can be improved for obtaining better results (Butler, 2014; Cole, 2011). The below depicted pictorial illustration provides a better idea about the varied principles of recipe development. Figure 1: Principles of Recipe Development b) Factors That Influence Menu Planning Decisions The aspects influencing the decisions related to menu planning are often viewed to play imperative role for hotel and restaurant industry. In recent years, it can be ascertained that the taste of the customers/individuals has greatly changed and is incessantly transforming. Thus, it is to be ensured that nutrients and balanced diets are incorporated within a menu to serve customers efficiently. Nowadays, the customers are much concerned towards calorie food contents that require to be taken into concern while making decisions relating to menu planning (Hodder Education, 2014). There lay broad assortment of factors that may influence the menu planning decisions. In recent years, children, elderly people and teenagers have different dietary needs and thus it is necessary to make effective menu planning decisions. In this regard, the diverse kinds of meals, their respective texture and taste are noted to be influencing the decisions of menu planning at large. Apart from these, food garnishing, kitchen type and capability of staff members are also considered to be the imperative factors influencing menu planning decisions by a considerable degree. Price must also be kept on top most priority as it mainly affects the menu planning decisions at large (Hodder Education, 2014). c) Factors That Influence Service Methods While determining the factors that influence service methods, it would be vital to mention that the competition within the service industry has largely increased. It has been apparently noted that an extensive variety of food styles along with food culture and catering products have influenced the service methods of various hospitality organisations. In recent times, “food” has drag the attention of the tourists and the people travel from one place to other, which in turn, made the hospitality organisations to develop their respective service methods as per their requirements. It is worth mentioning that the service industry is mainly affected by menu, service and product quality among others that might harm the industry in terms of incurring substantial costs (Tang, 2013). Menu can be seen as an influential factor of service method in hospitality industry. Thus, a menu must be designed in such a way that it meets the needs and the desires of the customers, which is generally considered to be a topmost priority for the management of varied hospitality organisations. Once this condition is fulfilled, it will be easy for the service industry to comply with the requirements of the guests. Thus, it can be affirmed that an effective menu design will help in offering excellent service to the customers and thereby raise the sales of the food items (Tang, 2013). d) Discussion of the Stages of the Planning Of Menu Product Development The stages of planning of menu product development include arranging menu logically, incorporate wide variety of food items, listing food items and their price, food texture along with flavour, eye appealing and colour. These have been portrayed and discussed in the following discussion. Figure 2: Stages of Planning of Menu Product Development Based on the above discussion, it can be affirmed that arranging menu logically will certainly help the guests to order items easily. The wide variety of food items must be presented in such a way so that their prices are clearly visible to the guests. It is to be affirmed that the accessibility of varied food items would make a menu more appealing and interesting. The listing of varied food items and their respective prices is also one of the prime aspects, which require to be taken into concern while planning for the development of a menu product. It must be remembered that nowadays, the customers or the guests are quite conscious about low calorie as well as fat content food items. Thus, it is essential to take into concern this vital aspect while making effective planning for menu product development (Rudolph, 2000). Meeting the taste of the customers is also one of the important factors to be taken into concern while planning for menu product development. It can be affirmed in this similar concern that serving dishes with green salad will be seen more appealing to the customers. In addition, the texture of the dishes will also attract the customers to consume the same at large. Apart from the above discussed factors, it is quite necessary to inspect the colours that are likely to be used in producing foods in the context of making efficient planning of menu product development (Rudolph, 2000). e) Evaluation of the Influences on the Menu Product Development Process Notably, one of the prime factors influencing the procedure of menu product development is the operations or the activities perform by the staff members. In precise, it can be affirmed that before the management of a hospitality organisation begins with planning of designing a menu, service personnel and their cooking skills must be carefully assessed (Al-Juboori & Al Saleem, n.d.; Malik & Kumar, 2012). It is worth mentioning that the quality of the operations perform by the personnel of a hospitality organisation, costs and sanitation standards largely influence the procedure of menu product development at large. It can be affirmed in this similar concern that a poorly designed menu may increase food costs, labour charges and can destroy the quality of the food items. This will certainly lead in losing the customers affecting directly on the profitability of such organisations. Nevertheless, staff training for offering quality services to the customers often plays an imperative role in the procedure of menu product development. Thus, the managers of respective hospitality organisations must conduct meetings regularly and provide training to new staff members for dealing with the customers and assisting them to opt for the new items included in a menu (Al-Juboori & Al Saleem, n.d.; Malik & Kumar, 2012). Thus, employees’ training has large influence on the procedure of menu product development. Task B: Produce a Research Report Presenting Your Findings and Recommendations Related To a Food Service Environment and Develop a New Food Service Concept a) Justification of the Design Menu by Taking into Concern Recipe Development With regards to provide a valid justification about the design of a menu taking into concern its recipe development, the menu item or the recipe i.e. Chicken Pasta Salad has been taken into concern. The design of this menu item concerning the recipe development can be judged from the ingredients that are likely to be used while making the item. In this regard, the ingredients that might be used in this recipe have been presented in the following. Spinach , Pasta spirals and Tomato Salt/Bacon pieces Roasted chicken cut into pieces Cherry Tomatoes Black olives with stones removed Chopped Onions Carrot and Fresh Parsley Mashed Garlic Lemon/ coriander leaf Green Chills/ Red pesto/ Olive oil Crushed cheese Figure 2: Showing the Ingredients Related To Chicken Pasta Salad Apart from determining the ingredients that are likely to be used while making the aforesaid menu item or recipe, its design taking into concern the recipe development can also be judged from the cooking technique. In terms of analysing the cooking technique, it can be affirmed that initially, the pasta has to be cooked properly and remain much conscious that it does not get overcooked. In order to make sure that the pasta remains soft, there lays the requirement of refreshing the pasta with cold water so that it does not get stick to each other. After this, the chicken will be cut into small pieces and make them fry in a pan with certain quantity of olive oil and the cooking process continues (NewsLifeMedia, 2014). The menu item i.e. Chicken Pasta Salad will be designed in such a way so that the item delivers enormous nutritional value to the guests. This could be made in the form of incorporating more nutritional as well as low calorie contents within the food item. By taking into concern the factor of recipe development, it can be ascertained that the ingredients used in this food item will help the customers in digesting foods without having any complication. The included ingredients will mainly comprise high fibres that help in lowering the cholesterol level. The cheese included in the recipe development is just to have some taste in the dish. Specially mentioning, no spices will be added in this recipe and the salad will mainly comprise certain anti-oxidants, aiding in protecting human body from certain harmful molecules (NewsLifeMedia, 2014). b) Justification of the Development of the Food Service Environment to Support the Menu, Recipe and Service Style With regards to justify the development of food service environment to support the aforesaid menu item, recipe and service style, it can be ascertained that both indoor along with outdoor facilities greatly affect the image of food service industry. It is worth mentioning that the design as well as the layout of the facilities is also one of the important considerations in menu planning and menu product development within which food preparation and service style are developed. In order to support the above discussed menu item or recipe and its service style, the dining room and the kitchen are the unique resources of the food serving industry that require to be taken into concern. In this similar context, the facilities within the kitchen wherein the menu item will be produced must be adequate for storing, cooking, preparing and then serving to the customers. Specially mentioning, menu planning and its development stages aid in creating demands of the food items. During the design of the food items, a reasonable amount of investment is required to be made for fulfilling the desires of the customers or the guests. While justifying the development of the food service environment in supporting the menu or the recipe of Chicken Pasta Salad and its service style, it can be affirmed that this menu is required to be prepared through fresh local or garden-fresh ingredients, which will eventually provide health related benefits to the guests (Hine & et. al., 2003). In relation to provide appropriate justification of the development of the food service environment to support the menu, recipe and service style of Chicken Pasta Salad, it can be affirmed that the decisions associated with menu planning and menu product development directly affects the purchasing, receiving and storing requirements of a hospitality organisation. The size of storage needed for keeping the ingredients and finished raw materials fresh plays an imperative in supporting the aforesaid menu along with its service style by a considerable extent (Hine & et. al., 2003). Apart from the above discussed aspects, the development of the food service environment can be made in the form of utilising high-end computer technologies. Justifiably, these technologies possess the capacity of organising as well as managing the entire food production procedure starting from ordering, obtaining and most significantly producing a final product. Providing necessary services and bringing the dishes to the table of guests or customers greatly appreciate in providing adequate support to a specific menu item or recipe and service style. Specially mentioning, the value of providing goods and/or services to the customers helps in making certain decisions concerning the improvement of the same and raising the customer base. Thus, based on the above discussion, it can be affirmed that the development of food service environment by taking into concern the above discussed aspects would certainly aid in supporting the menu item or the recipe of Chicken Pasta Salad and its service style at large (Hine & et. al., 2003). Task C: Produce a Research Report Presenting Your Findings Related To a New Food Service Concept a) Creation and Assessment of a New Food Concept It is quite obvious to the fact that the modern world is experiencing increased extent of globalisation along with internationalisation. By taking into concern this aspect, an attempt has been made to create as well as assess a new food concept including justification for choice, customer requirements and recommendations to launch the same in the worldwide business markets. In this regard, the new food concept, which is to be created along with assessed, is ‘sou-fru.’ This new food concept is the combination of soup containing fruits. The rationale for selecting and assessing this new food concept is that it is duly considered one of the easy and quick meals, offering numerous health benefits to the guests. The soup can be made easily with the incorporation of large variety of ingredients and fruits that are rich in vitamin and minerals. Nowadays, it can be apparently observed that the customers prefer to consume such foods that possess low fat as well as calorie contents. Recent researches and experiments revealed that it is quite necessary for the individuals to intake fresh vegetables and fruits daily for leading a healthy life. The new food concept i.e. ‘sou-fru’ can be regarded as one of the best sources to provide all nutrients in a single bowl. The addition of fruits will certainly make the food richer in nutrients. The new food concept may contain certain beans and pieces of fish in order to provide high nutritional menu item to the guests. Tomatoes are being considered as one of the good source of lycopene, an antioxidant, which mainly helps in reducing certain severe health problems like cancer. Moreover, the addition of fruits in the soup will help the customers to have plenty of dietary fibres that will further aid in reducing fat and cholesterol level by a considerable degree. It can be affirmed from a broader understanding that the soup being healthier and the addition of fruits will make the new food concept more reach in micronutrients and minerals. It is expected that these will help in combating various diseases and also nurturing organs as well as cells of human body. Thus, the above discussed new food concept will largely meet the needs of the people and will help them to remain healthy for longer time period. b) Research of Customer Requirements for the New Food Concept In order to assess the requirements of the customers towards consuming the new food concept i.e. ‘sou-fru, it can be affirmed that this new food concept will be a preferred choice for those customers who seems to be quite health conscious and want to lead healthy life for longer time period. It has been apparently noted that nowadays, the customers seek for obtaining healthy foods. Due to this particular reason, the perception of the people regarding food and its content has greatly changed over the preceding few years. The change perception of the customers can be noted as that they are no longer looking for fast services and conveniences, rather they emphasise food quality and taste excessively. Moreover, it has also been apparently noted that the service industry has become extremely competitive due to which it is focusing on what the customers will like to prefer rather than considering health beneficial aspects. Introducing the new food concept i.e. ‘sou-fru’ into the menu will help the hospitality organisations to meet the requirements of the customers belonging to this modern day context concerning product taste and health benefits. It can be affirmed that the customers are surely going to prefer this new item as it is rich in flavour and possess sufficient nutritional constituents. The flavour of the food and its aroma will drag the attention of the customers in any location. The new food concept is quite eye appealing as this provide significant health benefits to the guests. c) Recommendations on Launching the New Food Concept After justifying the choice of the new food concept i.e. ‘sou-fru’ and determining customers’ requirements regarding the same, certain suggestions have been provided that will help in successfully launching this new food concept. In order to make the new product available to number of customers, it will be easy to promote the new food item through introducing the same in diverse malls located in dissimilar regions. Apart from this, various promotional events can also be conducted in order to launch the above stated food concept. This will certainly guide and provide an opportunity to make the new food item accessible to huge figure of individuals. It is worth mentioning that the pamphlets sharing the information about the new food concept can also act as an effective tool in launching the same. The pamphlets must include the necessary details about the new product and also sufficient information about the contents of the ingredients as nowadays, people seeks for lowered fat as well as calorie contents of new dishes that are introduced into the market. Generally, introducing a new food product for the customers in the market and reaching the same to the customers is the first step in selling a product. Thus, it can be affirmed that the service industry must effectively use the aforementioned promotional strategies for launching the new food concept successfully and also to meet the demands of the customers. Task D: Self-Evaluation a) Review of Own Performance with Suggestions for Improvements From the above analysis and discussion, it can be affirmed that the new food concept i.e. ‘sou-fru’ will be a preferred choice for those customers who mainly prefer healthy diets and desire to lead healtheir life. It is worth mentioning that there lay certain ways based on which a particular new food concept can be made better, which clarifies that their still exists certain improvement areas of ‘sou-fru.’ In order to make the new food concept more hygienic, it is quite necessary to adopt certain effective decisions regarding the preservation of food quality. Nowadays, the people or the customers eat healthy food items but remain ill. Thus, there lays the requirement of enhancing the food quality of ‘sou-fru’ in order to deliver certain significant benefits to the customers. The new food concept i.e. ‘sou-fru mainly includes vegetables and fruits and thus, if no proper preservation is taken, then the ingredients used in this food item will get contaminated, affecting customers’ health at large. In this regard, one of the suggestions to make improvement is making the staff members to keep the environment clean so that no unwanted things are added to the new dish. It is worth mentioning that there are certain aspects that need to be taken into concern while preparing the ‘sou-fru.’ These aspects include the ingredients that are likely to be used in the new food concept and also the packaging. Moreover, apart from these, the food levels should be carefully checked before including the ingredients that may hamper the quality of the food. Every ingredient, which is likely to be used in the making the new food concept ‘sou-fru’ must be kept in refrigerator as the ingredients and the vegetables will not taste good if they are not kept fresh. It is also necessary to wash different chopping boards and utensils while preparing the food as these contain bacteria, which has the potentiality to affect the health of the customers. After acquiring a brief idea about the improvement areas, it can be affirmed from a broader understanding that the new food concept will be able to grasp the attention of the consumers at large. This can be justified with reference to the fact that the incorporation of healthy ingredients and fruits will certainly provide a chance to the customers in leading their life healthy for longer time period. It is also expected that various promotional strategies and methods will surely provide active support to the hospitality organisations in enlarging their respective customer base through introducing and launching the new food concept as a healthier one as compared to other food items. The new food concept i.e. ‘sou-fru’ is healthy and filled with full of nutrients as well as protein that will eventually help the customers to remain healthy for longer time period. It is the combination of fresh vegetables and fruits, which will certainly make the new food concept i.e. ‘sou-fru’ to meet the taste of the customers, which is changing regularly in recent times. References Al-Juboori, N. F. M. & Al Saleem, A. S. M. R., No Date. Analysis of The Menus’ Factors That Are Influential In Increasing The Volume Of Sales: An Empirical Study On First-Class Restaurants In Baghdad. European Scientific Journal, Vol. 8, No. 28, pp. 46-60. Butler, J., 2014. Making Soda At Home: Mastering the Craft of Carbonation. Quarry Books. Cole, J., 2011. Recipe Development. Article and More. [Online] Available at: http://janicecole.net/articles-more/recipe-development/ [Accessed July 12, 2014]. Hodder Education, 2014. Catering Operation, Cost and Menu Planning. The Organization of the Kitchen. 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