Menu planning for the less experienced chef can open up a vast amount of options that may cause a ‘deer in the headlights’ effect when it comes to putting pen to paper.
Less is usually more, and restricting your choices can make for a fun and creative menu that’s price point appropriate and keeps your customers coming back for more.
Today we’re covering 4 tips we think will help you clean up with your menu planning activities.
Seasonal
The easiest way to narrow down your choice is to use mostly seasonal produce. Not only will this be more budget friendly, but can help guide your theme for the menu, for example a Summer menu featuring fresh vine-ripened tomatoes.
Although many ingredients are available all year round, crops such as stone fruit, avocados and some meats are best when prepared fresh and in season.
Pricing
What’s your price point? Think about your pricing structure and choose menu items based on ingredients that fit within that. Using less expensive ingredients forces you to be creative and work within your budget.
Flexible
When planning and ordering provisions, keep in mind ingredients that could easily be used across multiple menu items, such as nuts or bacon. This can help you order in bulk.
Also be flexible with the use of prepped ingredients, and be ready to repurpose to avoid wastage.
Bigger Picture
Think about stock you already have, and the shelf life of products you’re ordering in. While long-life products can be stored if unused, many meat and cheese products will need to be used sooner rather than later.
What does the whole menu look like? Think about how the customer orders, what if they order entree, main and dessert? Will your menu items be prepped and ready to go in quick succession?
Also think about history, what has been popular in the past? Building a menu with a modern twist on an old classic is an easy way to create popular items.
Summary
When you’re starting out planning menus, the key take-away is less is more, and focus on quality rather than quantity.
If you’re after the right advice on stocking items for your new menu, contact our chef-qualified team today.