CHAPTER 3

TYPES OF MEALS AND MENU!!!!

YOUR MOST WELCOME IN THIS SESSION

 TYPES OF MEALS AND MENU

Is the food taken at one time or occasion of taking food.

1. Breakfast: Is the first meal of the day and is
normally taken in the morning.
Continental breakfast- is a simple breakfast where
the following items are served; coffee, tea, butter,
preserves, Danish Pastries.
English breakfast- is the continental breakfast with
addition to the following items; fruits, juices, cereals,
egg dishes, bacon, sausages. It is according to guest’s
will.
Anglo-American breakfast- Is English breakfast
with addition of the following items; potatoes, steaks,
fish, cold platters. It is also according to guest’s will.
 2. Lunch:
Is the meal taken during the mid day, may consists of four
courses.
3. Dinner: Is the meal taken in evening and may dinner
consists of five courses.
4. Supper: It the last meal taken before you retire to bed and
is in form of a snack.
Other type of meals:
5. Brunch- A meal taken in between breakfast and lunch. It
consists of parts of both breakfast and lunch items.
6. High tea-This is taken at 10 o’ Clock and 4 o’ Clock to
bridge in between the main meals of the day. Usually tea
or coffee and snacks are served.
MENUS

There are basically only two types of food menus; the

table d’hôte and the a la carte.
 From these two types of menus there are in practice
many adaptation of each.
 The adaptations are commonly classified as; special or
party menus
1. TABLE D’HOTE MENUS

The table d’hôte menu is a French phrase which literally

means” host’s table” where a meal is served at a set time.
 It is used as terminology to indicate a menu with only a
few choices within the courses are offered and charged at a
fixed price.
 Such a menu may also be called Prix fixe ( “fixed
price”).
The choice and number of courses will usually be limited to 2-4.
The table d’hôte menu is identified by:

Being a limited menu.

Offering a small number of courses, usually three or four.
A fixed selling price
All the dishes being ready at a set time.
A limited choice of dishes within each course
Table d'hôte menus can be offered for breakfast, lunch and
dinners.
 They are many adaptations used for Table d'hôte menu:-

BANQUETS: - A banquet menu is a fixed menu at a set price

offering usually no choice whatsoever to the customers.
BUFFETS: - Buffet type meals vary considerably depending
on the occasion, and the price paid e.g. simple finger buffet
and exotic folk buffet. Buffets are prepared for such occasions
as wedding receptions, press receptions, conferences and
presentation. Buffets can be classified as a form a form of
table d’hôte menu as they offer a restricted menu, a limited
choice of what is on the buffet, a predetermined set price and
all the dishes are available at a set time.
COFFEE HOUSES: - A coffee house menu is a more recent
form of table d’hote menu which is commonly used today in
hotels and restaurants.
This type of menu contains popular type of dishes and is
easier to control.
 Advantages

Pricing is easier- Offer a complete menu for one price

Easy to control as the number of clients may be known in
advance
Meal is usually available at a set time
It could increase turnover-Guests will make menu
decisions faster and orders are also easier to put together
in the kitchen since the combinations are limited.
Disadvantages

Pricing inflexibility- Clients pay full amount irrespective

of amount consumed.
Limited choice is available
People get food they may not necessarily want thus
wastage
Guest may feel it costs too much. This concern is related
to the above point. If they get food they do not want and
do not eat, they can feel abused because they had to pay
for it. The price/value perception is negative.
2. A LA CARTE MENUS
Is the menu which offers a wide range of individually
priced dishes, whereby the guest has own choice of menu.
The original menus that offered consumers choices were
prepared on a small chalkboard, in French a carte; so
foods chosen from a bill of fare are described as á la
carte,” according to the board”
Being usually a larger menu than a table d’hôte menu and
The a la carte menu is identified by:-

offering a greater choice.

Listing under the course headings all of the dishes that
may be prepared by the establishment.
All dishes being prepared on order.
Each dish being separately priced.
Usually being more expensive than a table d’hôte menu
Often containing the exotic and high cost seasonal foods.
Part of a la carte menu may contain a plat du jour or
specialty of the house’s section. This contains usually one or
two main dishes separately priced, which are already
prepared and change daily.

A special promotional menu is a form of a la carte menu

which is at times offered to the guest in addition to a la carte
menu.
 This type of menu is concerned with the selling
of a particular part of the menu to:
Increase the interest for the customer.
Increase the average spending by the customer
Increase the turnover and the profit for the caterer
 Promotions may be made by specially printing attractive
menus for items like; shellfish, mushrooms, burgers e.tc.
Notice!!!!
A la carte menus are because of their size and the
unknown demand of each item, more difficult to control
than the typical table d’hôte menus
Advantages

Offers wide choice to guests

It is flexible since the guest can compose own menu and
price
Disadvantages
Slow since the meals are prepared a la minute
Expensive to operate as it requires stock of wide range of
food items as well as equipment
It is difficult to control since the number of orders is
unpredictable.
Likely to result in wastage if the partially prepared food
items are not sold in time.
3. SPECIAL or PARTY MENUS

They are menus offered to certain group of special

guests or for a function or certain occasion.
 Since all the guests start the meal at the same time, one
must be careful to put in menu that which can be easily
prepared to serve a large group of people.
 These menus are fixed or set in content and prices are
agreed upon in advance.
This menu is used in different form:
Banquet
Buffet
Cyclical
Barbeque
 (A)BANQUET
This fixed menu at a set price offering no choice
whatsoever to the customer, unless the client informs the
caterer in advance of certain guests’ requirements; it is
available to all guests at a predetermined time and
seating.
Advantages
No order taking- easy to serve
Easy to control since the meals and numbers are
predetermined
Disadvantages
Does not offer any choice unless there is prior
arrangement
 (B)BUFFET

Presentation of wide variety/ Selection of dishes displayed on

one or series of tables for self service
Type of Buffets
Display buffet:- Display of food and various beverages in
the centre or at the entrance of a restaurant to catch the
customer’s eyes and set them in good dining mood.

Breakfast buffet:- Display of dishes for the first meal of the

day e.g. cereals, fruits, juices, breads, preserves, cheese, cold
cuts e.tc.

Cold buffet:- Display of cold food items on a buffet table in

the dining area to be taken as main meal. Different platters
are decorated in an attractive and eye catching manner.
Type of Buffets..Cont…
Hot and Cold Buffet:- Hot and cold dishes are displayed
in the dining area. To keep the hot dishes warm over a
period of time, special equipment e.g. chaffing dishes,
hot plates, carving trolley etc are required.

Cocktail/ reception buffet:- Menu for guests while

standing . Hot and cold canapés (bites) are displayed on
a buffet table or smaller tables in various places of the
function room. It is not main meal and alcoholic and
non-alcoholic beverages are also served.

Ethnic or specialty buffet:- For functions of all kinds e.g.

Cultural groups, vegetarian, promotional, occasional etc
 Advantages

Provides opportunity to use leftovers

Wide range of choice
Saves time for the guest
Provides opportunity for creativity and display of artistic
skills e.g. show pieces, centre prices and garnishes.
Disadvantages
It is expensive
It is difficult to control portion sizes
Requires maximum attention and close supervise i.e.
replenishing, maintaining right temperature, keeping
counters tidy etc.
(C)CYCLICAL MENUS
These are a series of table d’hôte menus e.g. 3 weeks
which are repeated again and again for a set period of
time.
 They are used often in hospitals and industrial catering
as an aid to establishing a pattern of customer demand
for a menu item and as a result assist purchasing,
preparation of items, and staffing requirements.
 FACTORS CONSIDERED IN CYCLICAL MENU PLANNING:

1. LENGTH OF TIME:
• Determined by the management.
• Time of the year and availability of different food items.
2. VARIATION IN SEASON:
 Monitor season and availability of raw materials such
that demand for certain dishes is not affected.
3. TYPE OF ESTABLISHMENT:
* Staff canteens, hospital, colleges and barracks.
* Make accurate forecasts.
* Realize benefits of large scale contract purchasing.
4. DURATION OF STAY OF GUESTS OR
CONSUMERS:
Smaller menu circles for hotels and hospitals.
Larger menu circles for universities and colleges.
5. CONSUMER PREFERENCE:
* Accommodate customer requirements and suggestions
6. NUTRITIONAL VALUES OR NEEDS:
 Plan well balanced menus in terms of diet.
7. SPENDING POWER OF CLIENTS:
 Set pocket friendly prices for the menus.
Advantages of cyclical menu:
It provides a system for repeating specific menu items to
provide the greatest possible variety with the least
amount of time and effort.
 Creates possibility to satisfy regular customers who want
a change without alienating(Isolate) those who do not.
 It allows management time to plan and forecast on
purchasing and quality production.
 It gives a better overall picture of the menu mix for an
operational period of time.
Time saving: removes the daily or weekly task of
compiling menus.
 Gives better efficiency in time and labor.
Can cut down on the number of commodities held in
stock and can assist in planning for storage requirement.
Another advantage of cycle menu is the fact that
repetition improves performance by the workers and this
improves productivity and is ideal for training situations.
 Disadvantages:

The caterer cannot easily take advantage of ‘GOOD

BUYS’ offered by suppliers on a daily or weekly basis
unless the items are required on the cyclical menu.
Captive customers can be bored by the repetition of
dishes if the menu cycle is short.
Limits chefs creativity and innovativeness e.g. use of
left-overs
 (D) BARBEQUE
Active grilled and service of meat and fish dishes in the
guests view. Supplements to the meat may be served
i.e. starches, vegetables, sauces etc.
Advantages
Live cooking in an open area may create an ambience
which makes guests to enjoy more
Promptness of service is likely since the chef can
monitor guest’s arrival.
Disadvantage
It is labour intensive
 (E)COFFEE HOUSE MENU
A more recent form of table d’hôte menu which is
commonly used today in hotels and restaurants; this
type of menu is characterized by:-
Being a set menu offered often for twelve to eighteen
hours of the day.
Being reasonably priced, with each dish or section of the
menu individually priced.
Offering a range of items that are suitable for snacks,
lunch or dinner.
Offering a limited range of foods;
Ready cooked
Convenience foods( easy to cook)
Quick to cook e.g. Omelet’s, hamburgers etc.
A simplified form of service being offered e.g.
Counter service
Plate service
END OF CHAPTER!!
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