Chapter 19Chapter 19

Managing the Cost of Food

Managing the Cost of Food

Main IdeasMenu Item ForecastingStandardized RecipesInventory ControlPurchasingReceivingStorageDetermining Actual Food Expense

Menu item forecasting addresses the questions:

• “How many people will I serve today?”

• “What will they order?”

Menu Item Forecasting

Popularity index is defined as the percentage of total guests choosing a given menu item from a list of alternatives.

 

Menu Item Forecasting

Popularity Index =Total Number of a Specific Menu Item Sold

Total Number of All Menu Items Sold

 

Individual menu item forecasting, based on an item’s individual sales history:

Menu Item Forecasting

Number of Guests Expected

× Item Popularity Index

= Predicted Number of That Item to Be Sold

The predicted number to be sold is simply the quantity of a specific menu item likely to be sold given an estimate of the total number of guests expected.

Factors influencing number of guests:

• competition, weather, special events in your area, facility occupancy, your own promotions, your competitor’s promotions, quality of service, and operational consistency.

Sales histories track only the general trends of an operation. They are not precise.

Menu Item Forecasting

Standardized Recipes

The standardized recipe controls both the quantity and quality of what the kitchen will produce.

It consists of the procedures to be used in preparing and serving each of your menu items.

 Good standardized recipes contain the following:

1. Menu item name

2. Total yield (number of servings)

3. Portion size

4. Ingredient list

5. Preparation/method section

6. Cooking time and temperature

7. Special instructions, if necessary

8. Recipe cost (optional)

Standardized Recipes

Standardized Recipes The following list contains arguments often used

against standardized recipes:

1. They take too long to use.

2. My people don't need recipes; they know how we do things here.

3. My chef refuses to reveal his or her secrets.

4. They take too long to write up.

5. We tried them but lost some, so we stopped using them.

6. They are too hard to read, or many of my people cannot read English.

Reasons for incorporating a system of standardized recipes include:

1. Accurate purchasing

2. Dietary concerns are addressed – ingredients identified

3. Accuracy in menu laws – ingredients identified

4. Matching food used to cash sales

5. Accurate recipe costing and menu pricing

6. New employees can be better trained

7. Computerization of a foodservice operation depends on them

Standardized Recipes

Standardized Recipes

When adjusting recipes for quantity (total yield), two general methods may be employed.

They are:

1. Factor Method

2. Percentage Technique

 Factor Method: recipe conversion factor:

Yield Desired

Current Yield = Conversion Factor

Standardized Recipes

For example, a 50 portion recipe can be converted to a 125 portion recipe:

125 / 50 = 2.5

2.5 is multiplied by each ingredient (except spices)

The percentage method deals with recipe weight, rather than with a conversion factor.

Ingredient Weight / Total Recipe Weight = % of Total

then

% of Total × Total Amount Required

= New Recipe Amount

Standardized Recipes

Inventory Control

A desired inventory level is simply the answer to the question, "How much of each needed ingredient should I have on hand at any one time?"

Working stock is the amount of an ingredient you anticipate using before purchasing that item again.

Safety stock is the extra amount of that ingredient you decide to keep on hand to meet higher than anticipated demand.

Inventory levels are determined by a variety of factors:

1. Storage capacity

2. Item perishability

3. Vendor delivery schedule

4. Potential savings from increased purchase size

5. Operating calendar

6. Relative importance of stock outages

7. Value of inventory dollars to the operator

Inventory Control

Inventory Control

Do not overload storage capacity. Leads to greater spoilage and loss due to theft.

Perishability. Shelf life is the amount of time a food item retains its maximum freshness, flavor, and quality while in storage.

The cost to the vendor for frequent deliveries will be reflected in the cost of the goods to the operator.

 Volume or quantity discounts – savings.

• Costs may include: storage costs, spoilage, deterioration, insect or rodent infestation or theft.

The operating calendar plays a large part in determining desired inventory levels.

• Less than seven days per week

• Closed for seasonal purposes

Stock Outages

Inventory Control

Value of Inventory Dollars

• Over-buy or “stockpile” inventory. An opportunity cost is the cost of foregoing the next best alternative when making a decision.

A state institution that is given its entire annual budget may find it advantageous to use its purchasing power to acquire large amounts of inventory at very low prices - stockpiling.

• Fiscal year is 12 months long but may not follow the calendar year.

Inventory Control

A purchase point is that point in time when an item should be reordered. This point is typically designated by one of two methods:

1. As needed (just in time)

2. Par level

Inventory Control

As needed, or just in time method of determining inventory levels.

• Prediction of unit sales

• Sum of the ingredients (from standardized recipes) necessary to produce those sales.

Inventory Control

 Par levels - predetermined purchase points.

•Minimum and maximum amounts

•Minimum – working stock

•Safety stock – 25% to 50% over

•4 + 2 = 6 (purchase point), order 4 to max = 10

Highly perishable items - as-needed basis

Longer shelf life - par level

Inventory Control

Purchasing

Purchasing is essentially a matter of determining the following:

1. What should be purchased?

2. What is the best price to pay?

3. How can a steady supply be assured?

What Should Be Purchased?

Product specification (spec) - a detailed description of an ingredient or menu item.

• Communicate in a very precise way with a vendor so that your operation receives the exact item requested every time.

Each menu item or ingredient should have its own spec.

Purchasing

What to include in specs

•Product name or specification number

•Pricing unit

•Standard or grade

•Weight range/size - count

•Processing and/or packaging

•Container size

•Intended use

•Other information such as product yield

Purchasing

Product yield is the amount of product that you will have remaining after cooking, trimming, portioning, or cleaning.

Purchasing

What Is the Best Price to Pay?

The best price is more accurately stated as the lowest price that meets the long-term goals of both the foodservice operation and its vendor.

Make vs. Buy decisions Bid sheet – comparison shopping

Price comparison sheet – after you have received bids from your suppliers, you can compare those

bids

Purchasing

Purchasing

Bid sheets and price comparison sheets are a good place to start.

Other determining factors: vendor dependability, quality of vendor service, and accuracy in delivery

Purchasing

Minimum order requirement is the smallest order that can be placed with a vendor who delivers.

• If the minimum order requirement cannot be met using the lowest prices, then the manager may have to choose the supplier with the next highest price to fill a complete order.

How Can a Steady Supply Be Assured?

Suppliers have a variety of prices based on the customer to whom they are quoting them.

It is simply in the best interest of a supplier to give a better price to a high volume customer.

Cherry Pickers – how suppliers describe the customer who gets bids from multiple vendors, then buys only those items each vendor has "on sale" or for the lowest price.

Purchasing

Slow pay means high pay.

Vendors can be a great source of information related to new products, cooking techniques, trends, and alternative product usage.

Purchasing

One Vendor Versus Many Vendors

Staples and non-perishables are best purchased in bulk from one vendor.

Orders for meats, produce, and some bakery products are best split among several vendors, perhaps with a primary and secondary vendor in each category so that you have a second alternative should the need arise.

Purchasing

Ethics have been defined as the choices of proper conduct made by an individual in his or her relationships with others.

• Is it legal?

• Does it hurt anyone?

• Am I being honest?

• Would I care if it happened to me?

• Would I publicize my action?

Kickbacks always hurt the company

Purchasing

Daily Inventory Sheet

• Items listed in your storage areas

• Unit of purchase

• Par value

• Columns - on-hand, special order, and order amount

• All pre-printed on the sheet

Purchasing

The par value is listed so that you know how much inventory you should have in storage at any given time.

The amount to be ordered is calculated as follows:

Par Value – On-Hand + Special Order = Order Amount

Purchasing

Regardless of your communication method, it is critical that you prepare a written purchase order, or record of what you have decided to buy. The purchase order (PO) should be made out in triplicate (3 copies).

Purchasing

The written Purchase Order form should contain space for the following information:

Item NameSpec #, if

appropriateQuantity OrderedQuoted PriceExtension PriceTotal Price of OrderVendor Information

Purchase Order Number

Date Ordered

Delivery Date

Ordered by____

Received by_______

Delivery Instructions

Comments

Purchase Order Information

Purchasing

The advantages of a written Purchase Order are many and include the following:

1. Written verification of quoted price

2. Written verification of quantity ordered

3. Written verification of the receipt of all goods ordered

4. Written and special instructions to the receiving clerk, as needed

5. Written verification of conformance to product specification

6. Written authorization to prepare vendor invoice for payment

Purchasing

One individual places the order, while another individual is responsible for verifying delivery and acceptance of the product.

Auditors are individuals responsible for reviewing and evaluating proper operational procedures. They can determine the potential for fraud or theft.

Receiving

Proper control procedures will minimize theft.

Proper receiving includes all of the following features:

1. Proper location

2. Proper tools and equipment

3. Proper delivery schedules

4. Proper training

Receiving

The receiving area must be large enough to allow for checking products delivered against both the invoice and the purchase order.

Accessibility to equipment required to move products to their proper storage area and to dispose of excess packaging is important. Make sure the area stays free of trash and clutter, as these make it too easy to hide delivered food items.

Receiving

Remember that the delivery person is also a potential thief.

The receiving area should be kept extremely clean, since you do not want to contaminate incoming food, or provide a carrying vehicle for pests. The area should be well lit and properly ventilated.

Receiving clerks should have the following equipment: scales, wheeled equipment, box cutter, thermometer, calculator, and records area.

Receiving

Scales should be of two types; those accurate to the fraction of a pound, and those accurate to the fraction of an ounce.

Some operators demand that deliveries be made only at certain times; these are called acceptance hours.

Refusal hours are the times that operators will not accept deliveries.

Receiving

Receiving clerks should be trained to verify the following product characteristics: weight, quantity, quality, and price.

Receiving clerks should be required to weigh all meat, fish, and poultry delivered, with the exception of unopened Cryovac (sealed) packages.

When an item is ordered by weight, it should be verified by weight.

Receiving

Receiving

The counting of boxes, cases, barrels, etc. should be routine. The counting of individual items in a box, such as lemons should be done periodically.

Checking for quality means checking the entire shipment for conformance to specifications.

Receiving

In cases when the vendor is out of the spec item, clerks must know whether it is management's preference to accept a product of higher quality, lower quality, or no product as a substitute.

Clerks need to be trained in two areas regarding pricing: matching PO unit price to invoice unit price, and verifying price extensions and total.

When the person responsible for purchasing food places an order, the confirmed quoted price should be written on the PO.

Receiving

When a discrepancy is discovered, management should be notified immediately.

If management notification is not possible, both the driver and the receiving clerk should initial the “Comment" section of the PO, showing the difference in the two prices.

Shorting is the term used in the industry to indicate that an ordered item has not been delivered as promised.

Receiving

A credit memo is simply a formal way of notifying the vendor that an item listed on the original invoice is missing, and thus the value of that item should be deducted from the invoice total.

A contract price is simply an agreement between buyer and seller to hold the price of a product constant over a defined period of time.

Extended price is simply the unit price multiplied by the number of units delivered.

Receiving

Verifying price extensions is also important, but it is a part of the receiving verification process that need not be done at the time of delivery.

Never assume extensions are correct because a computer did them!

If a supplier consistently shorts your operation, that supplier is suspect both in terms of honesty and lack of concern for your operation's long-term success.

Training your receiving clerk to assess and evaluate quality products is a continuous process.

Receiving

Some large operations use a receiving record when receiving food.

A receiving record generally contains the following information: name of supplier, invoice number, item description, unit price, number of units delivered, total cost, storage area, and date of activity.

Receiving reports can be helpful if it is important to record where items are to be delivered, or have been delivered.

Storage

Remember that storage costs money, in terms of the space for items, and the money that is tied up in inventory items.

In most establishments, the storage process consists of four parts: placing products in storage, maintaining product quality and safety, maintaining product security, and determining inventory value.

Storage

Most often, in foodservice, the high perishability dictates that the same person responsible for receiving the items is the person responsible for their storage.

The two storage methods used are LIFO and FIFO.

When using the LIFO (last in, first out) method, the store-room operator intends to use the most recently delivered product before he or she uses any part of that same product previously on hand.

Storage

FIFO (first in, first out) means that the operator intends to rotate stock in such a way that product already on hand is sold prior to the sale of more recently delivered products.

FIFO is the preferred storage technique for most perishable and non-perishable items. Failure to use FIFO can result in excessive product loss due to spoilage, shrinkage, and deterioration of quality.

Storage

Some operators require the storeroom clerk to mark or tag each delivered item with the date of delivery.

Products are generally placed in one of three major storage areas: dry storage, refrigerated storage, or frozen storage.

Dry storage areas should generally be maintained at a temperature ranging between 65oF and 75oF.

Shelving must be sturdy, easy to clean, and at least 6 inches above the ground to allow for proper cleaning beneath the shelving and to ensure proper ventilation.

Storage

Dry goods should never be stored directly on the floor. Labels should face out for easy identification.

Refrigerator temperatures should generally be maintained between 32oF (0oC) and 36oF (2oC). Refrigerators actually work by removing heat from the contents, rather than "making" food cold.

Shelving must be at least six inches off the floor and slotted to allow for good air circulation.

Storage

Freezer temperatures should be maintained between 0oF and -10oF (-18oC and -23oC).

Freezers must be regularly maintained, a process that includes cleaning inside and out, and constant temperature monitoring to detect possible improper operation.

Storage

Regardless of the storage type, food and related products should be stored neatly in some logical order.

Food product quality rarely improves with increased storage time.

The primary method for ensuring product quality while in storage is through proper product rotation and high standards of storeroom sanitation.

Storage

Storage areas are excellent breeding grounds for insects, some bacteria, and also rodents, so clean regularly.

Both refrigerators and freezers should be kept six to ten inches from walls to allow for the free circulation of air.

Drainage systems in refrigerators should be checked at least weekly.

Storage

Ideally, freezers and refrigerators should have externally visible internal thermometers

In larger storage areas, hallways should be kept clear and empty of storage materials or boxes.

Some employee theft is impossible to detect – eating on the job (grape).

Make it difficult to remove food from storage without authorization.

Storage

Most foodservice operators attempt to control access to the location of stored products.

It is your responsibility to see to it that the storeroom clerk maintains good habits in securing product inventory.

As a general rule, if storerooms are to be locked, only one individual should have the key during any shift.

Storage

It is not possible to know your actual food expense without an accurate inventory.

Issuing is the process of placing products into the production system.

Valuing, or establishing a dollar value for your entire inventory is done by using the following inventory valuation formula:

Item Amount × Item Value = Item Inventory Value

Item amount may be determined by counting the item, as in the case of cans, or by weighing items, as in the case of meats.

Storage

If inventory amounts are overstated, or padded inventory, costs will appear artificially low until the proper inventory values are determined.

Either the LIFO or FIFO method determines item value.

When the LIFO method is used, the item’s value is said to be the price paid for the least recent (oldest) addition to item amount.

Storage

Storage

If the FIFO method is used, the item value is said to be the price paid for the most recent (newest) product on hand.

FIFO is the more common method for valuing foodservice inventory.

The inventory valuation sheet should be completed each time the inventory is counted. It should be a preprinted form with all items listed.

Storage

It is recommended that one person takes the actual physical inventory, and a different person extends the value of that inventory.

A physical inventory, one in which the food products are actually counted, must be taken to determine your actual food usage.

Determining Actual Food ExpenseCost of food sold is the dollar amount of all food actually sold, thrown away, wasted or stolen. It is computed as follows:

Beginning Inventory

Plus

Purchases

= Goods Available for Sale

Less

Ending Inventory

= Cost of Food Consumed

Less

Employee Meals

= Cost of Food Sold

Determining Actual Food Expense

Beginning inventory is the dollar value of all food on hand at the beginning of the accounting period.

Purchases are the sum cost of all food purchased during the accounting period.

Goods available for sale is the sum of the beginning inventory and purchases.

Ending inventory refers to the dollar value of all food on hand at the end of the accounting period.

Determining Actual Food Expense

Cost of food consumed is the actual dollar value of all food used, or consumed, by the operation.

Employee meal cost is a labor-related, not food-related cost. Free or reduced-cost employee meals are a benefit much in the same manner as medical insurance or paid vacation.

It is important to note that ending inventory for one accounting period becomes the beginning inventory figure for the next period.

Determining Actual Food Expense

Food or beverage products may be transferred from one food service unit to another – kitchen to bar and vice versa.

Transfers out of the kitchen are subtracted from the cost of food sold and transfers in to the kitchen are added to the cost of food sold.

The formula used to compute actual food cost percentage is as follows:

Determining Actual Food Expense

Cost of Food Sold

Food Sales = Food Cost %

Determining Actual Food Expense

Food Cost % represents that portion of food sales that was spent on food expenses.

The physical inventory may be taken as often as desired to estimate the daily cost of food sold.

Six Column Food Cost % Estimate

1. Purchases Today

Sales Today = Cost % Today

2. Purchases to Date

Sales to Date = Cost % to Date

Determining Actual Food Expense

Six-column form used to estimate food cost % on a daily or weekly basis.

Summary

Menu Item ForecastingStandardized RecipesInventory ControlPurchasingReceivingStorageDetermining Actual Food Expense