RECIPES AND COSTING

HOW TO STANDARDIZE A RECIPE AND COMPUTE COST PER PORTION FOR A VARIETY OF MENU ITEMS.

OBJECTIVES Develop standardized recipes Develop a cost per portion for recipe

items & items with loss due to waste, trimming & cooking

Identify common menu pricing formats Calculate the Q factor and Spice Factor

for your operation

STANDARDIZED RECIPESWHY HAVE THEM?

Consistency of product - quality Consistency of cost Production Control: portion, costs, purchasing You won’t have to close down if the chef

leaves Without a doubt – the most important tool

you have in your operation’s toolbox Controls the quantity & quality of what the

kitchen will produce.

MORE REASONS TO INCORPORATE A STANDARIZED RECIPE SYSTEM INTO

YOUR BUSINESS!

1. Accurate purchasing2. Dietary concerns are addressed-ingredients

identified3. Accuracy in menu laws-ingredients

identified4. Matching food used to cash sales5. Accurate recipe costing and menu pricing6. New employees can be better trained7. Computerization of a foodservice operation

depends on them

HOW TO STANDARDIZE A RECIPE FOR YOUR PRODUCTION:

Work on 1 recipe at a time. Weigh/measure each ingredient Write down & follow all directions. Check times for precision. Make the item using the recipe. Modify/fix recipe: ingredients,

measurements, times, instructions] Test for yields: accurate, portion size OK Test 3 times or until product comes out

as desired for taste, presentation, cost

STANDARD RECIPE FORMAT

WHAT DOES ONE LOOK LIKE?

Standardized formats are available with many software packages

Design your own Recipes from outside sources must be

tested and adjusted for your operation A recipe is standardized when it fits for

your operation – portion size, taste, cost, production, guest AND includes all necessary information.

INFORMATION ON A STANDARDIZED RECIPE – (The LIST OF 18)

Name & file code Recipe yield – VIP!

GOTTA HAVE IT! Prep time & cook time Holding temperatures &

times Equipment Food safety statement HACCP notations – CP,

CCP List of ingredients Weight & Measure

columns

Quantities of ingredients

Method of prep Plating instruction Garnish Cutting instruction Cooling/storing/leftovers Nutritional info Alternatives to reduce

fat/calories Photo

RECIPE YIELD THE MOST CRITICAL PIECE OF

INFORMATION

THE YIELD MUST BE PROPERLY EXPRESSED

(# 1 & 2 are non-negotiable. #3 is subjective.)

THIS IS THE COST CONTROL LINE OF THE DOCUMENT

1. # OF SERVINGS2. SERVING SIZE3. TOTAL QUANTITY

THE RECIPE PRODUCES

EXAMPLE:CHICKEN SOUPYIELD: 2 GALLONS

32 SERVINGS8 OUNCES EACH

DESCRIBING PORTION SIZES:

ACTIVE METHODS:1. Exact weight2. Exact measure3. Exact count4. Even division

PASSIVE METHOD:1. Even Fill

Container2. Imprecise

descriptions on recipes

DON’T LEAVE PORTIONING TO CHANCE. BE PRECISE IN DESCRIBINGHOW MUCH TO PUT ON A PLATE.

PLATE CARDS Used in kitchen to describe one dinner as

management wishes it to be served Describes the portions, portion sizes, the

placement/positioning of the food, the garnish, the plate & other serving utensils needed, heating/chilling of wares

Picture of finished plate Safeguards against mistakes in BOH.

Provides consistency on the line

MENU ITEM: BAKED MEATLOAF

TABLEWARE FOR THIS ITEM:

9” Dinner plate Dinner plate will be warmed

INGREDIENTS: AMOUNT: DIRECTION:

Meatloaf 6 oz. 6 o’clock on plate

Gravy 2 oz. 1 oz. over meatloaf1 oz in a nappy dish

Smashed potatoes 5 oz. 9 o’clock on plate

Butter pat 1 each Centered on top of potato

Glazed carrots 4 oz. 3 o’clock on plate

Parsley, chopped As needed Sprinkled lightly over potatoes

Garnish 2 pickle spears Between carrots & meatloaf

Steak knife On right side of plate, facing in

WHAT’S NEXT?

THE PORTION COST!

CALCULATING COST PER PORTION

A COST PER PORTION IS CALCULATED FOR ALL MENU ITEMS:1. RECIPE ITEMS – menu items with multiple ingredients & little or no shrinkage or trim2. PLATE CARD ITEMS – menu items consisting primarily of preprepared items (hot dogs)2. BUTCHER TEST ITEMS – menu items with trim loss. This item can be portioned and cooked – or – roasted3. COOKING LOSS ITEMS – menu items that will be cooked after trimming and will experience further loss

PLATE COST CARDS

Cost card developed for 1 complete plate of a particular menu item

Useful when there are static items always served on the plate

Works very well for operations with simple menus and limited choices; used with preprepared food items.

MENU PRICING FORMATS

A-la-carte = all items priced separately

Semi-a-la-carte = some courses included with the meal

Table d’Hote = all courses included for a set price. Prixe Fixe

Q FACTOR – SMASHED POTATO FACTOR

use with semi-a-la-carte pricing

• COST PER PORTION OF SURROUNDING ITEMS OFFERED WITH A MEAL

• All selections have standard recipes and cost cards

• Select the most expensive selections and add up – this becomes the Q.

• Q is added to entrée cost to get plate cost

Q CARDSTARCH SALAD:French fries .15 Mixed Green.25Baked Potato .30 Caesars

.19Rice Pilaf .17

DRESSINGS:VEGETABLES Balsamic.18 Broccoli .25 Blue Cheese.29 Glazed carrots .13 Ranch.10Seasonal mixed .28

ROLL & BUTTER .20

Q = $1.32

Q CARD EXAMPLE

SPICE FACTOR

% added to every menu item to account for cost of:

Spices, herbs, seasonings Garnishes Waste factor Expensive items skewing CPP Ingredients too small to cost out Whatever else management wants

CALCULATING SF %

1. Identify those items in this category via recipes, inventory & invoices

2. Calculate cost of purchasing these items over time showing usage

3. Calculate cost of purchasing all food items over same period of time

4. Cost of Spice Factor items = SF %Cost of all food items

SPICE FACTOR

Evaluate periodically for accuracy Recalculate when invoice costs

change or menu changes Add to all menu items –

communistic approach to sharing the cost of these items!

LET’S SIZE OR CONVERT A RECIPE! YEAH!

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

They are:1. Factor Method (Multiplier)2. Percentage Technique (We won’t use

this one!)

HOW TO FIND THE MULTIPLIER OR CONVERSION FACTOR:

NEW AMOUNT / OLD or ORIGINAL AMOUNT = THEMULTIPLIER

NEW OLD = MULTIPLIER

EXAMPLE:CHICKEN SOUPYIELD: 2 GALLONS

32 SERVINGS8 OUNCES EACH

We need soup for 325 folks. Find the conversion factor:

NEW AMOUNTOLD AMOUNT = ??

325 32 = 10.15

(This means you will have to make the original recipe 10.15 times to have enough)

SO WHAT? NOW WHAT DO WE DO WITH THE MULTIPLIER???????????????

USING A MULTIPLIER:

Each ingredient in the recipe is converted into ounces and multiplied by the conversion factor.

This new amount is than converted back into a useful quantity for the chef’s and cook’s to work with

EXAMPLE:

2 gallons of stock are needed for the original recipe

2 x 128 ounces = 256 ounces256 ounces x 10.15 = 2598.4 ounces2598.4 ounces / 128 = 20 gallons + 1

quart