Restaurant Module and Menu Development - Case Study Example

Introduction Generally speaking, a menu is a list of foods available (in a restaurant, in this case) to be served to the customers. Menus have their history, and every restaurant is made unique by the type of menu it presents (Nicholson 2010). This is why the technique of menu development is of vital importance in beginning a restaurant. Menu development has several steps to it, which ensure that it bears the best fruit. A good menu should be one that offers the customers’ satisfaction while at the same time is realistic and that allows a reasonable profit margin for the restaurant without being too exaggerated. In the start up of a restaurant, the menu is the most important aspect because it is the menu that dictates so many things about the restaurant; which equipment will be required? What type of human resource expertise will be needed? What will be the profit margin of the restaurant? What are the target groups or market? These are very important questions in the start up and running of a restaurant hence the importance of good menu development skills (Kotschevar & Withrow 2007). The Menu Philosophy In order to develop the right menu for the right restaurant, there are several guidelines that should be followed. First and foremost, the objectives for the restaurant should be outlined and evaluated, since the objectives will guide the direction or inclination of the menu development. Second, the financial goals of the restaurant should be set, as these will help in determining how the menu will be designed best for a matching profit margin. Financial goals will also help in setting the goals for the number of customers the restaurant aims at having every day (Kotschevar & Withrow 2007). When developing a menu, the capacity of the restaurant plays a bog role. The kitchen space, parking space and dining place should be evaluated. This will help in determining the equipment that is possible to have, the number of workers possible to have and, therefore, the types of food and services to offer on the menu and theme of the restaurant. If space is a limiting factor to what is hoped to be accomplished from the restaurant menu, this can be altered by maybe changing to a different location or renting more space (Nicholson 2010). Finally, for menu development to be successful, an evaluation of the new trends should be done. This can be done by going to restaurants that aim at the same target group and surveying what the customers love the most on the menus. Interviewing customers on their preferences and inclinations is also very crucial. The menu should also be flexible and unique, in that a new, different or catchy item should be included in the menu weekly or daily so as to give the restaurant a unique touch and so as to offer the customers variety and a touch of adventure (McVety, Ware & Ware 2008). The Event and Demographics In this case, the restaurant aimed at being started is a pop-up restaurant. This is a restaurant that is somewhat temporary in that it exists for a very short time, displays new and/or flashy menu items and services and then shuts down or converts into another retail business. For the short time it exists, everything starts and ends on a high note, since it has no time for start off like in ordinary businesses (Walker 2007). Pop-up businesses are a trend in the retail market today (Walker 2007). This report will cover the pop-up restaurant, which will be set up in a spacious factory space in the city that is to be converted into a flat with executive apartments. The restaurant will only exist for two weeks in the spring season this year, and it will be open only from 11 am to 10 pm on Wednesday to Sunday. The restaurant will blend dining services with other services to give it a unique touch. It will employ one chief chef and three other chefs under this one, who will oversee different sectors of preparation. The dining area will have five waiters (three male and two female) and two bartenders. Also, one cashier will be situated at one visible end of the restaurant. The arrangement of the restaurant will range from scenic mornings (arrangement will enable diners to have the beautiful view of the hills and ancient buildings overlooking) to buffet and electric partying arrangement of long tables in the evening. The morning and afternoon sessions will be more quiet and serene while the evening sessions will be more interactive and lively. The Menu Course 1: Course 2 Starters: Starters Rillettes or Goats Cheese Tartine Heritage tomato salad or soup Light mains Light mains Tart provencale or Mushroom crepes Tuna nicoise or Risotto vert Main Dishes Main Dishes Roast Duck Breast or Rump of Lamb Grilled Poulet or 7oz Fillet steak Desserts Desserts Chocolate fondant or Tarte Fine aux pommes Crème caramel or Coupe Noire Alcoholic and Non-Alcoholic Drinks Chouchen Lucid Rinquinquin Recipe: Rump of Lamb Rump of lamb 4.30 Potato 1.40 Fennel 1.60 Olive oil 1.00 Roasted fennel 1.70 Black olive 0.95 Garlic jus 1.30 Total 12.25 The Marketing Strategy The restaurant aims at being memorable and brief in its existence, and it hopes to make reasonable profits and returns for the short time it will invest before the factory space is turned into executive apartments. The main target group for the restaurant is that of young people aged between 21 and 37 working in the city. According to a survey done in the area the restaurant is hoped to be started, the young people there are very fond of visiting and dining from these pop-up and upscale restaurants, and they do it on a regular basis rather than based on occasions or seasons. However, the prices cannot be exaggerated since they prefer more reasonable prices that will give them room for more regular visitors. Therefore, voluminous sales, as opposed to huge profit margins, will be the selling point for the restaurant (Walker 2007). Also, another unique thing about the restaurant is that the diners will be able to interact with the chefs as they wish to. This will be made possible by designing the restaurant in such a way that on the kitchen end of the restaurant, there will be left a space or a counter where customers can watch their meals being prepared and where they can ask questions to the chefs about the cuisine. This interaction will offer the customers more satisfaction and will give the restaurant a more unique display of service (Alonzo 2007). For this to be possible, the partitioning of the restaurant will be done in such a way that the kitchen area will have more space. This way, it will be possible to have displays by the chefs on the recipes and ingredients used in the cuisine. Also, the customers will get to have the history of the French cuisine meals explained to them. Customers prefer being knowledgeable about what they are eating as opposed to being passive participators in a restaurant. This will be a catching point for the restaurant (Alonzo 2007). Also, the bar and drinks section will have a self service provision where customers can self-serve themselves the drinks they want. This will especially come in handy when the restaurant is packed during the peak hours and the work load is too heavy for the five waiters and two bartenders. Apart from helping in reducing the work load, this will make the restaurant a place where customers experience a higher level of freedom, something that other restaurants in the area have not adopted into their strategy. Some of the drinks will be sold in automated dispensers that will do the charging while other drinks will be paid for at the cashier’s counter (Alonzo 2007). The restaurant will also provide entertainment (live entertainment) for the customers. Music artistes will be hired for this purpose and they will have an area where they have a stage and a band. Again, the customers will be given room for interaction with the several artistes that will perform. The opportunity for interacting with their favorite artistes will draw more customers to the restaurant. Apart from marketing the restaurant for what it is, the marketing strategy will also be designed in such a way that it will promote and market the next business in the premises; the upcoming executive apartments (Entrepreneur Press 2010). Conclusion Every restaurant is made unique by the type of menu it presents, and the objectives of the restaurant should guide the menu development process. The restaurant in this case will be a pop-up restaurant situated in a factory space that is to be turned into spacious apartments. A pop-up restaurant is that which is somewhat temporary in that it exists for a very short time. During its time of existence, it displays new and/or flashy menu items and services and then shuts down or converts into another retail business. The restaurant will only exist for two weeks in the spring season this year, and it will be open only from 11 am to 10 pm on Wednesday to Sunday. The restaurant will adopt a more modern style mixed together with traditional French methods and cuisine. The diners will be able to interact with the chefs as they wish to, and they will also be able to interact with the performing artistes who will entertain them. The restaurant will also be aimed at marketing the executive apartments that will come after its closure in the same premise. References Alonzo, R. 2007. The Upstart Guide to Owning and Managing a Restaurant. London: Kaplan Publishing. Entrepreneur Press. 2010. Start Your Own Business. New York: Entrepreneur Press. Kotschevar, L., and Withrow, D. 2007. Management by Menu. New York: John Wiley and Sons. McVety, P., Ware, B. and Ware, C. 2008. Fundamentals of Menu Planning. New York: John Wiley and Sons. Nicholson. 2010. 7-day Menu Planner for Dummies. New York: For Dummies. Walker, J. 2007. The Restaurant: from concept to operation. London: John Wiley and Sons. Read More