Agood recipe for home cooking doesn t always work out when you attempt to replicate it in the restaurant.

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1 HOW TO TURN GOOD RECIPES INTO GREAT MENU ITEMS Agood recipe for home cooking doesn t always work out when you attempt to replicate it in the restaurant. Startup restaurateurs find out quickly that a recipe intended to yield four, six or even 10 servings might not be practical when feeding dozens or even hundreds of guests every day. We ve said it once, we ll say it again: Success in the restaurant business is often measured in pennies. Toss in an inaccurate purchase order here, a dash of wasted product there, and mix in a bit of inefficient labor use, and you ve got a recipe for slim margins. And while your friends and family never minded waiting an extra half-hour or so for your famous meatballs, your restaurant guests will not be so forgiving to slow service and inconsistency. For good recipes to become great menu items, you must learn to make them pleasing to both your guests and your accountant. You must break them down into stages that assist purchasing and inventory control, organize prepping, reduce production time, and maximize yield.then you must build them up to serve dozens of covers. We call it RecipeMapping a three-step process that allows you to add new items to the menu consistently, methodically and profitably. We hope it helps map out your strategy for adding items to your menu, as well {as help you put your startup on the map. { Step 1 Add Ingredients to the Master Inventory List. Every restaurant should maintain a Master Inventory List that includes all of the ingredients that a restaurant must use in the preparation of their menu items. This list can be maintained using a spreadsheet format that includes purchasing information such as the pack, size and price of the ingredients information that is useful when creating other management forms such as inventory and order forms. But to accurately calculate the real cost to produce a menu item, the Master Inventory list should not only reflect the purchasing cost and unit of measure, but also the corresponding recipe cost and unit of measure. Any ingredient used in cooking can be expressed in one of three units of measure when using it in a recipe weight measure (typically ounces or lbs.), volume measure (such as tsp., tbsp., cups, qts. or gal.), or by piece. Many products are purchased by weight units of measure but are measured for recipes in terms of volume (fluid) measure. To determine a true recipe unit cost, it can require measuring a pound of product to determine its recipe yield. We provide Recipe Conversion Notes to assist in this process. Step 2 Create the Prep Stages. Here we identify parts of the menu item that can be prepared prior to final cooking and presentation, to reduce the time from order to service. Even a simple, single menu item often requires several subrecipes that are produced in batch and become part of the routine preparation tasks. Each subrecipe is then added to the Recipe Manual for reference by the kitchen staff. The cost of each subrecipe ingredient is calculated by multiplying the number of recipe units used by the recipe unit cost listed in the Master Inventory. The subrecipe batch is then assigned its own recipe unit and cost based on total cost to produce the batch and how much it yields. Step 3 Calculate Menu Item Cost. Finally, the cost of the menu item is determined by calculating the cost of each individual recipe or ingredient needed to produce the menu item, then affixing a selling price that produces the desired profit. Restaurants should review their menu item cost every three to six months to ensure that cost expectations are accurate. This Month s Features: Grilled Atlantic Salmon and Tuna Tartar This month s features were contributed by Alan Walsh, co-owner and managing partner of Long Bar and Bistro in San Francisco, California. Tom Bruce worked with the staff to show the cost breakdown for two of Long Bar s featured menu items. 56 Good Restaurateurs Are Always Learning

2 Menu items featured in our RecipeMapping department are available online at Grilled Atlantic Salmon 1 each 6-oz. salmon filet 1 each Grilled jumbo shrimp 1 oz. Fava beans 2 oz. Fresh spinach 1 oz. Tomato halves 1 sprig Parsley as needed Chicken stock 11/2 fl.oz. Caper beurre blanc sauce 6 oz. Mashed potatoes Line Cook Instructions 1. Lightly season and oil the salmon fillet. 2. Place fillet on medium-hot section of the grill for 2-3 minutes. 3.Turn fillet 90 to cross mark and continue to cook for an additional 3-4 minutes. 4.While salmon is cooking, lightly sweat the spinach and fava beans with a small amount of chicken stock in a sauté pan. 5. Place cooked salmon fillet as illustrated with mashed potatoes, vegetables, beurre blanc and finish with a grilled shrimp. 6. Garnish with parsley and tomato halves. Tuna Tartar 1 portion Tuna tartar 8-9 slices Hand-cut potato chips 1/2 oz. Organic mache 1/2 oz. Shaved fennel as needed Olive oil as needed Sea salt Line Cook Instructions 1. Drop 8-9 thinly sliced potato chips into 350 fryer and cook until crisp and golden brown, turning once if necessary. Remove from fryer, drain and season with sea salt. 2. Using a round mold, place 1 portion of tuna in the center of a chilled salad plate; tap lightly with a round object (bottle or jar) and hold in place while removing the mold. 3. Garnish with mache and shaved fennel tossed in olive oil and sea salt. 4. Arrange cooked potato chips around the tuna for service. AUGUST

3 *Grilled Atlantic Salmon **Tuna Tartar *** Both Step 1 Inventory Master Purchase Unit (PU) Unit () Case Current # Item Description Pack/Size U/M Price U/M per PU Yield % Cost * Salmon, Atlantic fillet skin on random wt. LB 7.05 OZ-wt 16 86% ** Ahi tuna, sushi-grade loin random wt. LB OZ-wt 16 95% * Shrimp, 21/25 raw p&d 10/5# Case EA % * Halibut bones random wt. LB 0.00 OZ-wt % *** Onions, yellow 25# Bag Oz-wt % * Celery, whole stalks 24 bunch Case OZ-wt % ** Fennel 24 ea. Case OZ-wt % *** Shallots, cleaned and peeled 5# Jar OZ-wt % *** Garlic, cleaned and peeled 5# Jar OZ-wt % ** Potato, russet 70 ct. 50# Box OZ-wt % *** Lemons 140 ct. Box EA % *** Lemon juice, fresh squeezed Quart Bottle 2.05 OZ-fl % ** Mache, organic 2# Bag OZ-wt % * Beans, fava 20# Box OZ-wt % *** Parsley bunch Each 0.40 OZ-wt % * Tomato, sweet 100`s 10# Box OZ-wt % ** Thyme, fresh 6 ea. bunch Bag 2.70 OZ-fl % * Spinach, fresh 3# Bag OZ-wt % * Butter, unsalted 36/1# Case OZ-wt % * Wine, white 750ml Bottle 3.00 OZ-fl % *** Oil, olive extra virgin 1 ltr. Bottle 7.80 OZ-fl % ** Chili sauce, Asian 16 oz. Bottle 2.20 OZ-fl % ** Mustard, Dijon 5# Can OZ-fl % ** Roasted red peppers 6/#10 cans Case OZ-wt % *** Salt, kosher 12/3# Case OZ-wt % * Capers 6/32-oz. Case OZ-fl % The first step is to identify each ingredient for all the subrecipes and then to get the purchasing unit pack,size and cost information from your foodservice distributor. Raw ingredients for these menu items were chosen based on availability from local distributors. Once you have the purchasing information, you re ready to calculate the number of recipe units in each purchase unit. Recipe Conversion Notes Many products are purchased by the weight units of measure but are measured for recipes in fluid measures such as teaspoons, tablespoons or cups. Precise conversion formulas are necessary to attain accurate costs. Here are some facts we noted when calculating the number of recipe units: Our fennel weighed about 1.4 lbs each before trimming. 70-count potatoes average ozs. 1 bunch of parsley weighs about 3.4 ozs.; 1 cup. chopped weighs 1.3 ozs. Thyme yields about 6.5 tbsp. of chopped leaf per bunch. Mustard weighs about 8.5 ozs. per cup. 1 tsp. of salt weighs about 0.2 ozs. 58 Good Restaurateurs Are Always Learning

4 Step 2 The Prep Stage - Tuna Tartar Tuna Tartar Portions 1. Cut ahi into 3/8-inch cubes and Ahi tuna, sushi-grade loin 1 lb. place in mixing bowl. Capers 3 Tbsn, finely chopped 2. Add all remaining ingredients and Parsley 1 Tbsn, finely chopped blend thoroughly using a plastic spatula. Shallots, cleaned and peeled ½ oz., finely chopped 3. Season to taste with sea salt and Lemons Zest from 2 lemons white pepper. Mustard, Dijon 2 tspn. 4. Refrigerate for service. Chili sauce, Asian 1 tspn. Roasted red peppers 1 oz. finely chopped Oil, olive extra virgin Lemon juice, fresh squeezed Lemon vinaigrette dressing 1 tspn. 1 tspn. 3 Tbsn. Cost Cost OZ-wt $ OZ-fl $ 0.28 OZ-wt $ 0.01 OZ-wt $ 0.09 EA $ 0.32 OZ-fl $ 0.07 OZ-fl $ 0.02 OZ-wt $ 0.08 OZ-fl $ 0.04 OZ-fl $ 0.01 OZ-fl $ 0.33 Tuna Tartar Portions A single menu item may have several subrecipes, and a recipe card should be created for each step. TOOLS/EQUIP.: French knife, mixing bowl, plastic spatula, measuring spoons, ounce scale, grater or zesting tool Total $ STATION: Pantry EA YIELD: 4 orders 4 SHELF LIFE: 1 shift Cost $ 3.44 Lemon Vinaigrette Dressing Oil, olive extra virgin 3½ cups Lemon juice, fresh squeezed ½ cup Garlic, cleaned and peeled ¾ oz. 1. Combine all ingredients in a medium mixing bowl. 2. Blend thoroughly with a wire whisk. Thyme, fresh 2 tsp. finely chopped 3. Season to taste with kosher salt and ground black pepper. Mustard, Dijon 1 Tbsn. 4. Refrigerate for service. Cost Cost OZ-fl $ 6.46 OZ-fl $ 0.26 OZ-wt $ 0.09 OZ-fl $ 0.05 OZ-fl $ 0.11 Lemon Vinaigrette Dressing Other subrecipes used but not shown include hand-cut potato chips. TOOLS/EQUIP.: Measuring cups, measuring spoons, ounce scale, wire whisk, mixing bowl Total $ 6.96 STATION: Pantry OZ-fl YIELD: 1 quart 32 SHELF LIFE: 2 days Cost $ 0.22 AUGUST

5 Step 2 The Prep Stage - Grilled Atlantic Salmon Caper Beurre Blanc Chef s Note: Beurre blanc is a great base sauce and can be used in many different applications. At the Long Bar it is used as an ingredient in the Seafood Linguini. Caper Beurre Blanc Butter, unsalted 2 lbs. softened Lemon juice, fresh squeezed ¼ cup Wine, white ½ cup Parsley ½ cup, finely chopped Shallots, cleaned and peeled 2 ozs. chopped Capers 2 Tbsn. Fish veloute ¾ cup Oil, olive extra virgin 1 Tbsn. 1. Heat a heavy, medium sized saucepot over low heat. Add the olive oil and shallots, lightly sweating the shallots without browning. 2. Add the white wine and lemon juice and bring to a simmer. 3. Continue to cook over low heat until reduced by 1/2. 4. Add the veloute to the reduction and blend thoroughly with a wire whisk. 5. When completely blended and hot, begin adding the butter in 2 3 oz. pieces. Whisk the butter in until it`s absorbed before adding more. Take care not to boil the sauce or it will break. 6. When all the butter is incorporated, remove sauce from heat and strain through a fine strainer to remove the shallots. 7. Add the capers and parsley, season to taste with kosher salt and white pepper. ppp 8. Hold at warm room temperature for service. Discard at the end of shift. Cost Cost OZ-wt $ 2.18 OZ-fl $ 0.13 OZ-fl $ 0.47 OZ-wt $ 0.08 OZ-wt $ 0.37 OZ-fl $ 0.19 OZ-fl $ 0.09 OZ-fl $ 0.12 TOOLS/EQUIP.: Heavy-weight medium saucepot, measuring spoons, measuring cups, ounce scale, fine strainer Total $ 3.63 STATION: Sous-chef OZ-fl YIELD: About 5 cups #of 42 SHELF LIFE: 1 shift Cost $ 0.09 Fish Veloute Other subrecipes used but not shown include prepared salmon fillets, grilled shrimp, mashed potatoes, chicken stock, and roux (for Roux recipe see RecipeMapping, May 2008). Fish Veloute Fish stock Roux 2 qts. 6 ozs. 1. Using a heavy saucepot, bring fish stock to a simmer. 2. Add roux 1-2 ozs. at a time, incorporating completely with a wire whisk. 3. Once all the roux is added, and the sauce is smooth, continue to cook for an additional minutes over a low, indirect heat. 4. Strain through a fine wire strainer and season lightly with kosher salt and white pepper. 5. Cool and refrigerate until use. Cost Cost OZ-fl $ 0.66 OZ-wt $ 0.36 TOOLS/EQUIP.: Quart measure, ounce scale, heavy saucepot, wire whisk, fine strainer Total $ STATION: Sous-chef OZ-fl YIELD: About 2 qts. 66 SHELF LIFE: 3 days Cost $ Good Restaurateurs Are Always Learning

6 Step 2 The Prep Stage - Grilled Atlantic Salmon (continued) Fish Stock Chef s Note: The seafood supplier for Long Bar and Bistro provides them halibut bones free of charge. Fish Stock Halibut bones Water Fennel Onions, yellow Parsley 12 lbs. 4 gal. 2 lbs. 2 lbs. 1 bunch 1. Rinse halibut bones thoroughly under cold running water. 2. Place bones in a medium stockpot and cover with cold water. 3. Bring bones and water to a boil and remove from heat; drain. Cost Cost OZ-wt 192 OZ-fl 512 OZ-wt $ 2.90 Oz-wt $ Combine blanched bones and all OZ-wt $ 0.40 other ingredients in a medium stockpot; bring to a simmer. 5. Continue to simmer for minutes and remove from heat. - $ - 6. Allow the stock to cool slightly and strain through a fine mesh strainer. 7. Store under refrigeration until use. TOOLS/EQUIP.: Ounce scale, medium stockpot, quart measure, fine strainer and French knife Total $ 4.64 STATION: Sous-chef OZ-fl YIELD: About 3.5 gallons 448 SHELF LIFE: 3 days Cost $ 0.01 Step 3 Calculate Menu Item Cost The final step for turning the recipe into a menu item is to add the cost of the ingredients needed to produce it. Calculating the cost of each recipe needed to produce the menu item makes it easy to cost out the finished menu item and affix a selling price that is profitable.(please note: A standard practice when costing out menus is to include a cost for certain menu items for unlisted incidentals such as seasonings, bread, condiments, or sauces; oftentimes referred to as plate cost or Q-cost.) Menu Item: Tuna Tartar Item Description: Hand-cut fresh ahi with avocado, capers, shallots, roasted red peppers and house-made potato chips. Recipe Unit Quantity Ingredient Unit Cost Extension EA 1 Tuna tartar portions OZ-wt 1 Hand-cut potato chips OZ-wt 0.5 Mache, organic OZ-wt 0.5 Fennel Total Cost 2.64 Menu Price Gross Profit Food Cost % 17.59% Menu Item: Grilled Atlantic Salmon Item Description: With caper beurre blanc, mashed potatoes, fava beans, spinach and tomato. Recipe Unit Quantity Ingredient Unit Cost Extension EA 1 Prepared salmon fillets EA 1 Shrimp, 21/25 raw p&d OZ-wt 1 Beans, fava OZ-wt 2 Spinach, fresh OZ-wt 1 Tomato, sweet 100`s OZ-fl 1.2 Caper beurre blanc OZ-wt 6 Mashed potatoes Total Cost 4.45 Menu Price Gross Profit Food Cost % 17.10% 62 Good Restaurateurs Are Always Learning