5. Depts(41)Feb10.qxd 1/17/09 Page 54 A good 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 halfhour or so for your famous meatballs, your restaurant 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. 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 threestep 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 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. 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: Buffalo Lettuce Wraps and Seared Scallop Salad This month s featured menu items were provided by Saskatoon, Steaks Fish Wild Game. Tom Bruce, founding chef and owner of Sacramento Food & Beverage, worked with Saskatoon to help in franchise development and to document the preparation procedure for several of Saskatoon s menu items. These featured items are from the newly opened Saskatoon franchise in Atlanta, Georgia. Thanks to Chef Kevin Backus for his help with the article. 54 Good Restaurateurs Are Always Learning
5. Depts(41)Feb10.qxd 1/17/09 Page 55 Menu items featured in our RecipeMapping department are available online at www.restaurantowner.com/recipe.htm. Buffalo Lettuce Wraps 1 3 1 portion ea. portion fl. fl. Marinated flank steak Butter lettuce leaf Green bean bundles Lettuce wrap veggie blend Spicy peanut dressing Ponzu sauce Line Cook Instructions: 1. Place 1 green bean bundle in the deep fryer, cook 1 minutes or until just lightly browned, drain well.. Using a hot cast iron skillet or griddle top, sear the marinated flank steak taking care not to overcook. 3. Place the seared steak equally on 3 large butter leaves. Top with marinated raw veggies and serve with crispy green bean bundle, spicy peanut and Ponzu sauces. Seared Scallop Salad 5 5 3 11/ 1.3 1 ea. e. ea. fl. fl. Field greens Prepared scallops Grape tomatoes Mandarin oranges Blueberries Pecan pieces Cucumber Raspberry vinaigrette Extravirgin olive oil Line Cook Instructions: 1. Heat a medium sauté pan to hot, add olive oil and carefully place the scallops in the pan. Allow scallops to cook until well browned on the bottom and turn to brown on the other side.. Remove from the heat and drain well. 3. Don t turn the scallops before they re browned and do not sauté them. 4. Arrange the lettuce on a chilled salad plate and garnish with the seared scallops and remaining ingredients as illustrated. Serve with of dressing in a ramekin. FEBARY 010 www.restaurantowner.com 55
5. Depts(41)Feb10.qxd 1/17/09 Step 1 Page 5 Inventory Master Item Description Pack/Size Purchase Unit (PU) Current U/M Price Recipe Unit () # U/M per PU Yield % Scallops, 10/0ct. /5lb. bags 33 510 0.47 Buffalo, flank steak 0# 11.00 OZwt 30 90% 0.410 Lettuce, spring mix 3#.55 OZwt 4 0.13 Lettuce, romaine hearts 4 ct. 34.10 OZwt 4 5% 0.0 Lettuce, butter 4 ct..50 4 1.1 Tomato, grape /1pt. 7. 10 0.035 Green beans, Blue Lake 10# 11.0 OZwt 95% 0.07 1/ct. 9.43 7 Carrots, shredded 5/lb. bags Box.70 OZwt 0.054 Cabbage, red 3 ea. 3.3 OZwt 9 0.034 Sprouts, mung 1# 0.7 OZwt 1 0.049 Mushrooms, button 10# Box.50 OZwt 95% 0.14 Cucumber 10# 10.90 OZwt 5% 0.00 Shallots, whole peeled 5# Jar 13.5 OZwt 0 0.1 0.0 Blueberries 1 pint Box 33.40 100 Ginger, processed 11.5 Jar 4.5 OZwt 11.5 0.4 Nuts, pecan pieces 3/lb. bags 4.50 OZwt 9 0.44 1 gal. Can 7.19 OZfl 1 0.1 Oil, extravirgin olive 3/1gal. 7.10 OZfl 34 0.1 Sauce, soy 4/1gal. 4.70 OZfl 51 0.095 Sauce Ponzu Sauce, 1 gal gal. Bottle 1 35 1.35 OZfl 1 0 09 0.09 Sauce, sweet chili 1/3.5 OZfl 34 0.074 0.01 Dressing, Italian 4/1gal. 41.45 OZfl 51 Dressing, spicy peanut 4/1gal..53 OZfl 51 0.1 Dressing, raspberry vinaigrette 4/1gal. 5.10 OZfl 51 0.10 Oranges, mandarin /#10 cans 57.5 OZwt 40 0.137 Flour, tempura /5lb. 31.99 OZwt 40 0.07 Buffalo Lettuce Wraps Seared Scallop Salad Both Items 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 there are in each purchase unit. Recipe Conversion Notes Many products are purchased by the weight units of measure but are measured for recipes in terms of fluid measures such as teaspoons, tablespoons or cups. Precise conversion formulas are necessary in order to attain accurate costs. Here are some facts we noted when calculating the number of recipe units: Butter lettuce heads yielded about 4. after cutting and trimming. Romaine hearts yielded about 11.5 after cutting and trimming. of tempura flour weighs about 4.7 Our scallops averaged about 17count per lb. Cabbage yields about 3 per head after cleaning. Drained weight of #10 can mandarin oranges is about 70 5 Good Restaurateurs Are Always Learning
5. Depts(41)Feb10.qxd Step 1/17/09 Page 57 The Prep Stage Buffalo Lettuce Wraps Saskatoon Recipe Card Marinated Flank Steak MSURE Buffalo, flank steak 0 lbs. Dressing, Italian ½ gallon Sauce, Ponzu Oil, extravirgin olive ea. (white part) Shallots, whole peeled 4 sliced Recipe 1. Using a boning knife, thoroughly clean flank steak, removing any silver skin.. Using a mechanical tenderizer, needle the meat, needle the thicker end a second time. Split flanks lengthwise and set aside. 3. In a mixing bowl, combine all remaining ingredients and blend well with a wire whisk. 4. Place tenderized flank steak in a fullͳsize #00 pan and cover with marinade. Lift the flank steak and turn to ensure that all sides are evenly coated with marinade. 5. Wrap and store under refrigeration for 1Ͳ 0 hours before cutting.. Lift the flanks from the marinade allowing them to drain somewhat and place them in a perforated pan to finish draining. 7. Cut flanks across the grain, then cut the slices a second time to form thin strips.. Portion the cut meat in 4Ͳ portions and hold for service under refrigeration. Pound scale, ounce scale, measuring cups, boning knife, mixing bowl, wire whisk, #00 pan, #400 perforated pan and portion bags. About 7 4 portions 3 days OZwt 0.410 11.00 OZfl 4 0.01 5.1 OZfl 0.09 0.77 OZfl 0.1 1.50 0.79 OZwt 0.1 0.99 Total 17.3 7 1.7 Marinated Flank Steak: The marinade can be used up to two times before being discarded. if kept under refrigeration and used within 3 days. Saskatoon Recipe Card Green Bean Bundles MSURE Green beans, Blue Lake 3 lbs. cleaned Recipe 1. Blanch beans lightly in boiling salted water; shock with ice water to cool and drain OZwt thoroughly. each Flour, tempura. Weigh beans into 3Ͳ portions. Water cups 3. Wrap each portion with a strip of scallion, OZfl green part only, and tie. Set aside for service. 4. Using a mixing bowl and wire whisk, blend the tempura flour and water until lump free. 5. Dip Ͳ3 portions of beans in the batter and allow to stand for 3Ͳ4 minutes before i dd i i ll removing and draining well.. Beans should be flashͳfried at 350ȗ to order or in very small batches. Be sure to drain thoroughly before service. TOOLS/EQUIP : Ounce scale scale, cup measure measure, large saucepot saucepot, colander and deep fryer fryer. About 1 portions days OZwt 4 0.07 3. 0.79 4.7 0.07 0.31 1 Total 4.7 1 0.30 Green Bean Bundles: Chef s note:two bundles can be combined to create a la carte side dish portion. FEBARY 010 www.restaurantowner.com 57
5. Depts(41)Feb10.qxd 1/17/09 Step Page 5 The Prep Stage Buffalo Lettuce Wraps cont. Saskatoon Recipe Card Spicy Peanut Dressing MSURE Dressing, spicy peanut ½ gallon Ginger, processed 1½ Sauce, sweet chili ¼ cup ½ cup Recipe 1. Place peanut dressing in an industrial blender. With the blender on OZfl low, add the remaining ingredients.. Increase speed slightly and continue bl d f h hl to blend for Ͳ3 minutes to thoroughly mix all ingredients. 4 0.1 7. OZwt 1.5 0.4 0.3 OZfl 0.074 0.15 OZfl 4 0.1 0.5 3. Remove to refrigeration and store for service. Quart measure, cup measure, ounce scale and industrial blender. About 35 portions 5 days Total 9.45 OZfl 70 0.13 Spicy Peanut Dressing: Chef s note: A single menu item may have several subrecipes, and a recipe card should be created for each step. Saskatoon Recipe Card Lettuce Wrap Veggie Blend MSURE 3 ea. biascut, thin Carrots, shredded 10 Cabbage, red chiffonade Green beans, Blue Lake biascut, thin Sprouts, mung Mushrooms, button thinsliced ¼ cup Sauce, soy ½ cup Recipe 1. Use about 1 gallon of water, 1 1. Combine the oils and soy sauce in of salt and 1 of olive oil for blender and mix on high for 1Ͳ each pound of uncooked, dry pasta. minutes.. Using a large sauce pot, combine water, salt and oil, bring to. Combine all of the processed a rolling heat. bl boil over high b heat l vegetables in a mixing bowl. 3. Slowly add pasta and stir with long tongs or spoon to keep the 3. Add the oil mixture and toss pasta from sticking together or to thoroughly to mix well. Refrigerate and the bottom of the pot. let stand for Ͳ3 hours before service 4. When the water returns to a boil to infuse the veggies. reduce the heat slightly to a vigorous boil, stir frequently. 5 A i requires i b t 7 5. Angell h hair between 7 minutes, other thicker pastas will require as much as 13 minutes of cooking time (after the water boils again). Ounce scale, measuring cups, mixing bowl and industrial blender. Pantry About 4 portions days 3 0.39 OZwt 10 0.054 0.54 OZwt 0.034 0.7 OZwt 0.07 0.1 OZwt 0.049 0.39 OZwt 0.14 0.9 OZfl OZ fl 0.1 0.4 OZfl 4 0.095 0.3 Total 4.09 OZ OZwt wt 4 0.09 Lettuce Wrap Veggie Blend: Chef s note: Vegetable preparation such as shredded carrots or chiffonadecut cabbage can be separated into its own recipe cards when product is part of other recipes. 5 Good Restaurateurs Are Always Learning
5. Depts(41)Feb10.qxd Step 1/17/09 Page 59 The Prep Stage Pan Seared Steak cont. Saskatoon Recipe Card Prepared Scallops MSURE Scallops, 10/0ct. 5lb. bag Shallots, whole peeled sliced ½ cup Oil, extravirgin olive Recipe 1. Using a large mixing bowl, combine the oils and sliced shallots, blending thoroughly with a wire whisk. 5 0.47 55.00 OZwt 0.1 1.33. Place the cleaned scallops in the bowl and blend gently. Allow scallops to marinate for 5Ͳ hours. OZfl 4 0.1 0.5 OZfl 0.1 1.50 3. Drain any excess oil from the scallops and hold under refrigeration for service. Ounce scale, measuring cups, large mixing bowl and French knife. About 5 scallops days Total 5. 5 0.9 Prepared Scallops: Chef s note: Other subrecipes used but not shown include field greens preparation. Step 3 Calculate Menu Item The final step for turning the recipe into a menu item is to add the cost of the ingredients needed to produce it. By calculating the cost of each individual recipe needed to produce the menu item,it makes it easy to cost out the finished menu item and affix a selling price that is profitable. Menu Item: Buffalo Lettuce Wraps Item Description: Panseared marinated flank, seasonal veggies, spicy peanut and Ponzu sauces served with a crispy green bean bundle. Recipe Unit Quantity Ingredient 0 3 Lettuce 0.3 Lettuce, butter 1 Marinated flank steak 1 Green bean bundles OZwt Lettuce wrap veggie blend OZfl Spicy peanut dressing OZfl Sauce, Ponzu 1 Plate Unit Extension 1 19 1.19 0 3 0.3 1.7 1.7 0.30 0.30 0.09 0.17 0.13 0.7 0.10 0.19 Total 3.31 Menu Price 1.00 Gross Profit.9 Food % 7.0% FEBARY 010 Menu Item: Seared Scallop salad Item Description: Large domestic scallops, mixed field greens, seasonal fruit and toasted pecans served with raspberry vinaigrette. Recipe Unit Quantity Ingredient OZwt 5 Field greens 5 Prepared scallops 3 Tomato, grape OZwt 1.5 Oranges, mandarin 1 Blueberries OZwt 0.3 Nuts, pecan pieces OZwt Cucumber OZ fl OZfl Dressing, Dressing raspberry vinaigrette OZfl 1 Oil, extravirgin olive 1 Plate cost www.restaurantowner.com 59 Unit Extension 0.14 0.71 0.9 3.45 0.03 0.10 0.14 0.1 0.03 0.33 0.4 0.15 0.0 0.1 0 10 0.10 0 0 0.0 0.19 0.19 Total 5.5 Menu Price 1.00 Gross Profit 10.15 Food % 3.5%