How is Menu Engineering Applied? 

Ahmet OZDEMIR- Coordinator Executive Chef

 

Today, the gastronomy sector started to implement New Food Trends in 2022 with new concepts . While the most successful restaurant businesses are trying to regain their losses of about two years after the Pandemic, they have already started to try innovative gastronomy trends in this regard.

 

Menu engineering and Menu Design are not very old when we consider today. It is a field of study that came to the fore in the 1980s while calculating profit and loss in the Matrix system and Miller Method in restaurant management and was observed to be successful in the following years.

 

For those who say what should I pay attention to when opening a new restaurant in the sector , what should I do to become a permanent restaurant owner , how a newly opened restaurant will be successful ....

 

Frankly, I have seen completely contradictory explanations and definitions in different studies on this subject. Obviously, recipes that are not a complete definition have confused people who are interested in menu engineering.

 

What is the matrix system? What is the & Miller Method?

 

In mathematics, a matrix can be called a rectangular table of numbers. In a more general definition, an abstract table of quantities that can be added or multiplied. With another definition, it is a spreadsheet that shows the natural numbers in a rectangular form. In other words, it is a professional calculation method that is mostly used by artificial intelligence today. There are Matrix types and Matrix types in itself.

 

Although they say Kasavana Method, Miller Method, Le Bruto Method and Smith Method , the origin and source of all of them is algebra, which existed much earlier in the history of world mathematics . Relevant terms, in my opinion, are nothing more than the incident of " playing a role " from the stolen works of the east in the libraries of Baghdad and Alexandria , which were looted as always by the westerners.

 

Although calculation, which is one of the basic principles in menu engineering (which is not correct), is encountered in academic studies as the Matrix system and Miller Method, the truth of the matter is when we consider our own culture , it is called " algebra ". It was developed by names such as Hârizmî and Ömer Hayyam in the near east, which deserves the real praise . There is no discovery of something that already exists. It may just be that computational techniques in algebra that already exist are just beginning to be used. The real source of the matrix system and the Miller Method and others consists in using the existing properties of algebra .

 

If I were to explain the concept of menu engineering in the clearest way, it is more than just a calculation method . Just as you cannot develop anything without knowing the truth, you cannot manage and dominate something that you cannot measure the balance of expenditure and income! same concept.

 

Menu engineering is not "engineering". Real engineering requires much more merit and expertise in the sciences. I think the word engineering is not correct and is used metaphorically.

 

Menu engineering, which is one of the most frequently asked questions by those who want to open a new restaurant , and success-oriented studies consist of the following titles in the main theme;

 

 Emotional Analysis,

 Emotional intelligence,

 The Most Appropriate Ideal Weight,

 General Budget Accounts, 

 General Expense Estimates, 

 Eye Movement Targets

 Graphic design,

 Ideal Price,

 Ideal Marketing,

 Cost of Materials,

 Menu Colors,

 Profitability in the Menu,

 Guest Communication,

 Guest Psychology,

 Featured Foods,

 Numerical methods,

 Affordable Cost,

 Product Likeability,

 Product Contribution,

 Pricing on Products,

 Cost Analysis of Products,

 Descriptive Language of the Food Menu,

 Meal Sale Price,

 Sales Forecasts of Meals,

 New Investment Decisions,

 Management Accounting,

 

Professionally, the people who have the title of Menu engineering in the Best Restaurants of the City can be composed of the following;

 

 Experienced A la Carte Chefs,

 Restaurant Managers with Required Experience,

 Foundation Restaurant Operator,

 Kitchen Section Chiefs,

 Owner of Restaurant Business,

 Regulars of the restaurant for at least 2 years,

 Tradesmen in the Supply Chain for At least 2 Years,

 Head Chef with Sufficient Experience 

 

Before moving on to the questions and answers in Menu Engineering, which is the main subject, some of the most important tips that I should say about the importance of Menu Engineering may be as follows;

 

A meal that makes very little money on the restaurant food menu may actually be among the bestsellers. Would removing this dish have negative or positive consequences for the restaurant's interests?

 

 What % should be the share of the least sold food in the total food revenues?

 What %-What Should the Share of the Best Selling Meal in the Total Expenses be?

 What %-The Share of a Main Meal in Total Should Be in General Expenses?

 What % of the Salary Amount Should Be Received by a Normal Waiter's Total Meals Sold in a Month?

 What %-Shall of Food Revenues and Beverage Revenues in Total Revenues be in a Middle Class Restaurant?

 What is the Share of Kitchen Staff Expenses in Total in Restaurant General Expenses?

 What %-The Share of Energy Expenses in the Total Should Be in the General Expenses in a Restaurant with a High Limit?

 

If you do not know the answer to such questions, it means that you do not have control over your business. I could multiply these questions. Finding answers to these questions is not difficult. You can approach the solution with a few items that you will put in the restaurant Management Circular . In addition , a few additional details that you may want in Restaurant Management Reports can make your hand better. 

 

For all these, there are not very expensive programs, just an "excel" program and you need to know the simple formulas within and between the pages...

 

An excel spreadsheet that you can easily formulate can work for you while making Cost-Cost Calculations in Restaurant Management . After the necessary training is given to the Tables and Minutes in Restaurant Management on this subject , if you enter only the daily income or expense data in the table with 3 or 4 formulas, it can automatically give you daily % rates in at least 40 subjects in general. In addition, if the new tables that you can put into items in Surveys and Forms are filled by your relevant personnel, you can instantly view weekly and monthly much clearer data on your computer. 

 

I will state what I want to tell in general terms in the form of questions, taking into account some of my consultancy services in Menu Engineering  . I would like to state that those who want to receive support and service on related issues will contact me.

 

 Are Menu Engineers Knowledgeable in Protocol Services in Avant-Gard Menus?

 What qualifications are required to be a menu engineer in order to express an opinion on elegant restaurant menus? 

 Can Menu Engineering Be Applied In The Most Successful A la Carte Restaurant Menus?

 What is the Purpose of Menu Engineering in Fine Dining Menu Designs?

 Is There a Connection Between Menu Analysis and Menu Engineering in Flame Cuisine Menus ?

 What Areas Does Menu Engineering Cover in Gastronomy?

 Are the Foods Featured in Sample Restaurant Menus Adjusted by Menu Engineers Today ?

 What Experience Should a Good Menu Engineer Have in Haute Cuisine Restaurant Menus? 

 Who Can Be a Menu Engineer? 

 What is the Relevance of the Matrix System and Menu Engineering?

 What is the Role of Menu Engineering in Menu Pricing?

 Do Menu Guests Understand Guest Psychology?

 Does the Menu Engineer Have Knowledge of Steakhouse Steak Restaurant Menus and Menus with Options ?

 Can Menu Engineers Analyze Your Kitchen Staff and Service Personnel?

 Do Menu Engineers Know About Restaurant Pricing and Budgeting for Certain Success ?

 

 Can Menu Engineers Make New Investment Decisions?

 Can Menu Engineers Keep Food and Beverage Costs Under Control?

 What is the Descriptive Language Menu Engineers Use in Restaurant Menus?

 What is Popularity in Menu Engineering Analysis?

 Is Success Guaranteed in the Results of Menu Engineering Analysis?

 Do Menu Engineering Studies Affect a Restaurant's Profit Margin?

 The Concept of Menu Engineering, With Which Methods Is It Used?

 Can Menu Engineering Choose Easy Menu Items?

 How to Choose Favorite Menu Items in Menu Engineering?

 How to Choose a Target Audience in Menu Engineering?

 What are the Fields of Menu Engineering? 

 What does Menu Engineering have to do with Menu Planning in Casual Dining Menus ?

 Does Menu Engineering Have Anything To Do With Menu Management ?

 Can Menu Engineers Study And Analyze Banquet Menus In Refined Menu Designs ?

 What is the Effect of Menu Engineering on Menu Types in Refined Menu Designs ?

 What Are the Most Important Tips in Restaurant Menu Engineering?

 Can Menu Engineers Make Graphic Design Layout in Restaurant Menus?

 Can Menu Engineers Make the Effect of Marketing and Strategy in Restaurant Menus?

 Can Menu Engineers Adjust The Profitability And Popularity Of The Restaurant Menu?

 Are Restaurant Guests' Eye Movements Reflected on Menu Engineering?

 How Are Restaurant Food Costs Determined in Menu Engineering?

 What is the Role of Expense Estimates in Restaurant Management in Menu Engineering?

 What Does Restaurant Food Sales Forecasts Have To Do With Menu Engineering?

 

Some of the things I can say on this subject are the ones mentioned above. In my menu engineering consultancy service; I offer a special 20% discount to restaurants with Ottoman Palace Cuisine, Old Istanbul Cuisine, Traditional Turkish Cuisine and Anatolian Cuisine and Restaurant Concept Types . For more, you  can review my service areas .

 

Finally, my word to those who are wondering the answer to the question of what are the links of the menu engineering chain;

 

How to Design a Menu?

 

Menu engineering is like the gears of an engine. It can be applied by any institution as a team. But as a person, it takes a lot of experience and merit. The lack of one of the required areas of expertise will also cause a lack of menu engineering. This job is a team job. Unfortunately, today, there are almost no people who can do menu engineering, which will bring success-oriented guest satisfaction . Because menu engineering is a work that can be accomplished by people who have trained themselves in different fields with personal efforts of professions that are not related to each other.

 

If I list the areas of expertise that can make menu engineering perfect in gastronomy, I can say that those who have knowledge and experience about the words labeled in yellow . I would like to emphasize that menu engineering is actually a much more detailed profession if you examine it by clicking on the relevant words and as I have mentioned before, if the gears of an engine work perfectly, the engine will work and give power appropriate to its purpose.

 

Note: 

Although digital menus are completely out of scope in the related article, more menu engineering examples, features and different opportunities can be used incomparably with different techniques. 

 

***  You can contact me through my contact information for more information in the fields related to the subjects specified by labeling, taking into account my professional background in the above article, and toget  support inthe  topics  of  my  service areas for gastronomy consultancy . ***