Menu Development, Planning and Design

This report discusses the principles of menu planning and design for meeting customer and business requirements. It covers different types of menus and their impact on menu design. The report also includes a realistic plan for developing a menu that meets the requirements of customers and businesses to maximize profitability. The case study used in this report is Midsummer House, a restaurant located in Cambridge, England, UK.

Menu Development,
Planning and Design

Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
TASK A...........................................................................................................................................1
P1 Examination principles of menu planning and designing for meeting customer and
business requirements..........................................................................................................1
P2 Determining customer and business requirements which is fulfil for profit
maximization for different menus.......................................................................................3
M1 Comparing and contrasting range of different menu along with customer and business
requirements which impacts on design...................................................................................4
D1 Analysing how requirements of customer and business impacts on broad range of menu
designs and recommendation is made to meet future trends..................................................4
P5 Producing an realistic plan for developing menu which meets requirements of
customer and business to maximise profitability..............................................................5
P6 Producing menu which meets customer and business requirements for maximising
business profitability............................................................................................................6
P7 Test and evaluate the menu produced...........................................................................7
M3 Producing realistic menu by using fully researched and costed plan that helps in meeting
overall business objectives.....................................................................................................8
M4 Make justified recommendations for improvement based on tests and evaluation of the
menu.......................................................................................................................................8
D2 Produce an in-depth plan for menu development, including KPIs to measure success,
produce and test the menu......................................................................................................9
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................9
TASK B...........................................................................................................................................9
Covered in PPT.....................................................................................................................9
References:.....................................................................................................................................10

INTRODUCTION
For the organisation success menu planning is one of most important and easy thing that
is done by an individual to set his business. The roadmap is been given by menu that what
ingredients needed to purchased, prices that business will pay foe ingredients, staff, equipment’s,
process needed for obtaining dishes. In the food service industry, menu differs in fine-dining
restaurant to fast-food or casual restaurant. The menu planning and development is an process of
planning the optimum possible presentation of recipes which involves servings made for guest to
meet customer needs. This procedure is affected by several factors like ambience of restaurant,
style of services, customer needs etc. while designing menu it express the eatery's personality,
focusing on overall operations (Bello, and et.al., 2018). The effective men plan of restaurant
helps in attracting large customer base along with this it leads to brand recognition, trust and
money is saved by reducing wastage. The report is based on Midsummer house which is an
restaurant located in Cambridge, England UK. It was an Victorian style house transformed into
restaurant. In 1998 Daniel Clifford took over head chef and this restaurant is owned by Russell
Morgan. This restaurant offers lunch and dinner meals with cuisines of French, European and
British. The report will discuss principles of menu planning and design for meeting requirements
of customer and business along with this it focus on requirements of customer & business which
is fulfilled for profit maximization. This report also covers realistic plan for developing menu as
well as testing and evaluation of menu produced.
TASK A
P1 Examination principles of menu planning and designing for meeting customer and
business requirements.
The menu planning is an procedure of deciding what to eat for each meal which involves
dishes, side dishes and desserts. This also involves plan for knowing hoe many meals is required
to plan and when to serve them. The focus is put on different customer segments, there taste &
preferences and in accordance to that the menu is planned by Midsummer house. Following are
the principles of menu planning and development which is used by Midsummer house.
Balance- It is an important principle for menu planning and designing as it is needed to
balance nutrients and flavour in the dishes. The menu of dishes covers different types of flavours
which is being produced by Midsummer house such as sour, sweet, spicy ad involves nutrients of
1

proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins etc. that is balanced in dishes and helps in meeting customer
requirements and consumption of balanced diet.
Adequacy- While creating an menu plan the adequacy must be focused as it considers
that all nutrient is offered with right amount which involves vitamins, minerals, dietary fiber, etc.
the nutrients is absorbed by body which allows to perform several tasks and processes in smooth
way (Caldeira, and Kastenholz ., 2018).
Emphasize on variety- In the restaurant the customer have different preferences, tastes
and choices which provide chance to customer for exploring different menu and to get their
dishes according to choices which is an important principle for menu designing. Several option is
offered by Midsummer house restaurant in regards to desserts, beverages, and in food.
Eye appealing-For restaurant menu planning and designing is important as it helps in
making eye appealing and increases attraction of customers. The midsummer house plans and
design its menu in such way that makes it eye catchy and presents in effective way to customers.
It considers several factors like size, colour, shape and menu that influences customer decision.
Types of menus
 Static menu- This defines to an larger menu which is divided into categories such as for
food it can be appetizers, salads, entrées and for drinks it can be shots, cocktails beer etc.
that do not changes often. The use of this menu in restaurant provides best customer
experiences and satisfaction as it offers various options, consistency and easy in
navigation. This can be digital display boards or paper menu (Cennamo, and Kalk .,
2019).
 Cyclic menu- This is kind of menu which have repeated options over specified time
period. This can be for two reasons first the cooking operations are small and don't have
resources for to cook to order items for large menu. Secondly, can be for daily specials
such as happy hour meal. This showcase same collection of special offers on same days.
It has specific segregate customer base and contains limited items for severing food in
canteens, colleges mess and hospitals.
 A La carte menu- This is an French phrase which means 'according to menu'. This lists
the prices for each items separately. The higher prices leads to more flexibility in A La
carte menu and choices can be made by customers on individual items and it can be
combine according to their want. In high class restaurant this menu is used that have
2

skilled chefs and unique eaters. This offers colourful and high cost seasonal foods which
involves different menu such as breakfast, dinner Ethnic and lounge menu.
P2 Determining customer and business requirements which is fulfil for profit maximization
for different menus.
If requirements of customer and trends in kept in mind then menu can be designed
efficiently as menu planning is recognised as complicated process which becomes important for
an business to analyse customer & business requirements which can fulfil both needs and
demands. The mid summer house restaurant considers in menu planning the lifestyle and ethical
change of customers with diverse preferences such as vegan, organic vegetarianism etc.
Customer requirements
Current customer trend- During menu planning and designing of restaurant in food &
beverage industry several changes and innovations is taken place which happens regularly in
customer lifestyle and food habits which leads to Midsummer house change its menu according
for profit maximization. To meet customer requirement in effective way latest trends in menu is
updated by restaurant which also helps in generating high profits (Christensen, and et.al., 2022).
Customer needs- In two four parts the needs of customer is divided which involves
price, quality, convenience and choice. The customer requires products at fair prices which is an
monetary value that of item. In restaurant the customer also focus on food quality, variety of
choices and convince. To maximize profit, Mid summer house concentrates on customers needs
and tries to fulfil them by offering quality services and food with unique tastes.
Business requirements
Availability of equipments and Facilities- In the restaurant the availability of
equipments and facility is an basic requirements for designing and developing menu. The food
industry take use of technological equipments , unique utensils and modern kitchens which
enables in offering of better quality services to customers and retaining them in organisation. It is
required for Midsummer house to take use of latest technology in menu planning which can help
in attaining competitive advantage and customer satisfaction (Delmon, J., 2021).
Experienced staff- In the restaurant there is requirement of skilled and experienced staff
for running business operations in efficient manner. The experienced staff will give quality
service to customer and experts chefs will cook variety of food with unique tastes, flavours
which helps Midsummer house to develop and designing effective menu plan. The restaurant
3

requires cook, chef and other staff for serving customers along with this training is provided to
staff for providing better experiences to customers.
Current legislation- In accordance to general food laws there is dietary considerations,
health, safety and hygiene requirements which is followed in menu planning. The food safety act
1990 needs to be followed by Midsummer house that offers assurance to customer in regrads to
product quality (Foster, and Towle ., 2021). The ingredients of dishes in menu is given which
helps in knowing to customer what is being served to customer in their dishes that helps
restaurant in improving its customer base and profitability is enhanced.
M1 Comparing and contrasting range of different menu along with customer and business
requirements which impacts on design.
The menu of a restaurant is most intimate point-of-sale connection for customer. In food
and beverage industry several types of menus are adopted by customers in accordance to their
requirements and to select food items. The types of menus are cycle menu, static menu and La
Carte menu which is being differentiated from each other in accordance to its characteristics. The
Cycle menu has characteristics of weekly or monthly as different items is cooked on same
equipment’s. It has feature of repetition after particular time period. In static menu it is big in
size and do not change over certain time-period (Headley, and Plano Clark, 2020). The La carte
has feature of flexibility by listing prices for each item separately, offers extensive choices of
dishes and cooked as per order. The characteristics of each menu is analysed by Midsummer
house and most appropriate is being selected that can help restro ion serving customers properly.
It is considered that customer and business have different requirements which impacts on
menu design. The requirements of customer depends on its preferences & tastes, current trends
and its needs. While, business requirements involves experienced staff equipment, quality and
consistency of products. All such factors collectively is considered by Midsummer house
restaurant which helps in process of designing effective menu for customer and increase of
profits.
D1 Analysing how requirements of customer and business impacts on broad range of menu
designs and recommendation is made to meet future trends.
The menu design is impacted directly or indirectly as customer and business have its own
requirements. According to current market there is continuous change in needs and preferences
of customer and consumer trends affects directly to restaurant menu as menu cannot be changed
4

frequently in restaurant. While on other side in business requirements there is need of expert
chef, experienced and trained staff, latest equipments according to technology so that menu can
be designed effectively according to needs and demands of customers. The midsummer house
needs to consider both business and customer requirements for developing effective menu.
To midsummer house restaurant it is recommended to have in-depth market research to
analyse present trends of market and implementing menu for gaining competitive edge. The
restaurant recognises needs and trends of customer as organic food item is preferred by
consumers which make it available according to needs. It is also recommended to take use of
updated technology and offering quality services which will help in meeting future trends
efficiently and effectively (Huber, and et.al., 2018).
P5 Producing an realistic plan for developing menu which meets requirements of customer
and business to maximise profitability.
The realistic plan of restaurant reflects that have intention of doing something in future
and customer are influenced for more order. To create an effective restaurant menu there is need
of balance between art of menu designing and menu engineering a both understands customer
psychology and profits. It becomes important to consider customer requirements for developing
realistic menu plan and in order to maximizing restaurant profitability. Following realistic
development plan of midsummer house restaurant is prepared-
 Development of menu cost- For the midsummer house restaurant it is an first step in
menu development which decides and thinks what kind of menu can be appropriate for
restaurant in accordance to its location, consumer demands, availability of ingredients
and used. To attract large number of customers the midsummer house offers menu with
items of French, British along with lunch and dinner. It also takes use of organic
ingredients with fresh flavours (Karekla, and et.al., 2019). Developing list of core ingredients- Lot of trial and error is taken while developing an
menu or specific drinks and dishes. It becomes important for midsummer house
restaurant to understand the target market while working with flavours that helps in
customer growth. It is also required to list all core ingredients that will offer wow factor
in desired menu. For the purpose of reducing food cost, waste and taking decisions of
investment properly the restaurant tries to repurpose raw material.
5

 Investigating supply chain- After deciding concept and core ingredients the restaurant
wants to reduce risk by eliminating third parties as possible within supply chain. The
strong relationship is created with customers also for planning menu midsummer house
targets limited number of suppliers, involving its past company history, ethical working
environment. The restaurant relies on local supplier which can offer quality material at
affordable prices. Cost out menu items- The midsummer house prices its menu items in accordance to
target customers and local economy that are based on concept, noted ingredients and
supplier cost. By the use of menu management program and inputting available data into
spreadsheet allows in analysing menu concept, portions and each associated item with its
core list of ingredients (Kempf, and et.al., 2018). Visualizing plating and glassware- In such phase of menu development plan, the
restaurant will ensure that its food, beverages, wines, deserts and brunches is presented in
such way that can attract large base of customers. The midsummer house restaurant
ensures to present items with unique plates, glass, spoons and fork as guests look for
attracting menu in presentable manner. Run a test kitchen- This process does not end here when menu is developed with proper
concepts, ingredients, pricing and plating. In this phase the testing of dishes is most
important as Midsummer house restaurant checks flavours, evaluating, costing, pricing
and time constraints for preparing food items that helps in meeting requirements of
customer and restaurant (Luthra, and et.al., 2018).
The menu development plan is followed by midsummer house restaurant as it will help in
attracting large customer and offers quality services with food. The customer and business
requirements are meet along with this profit is maximised of restaurant.
P6 Producing menu which meets customer and business requirements for maximising
business profitability.
Devine Restaurant Coffee Bar
Food Menu
 Breakfast:
 Gluten free Granola & food salad £11.95
6

 Eggs on toast
 Quiche Quinoa Porridge
 Lunch
 Gluten free Pizza
 Spicy Black Bean Burger
 Soup and Salad
 Mushroom Sandwich
 Vegan Lasagne
 Organic fish and seafood
£10.95
£7.95
£8.95
£12.
£16.85
£13.95
£11.75
£13.85
£12.25
Drinks and Beverages
 Coffee
 Blue sky soda
 Jolly green smoothly
£7.95
£6.50
£4.95
P7 Test and evaluate the menu produced
For testing and evaluating the problems and success of menu that have accrued which takes
use of several tools and techniques. The food industry for the evaluation purpose measures
performance of staff members, levels of customer satisfaction, chefs and growth of midsummer
restaurant. Following are the techniques used by midsummer restaurant in testing menu which
are as follows-
 Key performance indicator- It is important for midsummer house restaurant to evaluate
performance continuously through key performance indicator. The KPIs like customer
retention rate, consumer satisfaction, revenue per client helps restaurant in evaluating and
measuring performance level of staff in efficient way. The menu of restaurant is updated
with the help of KPI and considers skills of staff members & demand of consumer.
 Benchmarking- This is related to evaluation of technique against standards. The
effectiveness of midsummer house restaurant menu is evaluated in comparison to other
competitors. The midsummer house uses this benchmarking technique for knowing
7

effectiveness in food items, menu and services from others. In the starting stage some
standards are made and then actual performance is compared with standards that leads to
evaluation of performance and menu efficiency.
 Customer feedbacks and reviews- The overall performance is reviewed in food industry
with proper and regular customer feedbacks & review. This helps the midsummer house
restaurant in improving ingredients and flavours of dishes as consumer are considered
backbone for the success of any business (Noe, and Kodwani, 2018). The responses of
customers works as key factor for restaurant which can help in improving and innovating
menu according to requirements of customers.
M3 Producing realistic menu by using fully researched and costed plan that helps in meeting
overall business objectives.
In the development plan of menu several stages are followed by midsummer house as in first
step restaurant develops menu concept according to customer needs and requirements by
conducting research. In next step, core ingredients list is prepared which will in serving better
flavoured food items to customer along with this restaurant ensure to have appropriate supply
chain for getting raw material that is needed in food preparation of customers. In next phase, the
menu item is cost out with menu planner by analysing pricing, production and labour cost of
competitors. The restaurant focuses on visualising plating and glassware and menu is checked for
knowing its effectiveness. Restaurant implements complete process after having in-dept research
which can help an organisation in achieving determined goals and objectives in effective way.
M4 Make justified recommendations for improvement based on tests and evaluation of the menu
The restaurant take use of several tools and techniques for the purpose of testing and
evaluating menu like KPI, benchmarking and customer feedbacks and reviews. With the use of
testing technique, it helps midsummer restaurant in improving performance and better experience
is offered to customers. To the restaurant it is recommended to use customer satisfaction and
retention matrices which enables organisation in recognising consumer satisfaction level in
menu. The use of KPIs helps restaurant in improving in menu planning in accordance to
consumer requirements (Piggott, and et.al., 2022). The online survey and market research is
conducted by restaurant by taking consumer feedbacks and reviews in regards to restaurant
offerings. To the restaurant it is recommended to set clear, realistic and achievable benchmarks
for achieving business objectives. By adopting effective benchmarking in restaurant, it will help
8

in measuring actual performance with established standards and corrective measures will be
taken for improving menu efficiency.
D2 Produce an in-depth plan for menu development, including KPIs to measure success, produce
and test the menu
The midsummer house restaurant follows a systematic plan for developing and planning
menu. First the concept of menu is developed by restaurant and list of ingredients is prepared
that will be used in menu. The suitable supply chain is selected which cost menu and visualise
plating and presentation. At last, the menu is evaluated and tested in kitchen for knowing the
menu effectiveness. To measure the effectiveness of menu several KPIs like customer
satisfaction and retention is used which allows restaurant in determining its efficiency and
effectiveness. This is also essential for restaurant to have proper research regarding customer
needs, preferences and requirement that can help in developing menu and customers can be
attracted.
CONCLUSION
It is being concluded from the above report that, menu is important feature for restaurant and
food service industry that helps customers in ordering foods items as per their needs and choices.
The range of principles of menu planning is implemented by food and beverage industry which
becomes necessary for fulfilling customer requirements and business that can maximises
profitability. The menu plan is developed by Midsummer house and pricing of menu items is
determined which can attract consumer towards restaurant. It also takes use of several techniques
for knowing success and profitability of restaurant menu.
TASK B
Covered in PPT
relative prices to customers.
9

References:
Bello, and et.al., 2018. Enhancing community participation in tourism planning associated with
protected areas in developing countries: Lessons from Malawi. Tourism and Hospitality
Research, 18(3), pp.309-320.
Caldeira, and Kastenholz ., 2018. Tourists’ spatial behaviour in urban destinations: The effect of
prior destination experience. Journal of Vacation Marketing, 24(3), pp.247-260.
Cennamo, and Kalk ., 2019. Real world instructional design: An iterative approach to designing
learning experiences. Routledge.
Christensen, and et.al., 2022. The Danish National Health Survey: Study design, response rate
and respondent characteristics in 2010, 2013 and 2017. Scandinavian Journal of Public
Health, 50(2), pp.180-188.
Delmon, J., 2021. Private sector investment in infrastructure: project finance, PPP projects and
PPP frameworks. Kluwer Law International BV.
Foster, and Towle ., 2021. Software engineering: a methodical approach. CRC Press.
Headley, and Plano Clark, 2020. Multilevel mixed methods research designs: Advancing a
refined definition. Journal of Mixed Methods Research, 14(2), pp.145-163.
Huber, and et.al., 2018. Utilizing the electronic health record to improve advance care planning:
a systematic review. American Journal of Hospice and Palliative Medicine®, 35(3), pp.532-
541.
Karekla, and et.al., 2019. Best practices and recommendations for digital interventions to
improve engagement and adherence in chronic illness sufferers. European Psychologist.
Kempf, and et.al., 2018. Challenges of developing and conducting clinical trials in rare
disorders. American journal of medical genetics Part A, 176(4), pp.773-783.
Luthra, and et.al., 2018. Evaluating the drivers to information and communication technology for
effective sustainability initiatives in supply chains. International Journal of Information
Technology & Decision Making, 17(01), pp.311-338.
Noe, and Kodwani, 2018. Employee training and development, 7e. McGraw-Hill Education.
Ramseur, P., Fuchs, M.A., Edwards, P. and Humphreys, J., 2018. The implementation of a
structured nursing leadership development program for succession planning in a health
system. JONA: The Journal of Nursing Administration, 48(1), pp.25-30.
Piggott, and et.al., 2022. Integrating quality assurance and quality improvement with guidelines:
systematic stakeholder-driven development of an extension of the Guidelines International
Network–McMaster guideline development checklist. Annals of Internal Medicine.
Books and Journals
10