(FSS) Food Service Styles and Menu Planning Lesson

Food Service Styles and Menu Planning

Food Service Styles

Every family has customs for who sits where, how food is presented and how meals are served. Specific customs for serving and eating meals vary from family to family and culture to culture. A well-planned routine makes mealtime orderly, relaxed and comfortable. Meals in the United States are usually served in one of three ways:

Even within a meal, food may be presented in several ways. For example, for a buffet style meal, individual salads may be on the table already. Bread may be passed at the table. Dessert may be served on individual plates after the main course is cleared.

In a buffet style service, you should arrange the buffet so guest can serve themselves easily. Buffet service is easy, especially for a crowd. To arrange a buffet table, choose easy to manage foods. It is also important to keep hot foods hot and cold foods cold. Set out smaller amounts of food and refill the buffet as needed. Warming trays are frequently used, along with slow cookers or trays on ice.

Menu Planning

image of recipe cardA menu is a comprised list of food items that are served at a particular establishment. Menus tell you the types of food and beverages served, along with prices of each. The menu plays an important role in promoting the business and it tempts the customer to order the food. Menus should be attractive and informative - not long, but it should be able to provide the necessary information. Menu planning is the choosing of menu foods, typically for a specific event. There are several important factors to consider when planning a menu.

  1. Type of Institution: determine the type of institution for which the menu is being planned
  2. Costs: costs are a critical factor that need to be considered because your budget affects the type of menu you can plan
  3. Food Availability: check to make sure that the foods you want on your menu are in season
  4. Transportation: menu items that need refrigeration or freezing will need special accommodations made to be transported to their destination

Before a person begins to plan a menu, they will first need to know the different types of menus that exists. There are six main types of menus.

Beverage and Dessert Menus are also two common menus in a restaurant.

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