Controlling Foodservice Costs or Nuts

Controlling Foodservice Costs

Author: Staff of National Restaurant Assoc Educational Foundation

The NRAEF is introducing a new program as part of its strategic focus on recruitment and retention. This new management training certification program is based on a set of competencies defined by the restaurant, foodservice and hospitality industry as those needed for success. NRAEF ManageFirst Program leads to a new credential, ManageFirst Professional (MFP), which is part of our industry career ladder. This competency-based program includes 12 topics, each with a competency guide, exam, instructor resources and certificate. Students earn a certification for each exam passed. The topics and exams are aligned to typical on-campus courses. For example, the Controlling Foodservice Costs Competency Guide is designed to align with a Cost Control or Operations Management course. Competency Guides and Textbooks: Most guides are 150-200 pages in length and are designed to be used with traditional textbooks for each course area. Each guide contains the essential content for that topic, learning activities, assessments, case studies, suggested field trips & research projects, professional profiles and testimonials. Instructor resources are available electronically and include competency guide content, notes indicating points to be emphasized, recommended activities and discussion questions, and answers to all activities and case studies. Exams: Exams accompany each topic covered in the competency guides. Pencil and paper and online exam formats are offered. They typically are proctored on campus at the end of a course by faculty. Certificates: The NRAEF provides a certificate to students upon successfully passing each exam. The certificatesare endorsed by the NRAEF and feature the student’s name and the exam passed. The certificates are a lasting recognition of a student’s accomplishment and a signal to the industry that the student has mastered the competencies covered within a particular topic. Credential: Upon successful completion of five NRAEF ManageFirst Program exams (including three predefined core topics, one foundation topic, and ServSafe Food Safety) a student is awarded the NRAEF ManageFirst Professional (MFP) credential. There is no additional charge for the credential. The program is targeted at the academic community. The program is flexible for use at two-year or four-year restaurant, foodservice and hospitality programs, proprietary schools and technical/vocational career education schools.

Table of Contents:

Chapter 1 What is Cost Control?

· The Manager’s Role in Cost Control

· Types of Costs

· The Cost Control Process

Chapter 2 A Closer Look at Food Cost

· Food Cost Defined

· Calculating Food Cost

· Calculating Food Cost Percentage

Chapter 3 Using Standardized Recipes to Determine Standard Portion Control

· What is Standardized Recipe?

· Determining Standard Portion Control

Chapter 4 Cost Control and the Menu–Determining Selling Prices and Product Mix

· Determining Selling Prices for Menu Items

· Market Forces Affecting Selling Prices

· Menu Product Mix

· Monitoring Menu-Related Costs

Chapter 5 Controlling Food Costs in Purchasing and Receiving

· Purchasing Procedures and Cost Control

· Catering Purchases

· Butcher Test

· Receiving Procedures and Cost Control

Chapter 6 Controlling Food Cost in Storage and Issuing

• Using Proper Storage Techniques to Control Food Cost
• Inventory Control
• Perpetual vs. Physical Inventory

Chapter 7 Controlling Food Cost in Production

• Monitoring the Use of Standardized Recipes
• Determining How Much Food to Produce
• Recipe Conversions
• Determining Recipe Yields

Chapter 8 Controlling Food Cost in Service and Sales

• Service and Portion Control
• Portion Control Devices
• Product Usage Report and Waste Report
• Controlling Food Cost in Sales

Chapter 9 Controlling Labor Costs

• Labor Costs
• Budget as a Cost Control
• Creating Schedules
• Creating the Crew Schedule
• Controlling Labor Costs

Field Project
Index

Book review: Group Leadership Skills or Agricultural Prices and Commodity Market Analysis

Nuts: More Than 75 Delicious and Healthy Recipes

Author: Avner Laskin

Almond, Brazil nut, cashew, chestnut, hazelnut, macadamia, pistachio, walnut: while any nut’s great gobbled straight from a bowl, they’re all also delicious and healthy in so many dishes. These 80 recipes—illustrated with an array of luscious photos—showcase the mouthwatering versatility of nuts in cooking, from appetizers to restaurant-ready desserts. Enjoy spreads and sauces like Coconut Chutney; tasty sandwich toppers; vegetable-based delights such as Tabbouleh with Pistachios and Almonds; elegant entrees that range from Nut-Crusted Lamb Chops to Almond Chili Seafood Stir-Fry; and baked treats and sweets, including breads, savory pastries, ice cream, biscotti, and more. In addition there’s valuable information on purchasing, storing, and roasting nuts, along with basic preparations for sweetening and salting them.

Judith Sutton <P>Copyright &copy; Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. - School Library Journal

Laskin, a chef and author of several other cookbooks, presents in these attractive, small books recipes from a range of Mediterranean cuisines and beyond, many illustrated with full-page color photographs. Among the offerings in Olivesare Tuna in Green Olive Sauce and Tomatoes Stuffed with Spiced Olives. It's somewhat surprising that few of the recipes specify a particular type of olive (other than "black" or "green"), and a glossary of different olives would have been helpful. The recipe choices in Nutsinclude Noodles in Coconut Curry Sauce and Chocolate Macadamia Brownies, and here Laskin does provide a brief glossary of nuts. For larger collections.