Anti-crisis actions in the restaurant. Step-by-step instruction
We continue the heading “Weekend brunches”! Read which Latvian restaurants offer weekend brunch and what exactly awaits guests -. And today we changed brunch to a late lunch, and we are talking about our personal experience - dinner at the Piramīda restaurant.
Riga, Reimers street, 1
Phone: +371 67093333
open
Mon-Fri / 06:00-10:30, 12:00-23:00
Saturday / 07:00-11:00, 12:00-23:00
Sunday / 07:00-11:00
Special dinner menu on weekdays and Saturdays from 18:00 to 23:00
€30,00
- Dinner, which includes five courses and one coffee.
Table reservation- desirable.
“I don't score or assign stars. Only an objective view and lively emotions - mine, my spouse and our three children.” And today we are evaluating the special menu at the Piramīda restaurant.
First impression
The appearance of the restaurant cannot but be liked - light, elegant, beautiful. My pleasant first impression was intensified due to the similarity of the institution with one Kyiv restaurant, where the first banquet in my life was held.
Choice of dishes
The special dinner menu at the Pyramid consists of five courses: a starter of your choice, soup, a second course of your choice of meat or fish, a dessert of your choice and afternoon coffee with homemade chocolate. The menu changes every week and can be found at restaurant home page.
My husband and I managed to try a little more treats. And all because we were present at the presentation of this proposal by the new chef of the restaurant Artur Bruch.
As an appetizer, venison carpaccio marinated in Black Riga Balsam with juniper, thyme and pepper was offered, and a dish was served with lettuce, cranberry sauce and Parmesan cheese.
They served fish soup with the patriotic name Ridzensky (in honor of the hotel where the restaurant is located). It was a creamy soup with saffron, salmon, cod, tiger prawns and mussels, served with crispy baguette chips and olive tapenade.
On the second we tasted both meat and fish dishes. First, duck breast with potato, celery root and apple gratin, caramelized carrots, red wine sauce and cherry confit.
Then, in order to prepare our taste buds for a fish dish, they brought mango sorbet with green pistachios. This was followed by a fillet of black halibut in orange-fennel glaze with a side dish of grilled white asparagus, steamed pumpkin and beetroot puree.
There were also two desserts: panna cotta espresso with caramel foam and crunchy chocolate and chocolate fondant with berries and vanilla ice cream.
Food quality and taste
Of course, I really want to convey to you the taste of each of these wonderful treats. But, of course, I will not be able to describe their splendor in words one hundred percent. Trust me, it was unbelievably delicious. Gourmet journalists were sitting at the table that evening, squeaking just on the topic of restaurants and the intricacies of haute cuisine. And even these masters of the word were limited to a laconic “mmm” and an expressive “wow”, because you can’t say more precisely.
Service
What can be the service at the presentation, held under the vigilant control of the chef and restaurant management? Only perfect! I hope that on other days the waiters also do a great job.
And another pleasant moment, speaking in favor of the willingness of the staff to adapt to the wishes of the guests, was the situation with an unplanned dessert. The administration of the institution, having heard our conversation on the topic “Where is the most delicious fondant”, invited us to evaluate the dessert performed by them. Needless to say, it, like everything we ate that evening, was cooked to the highest standard?
Conclusion
Having received an invitation, for a couple of weeks I looked at the page of the restaurant, where you can see the same, presentation, special menu. Do you know what problem will await all the guests of such a dinner? Problem of choice. For almost every position there are 3-4 dishes, the names of which sound like an ode to culinary art. And when you see them in front of you, make sure the treats look like in the movies. Well, having tried the delicacies, you will agree with all my delights. I know it for sure.
In the near future, State Duma deputies plan to amend the resolution on the sale of catering products, obliging restaurant owners to indicate the full composition of dishes on the menu. Editorial"Special Meal"I decided to figure out the rules for the design of the menu and what, in addition to the names of dishes, should be indicated in them.
Menu - this is not only a list of dishes and drinks that the company has, indicating quantitative indicators and prices, but also the main visiting card of any catering establishment.
Who makes the menu?
The menu is compiled by the head of production with the participation of the head waiter. After calculating the selling prices for dishes, the manager submits the menu to the director of the establishment for approval.
How is the menu developed?
1. Assortment of dishes
The first thing to do when developing a menu is to create an assortment of dishes and drinks, which should contain regular, new and signature dishes. In addition, the assortment must correspond to the specifics, class and thematic orientation of the institution (i.e., if the restaurant belongs to the “luxury” class, it must necessarily contain specialties, if the institution is called “Odessa-Mama”, then dishes of Odessa cuisine must be served in it).
It should be noted that the assortment list of dishes should be developed taking into account full compliance with sanitary and technological requirements, as well as standards for this type and class of enterprises. Also, the menu must be coordinated with the territorial bodies of sanitary and epidemiological supervision.
2. raw material
When developing a range of dishes, it is necessary to focus on the specifics of the work of suppliers or other source of supply of raw materials.
3. Seasonality of products
When compiling the menu, you should also take into account the seasonality of the products from which the dishes are prepared. For example, in winter, dishes rich in fats, carbohydrates and proteins are in great demand (i.e. in winter the number of meat, fish and flour dishes on the menu should prevail), in summer the season of fruits and vegetables begins, so the menu should include dishes with the addition of these products.
4. Half portions
If the institution works not only in the evening, but also in the daytime, then it is desirable that the menu includes dishes that are served in the amount of half portions. This requirement primarily applies to customers who can come to the restaurant during the day with their children.
5. Photos
For additional attention of visitors, it is recommended to provide the menu with photographs of the dishes provided. Such a measure will not only attract the attention of guests, but also, accordingly, increase the profit of the institution.
6. Complex lunches
If public catering enterprises are located at hotels, railway stations, airports, at the place of work and study, as well as in enterprises serving socially vulnerable groups of the population, along with traditional forms of product sales, the sale of complex breakfasts, lunches, dinners, varied by day of the week, taking into account rational norms and nutritional characteristics, can be used.
Rules for the arrangement of dishes on the menu
On the first page of the menu, there should be a special offer of dishes of the day, then a list of specialties, then a list of dishes in the order of their serving: from snacks to drinks.
1. Appetizers and salads
Appetizers and salads are arranged on the menu in accordance with the sequence of their serving for visitors. As a rule, the enumeration of snacks starts from less spicy, containing a small amount of extractive substances, and ends with more spicy and spicy ones.
As for salads, their location depends on the order of appetizers (i.e. fish salads come after cold fish dishes, meat salads after cold meat dishes). Sometimes salads are classified as independent groups, and then they should be listed before cold meat dishes.
2. Hot dishes
Hot dishes are listed as follows: boiled - poached - fried - stewed - baked.
3. Soups
Soups are arranged in this order: transparent - dressing - puree soups - dairy - cold - sweet.
4. Desserts and drinks
Desserts and drinks in this case can be combined into one group, because the list of dishes in this category is almost always the final position on the menu. The placement of flour, confectionery and other products can be variable, and drinks are arranged depending on the strength (i.e. strong alcoholic drinks - less strong - non-alcoholic - coffee and tea).
Menu types
A la carte menu - indicates portioned dishes with an individual price for each. It is used in expensive restaurants, most often located in high-end hotel complexes.
Table d'hote menu - the menu of the common table, offers options for formed complexes of snacks, dishes, desserts, drinks at a single fixed price. The menu program of the common table includes from five to seven items. The use of such a menu is practiced in restaurants at hotel complexes, as it provides fast and economical service.
Tourist menu - is designed to attract the attention of tourists, emphasizing cheapness and nutritional qualities - essential information for tourists. National dishes interesting for tourists can be emphasized, or the opportunity to dine quickly and inexpensively.
Express Menu or Lunch Menu - are served only during the daytime hours of the establishment, printed daily on separate forms. Such menus list the names of set meals at a single fixed price. Such menus are especially convenient in restaurants at train stations and airports.
Menu Rules
1. Introduction to the menu
Visitors to the establishment have the right to get acquainted with the menu, price lists of wines and other conditions of service both on the trading floor and outside it.
2. Additional services
The cost of all additional services must be indicated in the menu or price lists.
3. Composition of dishes
In trading floors, the visitor is obligatory informed about the cost of dishes and products, the capacity of a bottle of alcoholic beverage, the price of the entire container, 50 and 100 g of alcoholic beverage. In canteens serving permanent contingents of visitors (workers, employees, students, students, etc.), the menu also indicates the output of culinary products, and in other types of enterprises, at the request of visitors, this information is given by service personnel.
4. Checking dishes
All public catering enterprises must provide the consumer with the opportunity to check the measure and weight of the culinary products sold to him, as well as, if necessary, a license for the right to manufacture and sell these products, as well as a certificate for the products.
If the visitor found underweight of the dish, or if it was shortchanged, then the company is obliged, at the choice of the client:
eliminate identified deficiencies free of charge;
reduce the amount of payment for culinary products;
to produce a similar dish, culinary product without additional payment;
fully reimburse the consumer's expenses associated with the acquisition of low-quality culinary products (performance of the service).
5. Order
When accepting a pre-order for a service, the enterprise must ensure that it is completed on time. If it is impossible to fulfill such an order for reasons beyond the control of the enterprise, it is obliged to ensure that this event is held in another public catering enterprise without prejudice to the interests of the consumer, informing him of this at least 7 days in advance.
Who initiated the innovation?
The initiator of amending the resolution on the sale of products of public catering establishments was the United Russia party. On March 19, during a round table on the topic: "Party project to protect the health of citizens: the catering system needs a standard for the menu," party deputies, representatives of the medical community, science and the restaurant business discussed the development of the menu, which should indicate the exhaustive composition of dishes. Prior to the round table, this initiative was launched on the electronic discussion platform of the We Are Together party, where the majority of project users supported this initiative.
Reasons for the introduction
The authors of the project noted that “at present, only the names of dishes appear in the menu of catering establishments and, at best, the basic set of products used in their preparation, and often the composition of dishes is not indicated at all.”
In addition, in most cases, even the waiters do not know the composition of the dishes, the deputies noted. Also, this measure, according to them, is aimed at protecting the rights and interests of allergy sufferers, for whom knowing the composition of the dish is a guarantee of good health.
Opinions
Alexander Baturin
Alexander Baturin, Deputy Director for Research at the State Research Institute of Nutrition of the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences, drew attention to the fact that the services provided by the institution are closely related to ensuring human health. Therefore, "the one who provides the service must give maximum information to the consumer."
Arseny Nesterov
One of the representatives of the restaurant business, restaurateur Arseniy Nesterov, suggested that restaurants indicate only the main composition of the dish, while making exceptions for those dishes and drinks whose names fully reflect the composition, for example, carrot-apple juice.
Rafael Mardanshin
State Duma deputy Rafael Mardanshin said that the parties' opinions on this issue differ, but "there is a common understanding that for people with allergies there is a problem of eating out."
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1. Preface.
Today, we will tell you about Menu engineering. We have written a ready-made solution that takes a standard Sales Report and makes our mega-analysis based on it.Free, available to everyone.
I will try to briefly and extremely clearly explain what, why and why.
I'll tell you how to prepare the desired report and get instant results using our development.
The article is relevant for any automation system that is able to upload a sales report to Excel, all this was tested and verified on iiko system.
2. What is it and why?
The functionality we have developed allows you to quickly and accurately analyze the sales data of your restaurant and get a picture of the sales of menu items.
Based on its report, you will be able to understand how each individual item on the menu is sold and draw the right conclusions about how to optimize menu, increase margin, reduce food cost, on the sale of which positions should be emphasized, and which positions should be completely withdrawn from the sale.
This method is an alternative to ABC analysis. Can he completely replace him? Perhaps, but I recommend doing everything.
Advantages over ABC:
1. The report is visually easy to read. As a result, we will attribute each position to a specific group and mark it with a color.
2. We do 2 analyzes at the same time, we analyze more indicators than ABC analysis.
3. We taught the report to automatically sort positions into groups and do analysis within the group. We don't compare sales of soups to coffee or desserts. Due to this, we achieve greater accuracy. Doing ABC in groups is a very tedious task.
The mathematics of the report is based on the work of American specialists in the field of restaurant consulting Michael Casavan and Donald Smith. Their work, in turn, is built on the generally accepted model of the Boston Matrix (Wiki - BCG Matrix), which Casavana and Smith have expanded and adapted for the restaurant business.
3. Which report to download from the automation system?
We need a classic Sales Report for 1 month uploaded in excel format.
Each dish is a row, columns are indicators of the dish. The first line is the name of the columns, it is ignored when rendering.
You can download our sample report, see how it looks and how the report functionality works.
The report should contain the following columns:
A) Group - logical menu groups within which we calculate positions. Example: side dishes, poultry dishes, pizza, hot drinks, etc.
B) Dish - the name of the dish that we are analyzing.
C) The number of dishes sold, pieces.
D) Revenue from sold dishes, rubles.
E) % of the total revenue of all dishes in all groups, number.
F) The cost of one dish, rubles.
G) The selling price of a dish or the average selling price for a given period, rubles
H) The total cost of the sold dish, rubles (the cost of one dish multiplied by the quantity)
I) % of the total cost of all dishes in all groups, number.
J) Gross profit, rubles.
IMPORTANT! The order of the columns must be preserved, the name of the columns can be arbitrary, as long as it is clear to you.
IMPORTANT! In columns with indicators, only numbers are allowed, no% signs and "rub." should not be.
For iiko owners. All columns are in the standard report "On sales for the period", there should be no problems with receiving and uploading the report to Excel.
4. Where to upload the report and how to get the result?
We insert the sales report in excel format into our web form (so far we have placed it somehow, if only it worked).
We press the "choose file" button, we find the file on the computer.
Then we press the "Parsing" button and see the result on the screen.
After the result is displayed, a “download XLS” button appears at the very bottom, which will allow you to save the result to Excel.
IMPORTANT! The web form does not store data and does not send it to the server, all processing is carried out directly on your computer.
5. What do the colors mean and what to do next with all this?
Analysis 1.
By determining the popularity and gross profit of each menu item and comparing them with the average values for the entire menu structure, all items are divided into four groups.
Stars– positions with high popularity and high level of profitability.
Horses– positions with high popularity, but low profitability.
Puzzles– positions with low popularity, but a high level of profitability.
Dogs– positions with low popularity and low profitability.
Obviously everyone wants to see more stars on their menu and doesn't want to see dogs.
And in fact, this is where your creativity as a restaurateur, economist and analyst begins.
Task:
Save and support the stars, try to increase their number.
Replace dogs with other positions that will be more popular or more profitable.
Horses sell well, but bring little profit. Such positions should usually be kept in the menu, but try to make them more profitable. Reduce the cost, and maybe increase the selling price.
Riddles make a good profit, but they are not very popular. They need to be promoted more, perhaps it is worth placing table tents, start instructing waiters, setting up marketing campaigns in
Prime– high weighted marginal profit and low % cost.
standards– high weighted marginal profit, high % cost.
Sleepers– low weighted marginal profit, low % cost.
Problems– low weighted marginal profit, high % cost.
Objective: to increase weighted marginal profit and reduce costs. This analysis does a good job of showing the problematic positions of your menu.
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