The simple objective of menu engineering is to increase profit per guest at a restaurant. This is achieved through a careful analysis of the profitability and popularity of individual menu items, followed by placing items on the menu to encourage guests to choose particular dishes. Menu engineering means balancing the high and low food cost items, which also includes strategically featuring or promoting items for the guests.
Assoc. Prof. Manish Paul from Uttarakhand Technical University, India delivered a guest lecture to our Bachelor of International Hospitality Management students on the “Menu Planning and Engineering” topic. The main objective of the lesson was to attain an in-depth knowledge of menu planning and engineering. Specifically, the students were enlightened about the role of the menu and its types, and the important factors related to menu planning.
Students also learned how to manage the profitability and popularity of menu items and how these two factors influenced the designing of a menu. Lastly, students also learned how to work on a menu engineering sheet to calculate the profitability and popularity of the menu items.
