SITHKOP002 Plan and cost basic menus assessment

Introduction

Welcome to the Student Assessment Tasks for SITHKOP002 Plan and cost basic menus. These tasks have been designed to help you demonstrate the skills and knowledge that you have learned during your course

Please ensure that you read the instructions provided with these tasks carefully. You should also follow the advice provided in the Hospitality Works Student User Guide. The Student User Guide provides important information for you relating to completing assessments successfully.

Assessment for this unit

SITHKOP002 Plan and cost basic menus describe the performance outcomes, skills, and knowledge required to plan and cost basic menus for dishes or food product ranges for any type of cuisine or food service style. It requires the ability to identify customer preferences, plan menus to meet customer and business needs, cost menus and evaluate their success.

For you to be assessed as competent, you must successfully complete three assessment tasks:

• Assessment Task 1: Knowledge questions – You must answer all questions correctly.
• Assessment Task 2: Prepare menus project – You are required to identify the preferences of a group of customers and then develop a set of eight menus of different styles to meet those preferences. You will also gather feedback on each menu from the customer group.
• Assessment Task 3: Evaluate menus – You are required to evaluate customer sales and satisfaction data and provide menu feedback.

Preparing for assessment

Please read through all of the assessment tasks and related documents carefully before you get started. Ensure that you have everything that you need and seek clarification from your trainer, assessor, or workplace supervisor if you have any questions.

Supporting resources: Supporting resources include templates, journals, workbooks and portfolios which can be used to support you in providing evidence of your competence. Your assessor will provide you with these documents before you begin your assessment tasks. For this unit, the supporting resources comprise:

• Customer Preferences Template (Assessment Task 2)
• Menus Template (eight copies required) (Assessment Task 2)
• Menu Performance Template (Assessment Task 3)
• Ruby on Main Sales Data (Assessment Task 3)

Once you have read through the assessment tasks and are satisfied that you are clear on the requirements and submission dates, complete and sign a Student Assessment Agreement. Your assessor will countersign the agreement and keep it on file.

Assessment Task 1: Knowledge questions

Information for students

Knowledge questions are designed to help you demonstrate the knowledge which you have acquired during the learning phase of this unit. Ensure that you:

• review the advice to students regarding answering knowledge questions in the Hospitality Works Student User Guide
• comply with the due date for assessment which your assessor will provide
• answer all questions completely and correctly
• submit work that is original and, where necessary, properly referenced
• submit a completed cover sheet with your work
• avoid sharing your answers with other students

Questions

1. Describe five sources of information that you could use to find information on your organization’s current customer profile and food preferences.

2. Describe each of the following service styles:

• À la carte
• Buffet
• Cyclical
• Degustation
• Ethnic
• Set
• Table d’hote
• Seasonal

3. Describe three sources of information that you can use for determining the cost of supply for ingredients.

4. Describe the method and formula for calculating portion yields using each of the following tests:

• Butcher’s test
• Standard yield tests

5. Describe the method and calculation for calculating the total cost of a dish. 

6. Describe the method and calculation for calculating the profitability of a dish.

7. Describe the method and calculation for assessing the viability of a dish.

8. Describe the information included in an organisation’s standard recipe card.

9. Describe how each of the following factors might influence your menu planning decisions.

• Age and stage
• Budget
• Tastes and preferences
• Social and cultural background (including any gender considerations)

10. List six elements that you should consider to ensure that your menu is balanced.

11. Describe how each of the following could be used to assess the popularity of menu items:

• Customer surveys
• Popularity indexes
• Sales data

12. Explain how the availability of seasonal produce might influence your menu planning process.

13. List at least two popular food preferences in each of the following categories:

• Contemporary eating habits
• Cultural and ethnic influences
• Popular menu items
• Quick service foods
• Seasonal dishes

Assessment Task 2: Prepare menus

Information for students

In this task, you are required to identify the preferences of a range of customers from different groups and then to develop a set of eight menus of different styles to meet those preferences. You will also gather feedback on each menu from the customer group.

You will need access to:

• your learning resources and other information for reference
• commercial information which may include:
• preferred supplier arrangements
• purchase specifications
• sources of negotiated cost of supply:
• tariffs
• price lists
• product information:

• food preparation lists
• menus for restaurants
• price lists
• recipes
• costs of food supply for food service businesses
• menus for the variety of cuisines and service styles specified in the performance evidence

• your Food Preferences Template
• your Menu Template (eight copies).

Ensure that you:

• review the advice to students regarding responding to written tasks in the Hospitality Works Student User Guide
• comply with the due date for assessment which your assessor will provide
• answer all questions completely and correctly
• submit work which is original and, where necessary, properly referenced
• submit a completed cover sheet with your work
• avoid sharing your answers with other students.

Activities

Complete the following activities.

1. Carefully read the following scenario

Successful completion of this unit requires that you demonstrate your skills and knowledge by evaluating the needs of customers and developing and costing eight menus of differing styles to meet those needs. The styles of menus which you must develop are:

• à la carte
• buffet
• cyclical
• degustation
• ethnic
• set
• table d’hote
• seasonal.

You are also required to gather feedback from the customers on the success of those menus. It is important that you provide evidence that you have done this and we have provided you with two templates to work into. You will need one copy of the Customer preferences template and eight copies of the Menus template to complete this task.

You will need access to a group of customers with varying requirements to complete this task. For the purposes of this assessment, your customers might be a group of fellow students. Your assessor will assist you do identify a suitable customer base.

What do I need to demonstrate?

During this task, you will be required to demonstrate a range of the skills and knowledge that you have developed during your course. These include:

• Identifying the preferences of a range of customers with varying requirements by:

• identifying the food business’s current customer profile
• analysing the food preferences of the customer base
• using effecting listening and questioning techniques to gather feedback from customers.

• Planning menus by:

• identifying the organisation’s service style and style of cuisine
• generating a range of ideas for suitable dishes
• assessing the merits of each potential dish
• discussing potential dishes with relevant personnel
• selecting menu items that meet the needs of the organisation’s customers
• selecting menu items that ensure a balanced variety of dishes or food production items
• assessing cost-effectiveness of proposed dishes and choosing dishes that provide high yields.

• Costing menus by:

• itemising the components of each dish on the menu
• calculating portion yields and costs
• pricing menu items to ensure maximum profitability
• using technology to cost menus.

• Developing menus by:

• writing menu descriptions that will appeal to the customer base
• writing menu descriptions which fit with the business’s service style
• writing menu descriptions which use correct names for the style of cuisine
• using descriptive writing to promote the sales of each menu item
• using technology to document menus
• making recommendations regarding an appropriate format for each menu type.

• Evaluating the success of a menu by:

• seeking feedback from customers and others
• adjusting menus in response to customer feedback.

2. Identifying the preferences of a customer group

Work with the customers of your food business (in this case the customer group identified earlier) to:

• identify the food business’s current customer profile
• analyse the food preferences of the customer base.

A Customer Preferences Template has been provided to help you. You will use the information developed in the Customer Preferences Template to develop menus in Step 3.

3. Planning, costing and developing menus

Use the information that you developed in Step 2 of this assessment to plan, cost and develop one of each of the following types of menus which meets the needs of your customer group.

Note: If your assessor hasn’t yet observed you communicating with customers, they will need to do so during this task. Work with your assessor to arrange a suitable time for this to occur.

Menu types:

• à la carte
• buffet
• cyclical
• degustation
• ethnic
• set
• table d’hote
• seasonal.

Each menu must include at least two entrees, two main courses and two desserts.

You will also gather and respond to at least two types of feedback from your customer group about each menu. Methods of gathering feedback must be selected from the following list:

• customer satisfaction discussions with:

• customers
• employees during the course of each business day
• customer surveys

• improvements suggested by:

• customers
• managers
• peers
• staff
• supervisors
• suppliers

• regular staff meetings that involve menu discussions
• seeking staff suggestions for menu items.

A Menus Template has been provided to help you. You will need eight copies of the template. You must complete the Menus Template electronically and each costing must be completed using Excel, a similar spreadsheet package or the menu costing software used in your workplace.

4. Submit your work

Assessment Task 3: Evaluate menus

Information for students

In this task, you are required to analyse the customer satisfaction and sales data provided in the scenario provided. You will then use that analysis to make recommendations on how menu performance could be improved.

You will need access to: 

• your learning resources and other information for reference
• commercial information which may include:
• your Menu Performance Template
• your Ruby on Main Sales Data.

Ensure that you:

• review the advice to students regarding responding to written tasks in the Hospitality Works Student User Guide
• comply with the due date for assessment which your assessor will provide
• answer all questions completely and correctly
• submit work which is original and, where necessary, properly referenced
• submit a completed cover sheet with your work
• avoid sharing your answers with other students.

Activities

Complete the following activities.

1. Carefully read the following scenario
2. Analyse the menu and make recommendations
3. Submit your Menu Feedback report