Page 26 - GBC English Fall 2019

Executing consistent recipe adherence and portion controls is as vital to guest satisfaction as it is to controlling the bottom line of the business. Inconsistency in a recipe can have irreversible damage to a guest’s experience. Inconsistency in food quality and/or portion size is a common complaint I often read in an establishment’s on-line review.
It is challenging to gain repeat business from a guest if they are dissatis ed and don’t feel it’s worth returning. Lost business opportunity, due to this damage, often becomes incalculable. Keep in mind that the worst complaint is the complaint you never get.
Finding a balance between food cost, labour control and qual- ity of product is a learned skill that can take years for chefs or manag- ers to master. It is not something that can go on autopilot. A manager can never turn their back on this control function.
Balancing the costs of produc- tion against COGS goes hand in hand. One adversely affects the other. Value-added products, such as portioned proteins and pre- chopped salads have great bene ts as mentioned earlier, but the added costs of the products need to offset the decreased demand for skilled labour.
WASTE AND SHRINK REDUCTION
Managing the waste of production and service execution is the third component of cost control that is often overlooked and underesti- mated. Operationally speaking, an F&B establishment can nancially suffer a loss to COGS mismanage- ment. There are many factors, which we will call points of produc- tion, which can go off the rails and factor as waste or shrink. As mentioned earlier, any cost over, due to waste or shrink, will lead to an increased COGS.
The best way to control this is to think of everything being on a timer. Every second that the prod- uct is sitting idle, before being sold to the customer, is on a nite life span. Take a case of beautiful, heart of Romaine lettuce, for example. The chef orders a case of 24 heads with the intention of crafting it into a crisp, savoury Caesar salad.
It arrives at the kitchen’s back door about four or ve days since being hand-picked in the eld. The golf course is busy. The coolers are all full to capacity. There is no room left on the shelf where Romaine normally is allocated and it’s placed on a shelf in a warmer part of the cooler. Now, the shrinking begins.
Improper storage is just one factor to monitor for waste or shrink. Other problems include over-ordering, short ordering, accepting substitutes that aren’t the
“The best way to control this is to think of everything being on a timer. Every second that the product is sitting idle, before being sold to the customer, is on a finite life span.”
same recipe or yield, buying ‘spot’ deals and not being able to utilize product before they expire. These purchasing shortfalls can cost you dearly.
Inexperienced personnel handl- ing and prepping can also cost you. For example, if you ordered 22 lbs of raw bell peppers with an expect- ed yield of 85%, but the cook did not know how to properly prepare the peppers and ended up with only 75% yield. The case of peppers was $33 and you just threw $3.30 extra trim right into the bin.
Other common examples include overcooking an expensive prime rib or boiling down a soup that was forgotten on the stove. It may seem minimal, but just 10% in shrinkage on this overcooking decreases your pro t.
YOUR BOTTOM LINE
Going back to the basics with cost controls will improve your bottom line. Portion control, adhering to the recipe, and waste and shrink reduc- tions are your guaranteed steps to a more pro table operation.
Establishing and executing consistent and innovative menu items will not only sustain the prof- itability of your food and beverage operation, but it will establish a level of trust and guest satisfaction that your guests will appreciate. Most importantly, they will return to your facility because of it.
Golf Business Canada
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Golf Business Canada