The Big Push to Include Calorie Count on Menus: Good or Bad?

According to the Huffington Post, in 2010 the U.S. Government required chain restaurants and other food establishments to label their menus with a calorie count. This decision was extremely controversial in the restaurant world. Some businesses appreciated the law seeing it as a step to greater food consciousness and health awareness. Yet, others in the food industry argued the practicality of a calorie count menus. In today’s blog Public Kitchen Supply will discuss the benefits and detriments of this new FDA requirement.
One negative of calorie count menus is that they can be extremely difficult to create. Creating an accurate calorie count menu requires exact precise measurements every time. While products like Fundamnetal Design’s Portion Pal and Cambro measuring cups can reduce this burden it can still be difficult to meet exact calorie expectations. This is especially true in restaurants that have greater recipe flexibility. If you’re restaurant is required to have calorie count menus, Public Kitchen Supply suggests investing in quality measuring cups and utensils. Purchasing the proper portion control tools will help you meet menu requirements every time.
While a calorie count menu requires more work, one benefit is uniform cooking. If you’re restaurant strives for consistent recipes, a calorie count menu may prove useful. Many food establishments, especially chains, want their customers to have a consistent product. Many customers expect the same taste every time when they go to a restaurant. The best way to achieve this is through exact recipes. A calorie count menu will motivate employees to use the proper measuring utensils. Calorie count menus make it easier to manage what ingredients are being used and how much. This is a fantastic benefit when it comes to restaurant inventory and food cost. Following a calorie count menu assists in restaurant organization.
One obvious detriment of calorie count menus is that it may cause people to order less. While a customer may know a food’s unhealthy for them they may proceed to order it if they don’t know the exact calories. When all customers see is a tasty menu description it’s easier to ignore the food’s calories. Calorie count menus eliminate this veil clearly displaying menu items nutritional value. While this may deter some customers from ordering as much food as they normally would, some customer’s may not care either way. If you see a substantial drop in food orders considering creating “half portions”. “Half portions” are a great way to meet health conscious customers in the middle.
Another benefit of calorie count menus is menu transparency and restaurant honesty. Many customers will appreciate truthful menus. Some customers, especially those dieting, may choose calorie count restaurants over another because of their menu. At Public Kitchen Supply, we think product honesty is a part of business integrity. Consider offering a low calorie menu for your health conscious customers.
Public Kitchen Supply work's hard to stay up to date on the latest restaurants trends and regulations. As the U.S. government and FDA push for greater food awareness it’s important the Food Industry does the same. At Public Kitchen Supply we carry a variety of products that will assist you in building a calorie count menu. To view the products mentioned in today’s blog and other fantastic product visit our website at publickitchensupply.com.

Jalonick, Mary C. "Menu Labeling Law: Calorie Counts Are a 'Thorny' Issue, FDA Head Says." Huffignton Post 12 Mar. 2013: n. pag. Huffingtonpost.com. Web. 25 Aug. 2014. .

The Importance of Meal Uniformity

In the kitchen, meal uniformity is key. Meal uniformity ensures when food is prepared, each plate is the same size and taste each time. Meal uniformity is extremely important for two main reasons: food cost and customer satisfaction. Understanding the importance of meal uniformity and how to achieve consistent, identical meals is a key in restaurant success. It can honestly make or break a restaurant.
Meal uniformity effects food costs. Restaurant owners must determine an exact amount of food for each dish. Failure to have meticulous, precise measurements may result in incorrect recipes and inflated food costs. When chefs are over-generous in their servings it results in wasted food, taking money away from the restaurant. In a recent study, “76% of chefs thought that they served "regular" portions, the actual portions of steak and pasta they reported serving were 2 to 4 times larger than serving sizes recommended by the U.S government.” It’s important that chefs aim for healthy, proportionate, consistent servings.
Another detriment of inconsistent portion size is unhappy customers. Customers will rarely notice if they are receiving an abundant amount of food but they will notice if it’s significantly less or if the food tastes significantly different. Recipes should be the same each and every time, this means both the portion size as well as the flavoring. Often chefs "wing-it" while they're cooking, causing significant changes to the way food tastes whenever a customer comes in. When you visit a restaurant, you expect a dish to taste the same. When customers return to a restaurant, especially for a specific meal, they expect their meal to be unchanged. Maintaining restaurant uniformity requires a well trained staff and simple kitchen tools that they can learn quickly.
Teach your kitchen staff to always use the correct utensils when making and serving food. Ingredients should be measured using a portion scale, like Edlund’s 10 lbs Digital Portion Scale to ensure the same amount is in each portion. This includes spices, meats, toppings and more, it all should be weighed. We suggest Edlund’s scale because it contains a removable stainless steel platform and large LCD read-out. This scale can measure up to 10 lbs of ingredients and is very easy to use. The Edlund Scale features a button to convert between ounces and grams, if that is a needed feature. A scale and measuring is something that is a must for meal uniformity. In a restaurant kitchen the words "pinch" or "dash" shouldn't be heard, but instead precise measurements.
For liquid ingredients measuring cups are the proper item in the kitchen. There are many different choices when it comes to measuring cups, here, we suggest Cambro’s 1 Quart Clear Measuring Cup. Cambro color coded this cup in blue and red. Molded-in graduations are printed in blue for metric measurements while the opposite side features red for standard American measurements. The cup is transparent making it very easy to see its contents and has a easy to pour lip making sure you pour the entire contents exactly where you need it. The Cambro 1 quart Measuring Cup is dishwasher safe and NSF approved. Using a measuring tool that does not pour well or easily can cause part of the ingredient to splash about or miss the intended dish, further preventing meal uniformity.
For consistent sauce servings, rely on a portioning system such as the Portion Pal system. This innovative Portion Pal system has a large assortment of products that help with sauce and condiment portion control. Sauce and condiments dramatically affect how a meal will taste. Use along a make line to ensure your employees are portioning out sauces equally so that one customer does not receive double portions without paying accordingly. Consider investing in the 24 oz. FIFO Portion Pal Kit. It includes four fixed portion control rings that allow you to determine the serving of each sauce. Choose between 1/4 oz., 1/3 oz., 1/2 oz., and 1 oz. The Portion Pal is extremely helpful for any kitchen that relies on sauces, dressings or condiments in their meals. This simple tool will ensure your meals, in terms of condiments, are consistent.
At Public Kitchen Supply we work hard to provide our customers with products and advice that will improve their restaurant. Meal uniformity is extremely important in the kitchen. It effects the money a restaurant spends and a customer’s experience. Monitor expenses and improve customer loyalty by practicing meal portion control and meal uniformity. For more products like the ones mentioned in today’s blog visit our website at PublicKitchenSupply.com.

Condrasky, M., et al. "Chefs' Opinions of Restaurant Portion Sizes." Obesity (Silver Spring) 15.8 (2007): 2086-94. Print.