MENU In a restaurant, a menu is a presentation of food and beverage offerings.

A menu may be a la carte which guests use to choose from a list of options or table d'hte, in which case a pre-established sequence of courses is served. "Menu" can also be used in a more general sense, as synonymous with diet, the selection of foods available generally to a particular location or culture. enu is the statement of food and beverage items available or provided by food establishments primarily based on consumer demand and designed to achieve organi!ational ob"ectives. It represents the focal point around which components of food service systems are based. #he menu is designed carefully what the outlet wants to cater for, $eeping in mind the type of clientele. #he main advantage of a well-planned menu is that it leads to consumer satisfaction. It also helps to motivate the employees for a responsible and successful service. A successful menu depends upon composition-the right combination of foods, prepared perfectly, to the entire satisfaction of the customer. %o claimed Antonin &areme '()*+-(*,,-, the .rench chef who is considered the founder of classical cuisine. enu is a document that controls and directs an outlet's operations and is considered the prime selling instrument of the restaurant. In a restaurant, a menu is the list of dishes to be served or available for a diner to select from. #he items that are available for the diner to choose from are bro$en down into various categories, depending on the time of day or the event. #he compilation of a menu is the most important part of a caterer's wor$. It is regarded as an art, acquired only through e/perience and study. #he menu is a lin$ between the guest and the establishment, hence it should be carefully planned by the establishment's professionals, namely the e/ecutive chef, the food and beverage manager and the food and beverage controller. #he word menu dates bac$ to ()(*, but the custom of ma$ing such a list is much older. In earlier times, the escriteau 'bill of fare- or menu of ceremonial meals was displayed on the wall loadable with the $itchen staff to follow the order in which the dishes were to be served. It is said that in olden times, menus were li$e a large dictionary with sections covering a variety of dishes. As time progressed the lengthy single copy menu became s m aller but increased in number allowing a number of copies placed in table increased. 0epending on the establishment and the occasion, the menu may be plain or artistic in its presentation.

TYPES OF MENU
In a restaurant, there are two different types of menus which are differentiated by the manner in which they are served and priced. A menu may be a la carte or table d'hte. 1. A La Carte Menu An 1A La Carte Menu2, is a multiple choice menu, with each dish priced separately. If a guest wishes to place an order, an a la carte is offered, from which one can choose the items one wants to eat. #raditionally, the original menus that offered consumers choices were prepared on a small chal$board, a la carte in .rench3 so foods chosen from a bill of fare are described as 4 la carte, 5according to the board.5 In an a la carte menu all items are coo$ed to order including the sauces that are made with wine, cream or mustard. 0epending on the dish chosen by the guest, the coo$ing time will vary. It is necessary to inform the guests about the time the preparation might ta$e. An e/tensive a la carte menu is impressive but involves a huge amount of mise-en-place. 2. Table D'hte #able d'hte is a .rench phrase which literally means 5host's table5. It is used to indicate a fi/ed menu where multi-course meals with limited choices are charged at a fi/ed price. %uch a menu may also be called pri/ fi/e '5fi/ed price5-. It usually includes three or five courses meal available at a fi/ed price. It is also referred to as a fi/ed menu. 6ecause the menu is set, the cutlery on the table may also already be set for all of the courses, with the first course cutlery on the outside, wor$ing in towards the plate as the courses progress. In olden days, when the inns or dining establishments offering a limited choice in the menu was not preferred by the guests, they started offering an a la carte menu for guests to select the type of food they wanted to eat. .i/ed menus or table d'hote menus are still used in various forms such as buffet menus, conference pac$ages and on special occasions. A table d'hote menu comprises a complete meal at a predetermined price. It is sometimes printed on a menu card or as in the case of banquets, it is agreed upon by the host of the party. A banquet style of fi/ed menu has more elaborate choices ranging from the soup to the dessert. .or the banquets, the hosts invariably

fi/es or selects the menu in consultation with the hotel staff in advance. ost of the banquet food served in India is normally of Indian food. .or this, a printed format offering a choice of vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes is prepared, from which the guests ma$e their choice. 7estern style fi/ed menus normally provide the choice of a starter or soup, a main course, and finally a dessert. In each course there could be a choice of dishes to suit the tastes of individual guests. #able d'hote menus should be well planned and balanced. As the guest is not given a chance to plan his own meal, the meal should be interesting, without any similarity in the colour and taste of the courses as well as being palatable, delicious and well presented. If the main course is heavy, then the first course should be lighter, and act as an appetite stimulant for the courses to follow. 0ishes that are heavy and hard to digest should be avoided. #he colour, varieties of ingredients used, and the garnishes should, if possible, be different for each course. .igure ).8 #able 09hote .i/ed menus are prevalent in transport catering which include air, rail, and sea passengers. #he guests have a variety of fi/ed or table d'hote menus, with virtually no choice offered to the passengers 'e/cept the first class air passengers-. &ruise liners may have elaborate fi/ed menus with multiple choices built into each course.

D !!eren"e #et$een A La Carte an% Table D&h'te

.ood is $ept in a semi-prepared form and ta$es time to serve. .ood items are individually served and guests pay for what they order. .ood is $ept in fully prepared form and can be served immediately. enu is collectively priced and the customer has to pay for the full menu whether he consumes a certain dish or not. #here is limited or no choice. #he menu is comparatively small. %ilver for the whole menu is laid in advance as the menu is $nown in advance.

#here is a vast choice. #he menu is elaborate %ilver is laid according to the dishes ordered.

MENU FO(MAT In many cases, especially in restaurants, serving haute cuisine, the part or table d'hote menu is beautifully handwritten to emphasi!e the traditional character of the restaurant. In less fancy restaurants, a modern variant that is similar but simpler is often used: the blac$board, on which are written recommendations concerning the day's specialties. In general, however, the table d'hote or a part menu, which changes daily or cyclically, is prepared in-house 'on a typewriter or computer- and duplicated as necessary. A separate menu listing the daily specials might also be prepared. In many restaurants the table d'hotel or a part menu and the daily specials contain only a fraction of what is offered. ;ften an a la carte menu, from which the guests can select from an array of dishes that are always available, is also provided. If an a la carte menu is offered, the other menus are inserted in or clipped to its folder. #he daily menus may also be placed at every seat, but in most establishments they are offered by the service staff along with the regular a la carte menu. #AS)C P()NC)PLES OF O(*AN)+)N* A MENU (- &old and warm dishes are listed separately. 8- Appeti!ers, soups, seafood and main courses are listed in separate groups. ,- In every group the lighter dishes are listed before the richer ones. +- %alads should be highlighted. <- If offered, low-calorie foods should be specially indicated, and the number of calories should be stated. =- If foods are prepared with organically grown ingredients, this fact should be highlighted to the discriminating customer. )- >very dish should be described clearly and simply, in an appeti!ing way, without being too flowery. *- ?ouse specialties and seasonal items should correspond to the season and should change accordingly. @se a clip-on menu or special insert to attract attention to them. A- #he dessert selection should be listed on a separate attractive card. #he menu should inform the guests that such a card is available. (B- #he numbering of menu items can save time and confusion, especially with many of the new computeri!ed cash registers. Cumbering, however, discourages communication between guests and the service staff and thus does not help promote sales. .or an easy compromise, place one numbered menu at the register or where orders are relayed to the $itchen so that one can punch in the guest's order by number3 the guest, however, orders the actual foods with words, not numbers.

History
A lighted display board-style menu outside a .rench Debab restaurant. #he first restaurant menus arose roughly one millennium ago, during the %ong 0ynasty in &hina - the only region of the world at the time where paper was abundant. At this time, many merchants often congregated together in city centers and had little time or energy to eat during the evening. 6ecause of the large variation found in &hinese cuisine from different regions, the restaurants could no longer cater to the local palates, giving rise to the menu. #he word 5menu,5 li$e much of the terminology of cuisine, is .rench in origin. It ultimately derives from Eatin 5minutus,5 something made small3 in .rench it came to be applied to a detailed list or rsum of any $ind. #he original menus that offered consumers choices were prepared on a small chal$board, in .rench a carte3 so foods chosen from a bill of fare are described as 54 la carte,5 5according to the board.5 #he original >uropean restaurants did not have menus in the modern sense3 these table d'hte establishments served dishes that were chosen by the chef or proprietors, and those who arrived ate what the house was serving that day, as in contemporary banquets or buffets. In >urope, the contemporary menu first appeared in the second half of the eighteenth century. ?ere, instead of eating what was being served from a common table, restaurants allowed diners to choose from a list of unseen dishes, which were produced to order according to the customer's selection. A table d'hte establishment charged its customers a fi/ed price3 the menu allowed customers to spend as much or as little money as they chose. Fren"h Cla,, "al Menu

Hors d'oeuvre (appetizer)

#he phrase is from the .rench words bors, meaning 5outside,5 and oeuvre, for 5wor$.5 #hese are light appeti!ers served as an e/tra course or a snac$ ta$en outside the main course. 0epending on where and when hors d'oeuvres are served, they are eaten with fingers or a for$. ?ors d'oeuvres served with coc$tails, such as cheese and crac$ers, are eaten with fingers. ?or d'oeuvres served at the table as a first course, such as melon with prosciutto, are eaten with a for$.

Potage (soup) Oeufs (eggs) Farineaux (rice & pasta)

Poisson (fish) Entre (entry of 1st !e"ve ( eat course) #or$et (f"avoured %ater) !&ti (roast) 'gu es (vegeta$"es) #a"ades (sa"ad) (uffet Froid (co"d $uffet) Entre et de s)cre (s%eets) #avoureaux (savoury) Fro age (cheese) *esserts (fresh fruits & nuts)
7hat do you do with a dessert for$ and spoon when you fmd them in your place settingF 0epending on what you're eating, these utensils are often interchangeable. In general, eat custards and other very soft desserts with a spoon, using the for$ for berries or any other garnishes. &a$e, pie, or crepes being served ala mode - i.e., with ice cream- may be eaten with either or both of the utensils. .or firmer desserts such as dense ca$es or poached pears, switch the utensils - the for$ for eating, the spoon for pushing and cutting. 7hen you're served layer ca$e with the slice upright, turn it on its side with a dessert for$ and spoon or any other utensil that remains at your place. If all of the other utensils have been cleared, then do your best with your for$ and the fingers of the other hand.

eat course)

+af ((everages)
6everages drun$ at the table and at parties have a set of manners all their own, and some guidelines apply across the board:

#a$e a drin$ only when you have no food in your mouth3 sip instead of gulping3 if you're a woman, don't wear so much lipstic$ that your drin$ing glass will become smudged.

Water and Ice

Avoid the urge to gulp water at the table, no matter how thirsty you are. 7hen drin$ing a beverage that contains ice cubes or crushed ice, don't crunch the ice in your mouth.

Beer and Soft Drinks

7hen served at a meal, beer and soft drin$s should be served in a mug or glass. 0rin$ them straight from the bottle or can only at a picnic, barbecue, or other very casual occasion. 'Good beers are often served in the bottle with an empty glass, which lets the drin$er control how much he pours and the head on the beer.-

Coffee and Tea

.our quic$ don'ts:

0on't leave your spoon in the coffee cup or teacup or mug3 place it on the saucer or a plate. 0on't ta$e ice from your water to cool a hot drin$. 0on't dun$ doughnuts, biscotti, or anything else in your coffee unless you're at an ultracasual place where dun$ing is the norm. 0on't croo$ your pin$ie when drin$ing from a cup-an affectation that went out with the Hictorians.

.resh-brewed loose leaf tea tastes best. A second pot of hot water is used to dilute oversteeped tea and is poured directly into the cup. Infusing tea bags, put two or three bags in a pot of hot water and pour the tea when it has steeped. 7hat to do with empty pac$ets of sugar and individual containers of creamF &rumple them and place them on the edge of your saucer or butter plate.

Cocktails

7hen you drin$ a coc$tail, the only nonedible item you should leave in your glass is a straw3 swi!!le stic$s and tiny paper umbrellas go onto the table or your bread plate. At parties, hold such accoutrements in a nap$in until you fmd a waste receptacle. >at garnishes found in your coc$tail if you want.