The menu is a key sales and communication tool that customers use to make judgements about the type of product offered and style of service delivery. Therefore, it is crucial that the menu reflects accurately and honestly the food and beverage product being sold so that customer expectations and restaurant delivery match (Davis et. al. 2012).

For this assessment item you are to assess the extent to which the business practice of a food and beverage organisation matches what its menu document purports to do.

Three (3) key areas of information can be gleaned from a menu document include

1. The type of cuisine offered – Australian, fusion, ethnic etc.
2. The type of foodservice used – fine-dining, fast-food etc.
3. The market targeted – business, family, students etc.

8 | SCI00419 Food and Beverage Management (Session 1, 2016)

YOUR TASK

1. Choose a food and beverage organisation in your local area. It might be a cafe, a restaurant, the dining room of a local club or hotel, but it must have a menu and it must be an independent organisation. Franchised organisations like McDonald’s, Gloria Jean,

Subway etc. are not permitted for this assessment task.

2. Visit the organisation at least once as a customer, order something from the menu and eat/ drink while you are there. Provide a brief background of the independent food and beverage organisation, which you have selected for analysis. For example, name and type of establishment, location, opening hours etc.
3. Closely examine the menu document and provide a description of each of the three (3) areas of information listed above i.e. type of cuisine, type of foodservice and the market targeted.
4. With reference to these three (3) areas of information in the menu document, critically evaluate whether the organisation’s actual business practice truly matches what is purported in the document. Identify areas where the menu document does/does not reflect actual practice. To support your evaluation you must include a minimum of three references from the academic literature. Reference sources may be drawn from the textbook, book of readings, recommended references for the unit or journal articles from any of the journals listed.
5. Discuss why it is important for the organisation to be true in practice to what its menu document purports. Use the literature to support your discussion.
6. Make recommendations with justifications for changes to the document or its business practice, where necessary.
7. Your report should include but not limited to, in order, the following:

Title Page

Executive summary

Table of contents (please include page numbers)

1.0 Introduction (which includes the background and description of the business you are analysing)

2.0 Discussion and analysis

3.0 Conclusions

4.0 Recommendations

Reference list

Your report should be typed and submitted as a Word document, in Arial font size 12, with 1.5 spacing and 3cm left and right margins. Pages should be numbered, and presented in a professional format.

The 1200 word limit does not include: title page, table of contents and reference list.

Marking Criteria for the menu analysis 20%

Discussion on the importance of the menu reflecting actual practice, drawing on relevant literature 4%

Critical evaluation of the extent to which the menu represents the actual practice drawing on the relevant literature 10%

Appropriateness of recommendation 3%

Professional Report Format (which includes spelling, grammar, referencing and logical flow of ideas) 3%