Meals, Satisfaction, and Accountability Chapter 15 Meals, Satisfaction, and Accountability

Quantity of Meals Number of meals that are prepared for service. Impacts both the financial performance of an organization and the satisfaction of its customers. Overproduction – production of too great a quantity. Underproduction – production of not enough quantity. ©2004 Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458

Quality of Meals Focuses on the ingredients and the preparation techniques used to prepare those products. Determined according to: Taste Quality of ingredients Portion size Methods of preparation Service ©2004 Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458

Quality of Meals Product standards – what is expected in a food product. Quality attributes – microbiological, nutritional, and sensory attributes which require controls throughout the procurement/production/service cycle. Dominant factors in evaluation of quality: The actual chemical or physical measurement of the product. The acceptance of the product by consumers. ©2004 Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458

Quality of Meals Factors for significant quality changes: Spoilage due to microbiological, biochemical, physical, or chemical factors. Adverse or incompatible water conditions. Poor sanitation and ineffective ware washing. Improper and incorrect precooking, cooking, and postcooking methods. Incorrect temperatures. ©2004 Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458

Quality of Meals Factors for significant quality changes: Incorrect timing. Wrong formulations, stemming from incorrect weight of the food or its components. Poor equipment maintenance. Presence of vermin and pesticides. Poor packaging. ©2004 Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458

Quality of Meals Product evaluation – entails comparing both the specification requirements for ingredients and the determined standard for the finished product. Food quality evaluation methods: Sensory Chemical Physical ©2004 Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458

Sensory Analysis Science that measures the texture, flavor, and appearance of food products through human senses. Sensory panel – 6 to 12 persons trained to judge quality characteristics and differences among food items. Consumer panel – 50 to 100 persons, representative of the target market, who evaluate acceptance of, or preference for, a menu item. ©2004 Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458

Sensory Tests Product evaluation tests: Analytical sensory test – (trained panel) differences and similarities of quality and quantity of sensory characteristics that are evaluated by a panel of specially trained persons. Affective sensory test – (untrained panel) preference, acceptance, and opinions of a product that are evaluated by consumers who have no special sensory training. ©2004 Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458

Sensory Tests General purpose tests: Discrimination sensory test – determines detectable differences among food items. Descriptive sensory test – provides information about certain sensory characteristics. Acceptance and preference sensory test – answers questions of whether or not people will like the menu item. ©2004 Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458

Sensory Analysis Instruments Basic sensory analysis tests: Discrimination – paired comparison used to differentiate between a pair of coded samples on the basis of some specified characteristic. Ranking – extended paired comparison test to three or more coded samples, and panelists are asked to rank them by intensity of the characteristics that differentiate the products. ©2004 Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458

Customer Satisfaction Involves the perceptions of customers related to: The food they were served. The service that was provided to them. The atmosphere in which it was provided. ©2004 Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458

Customer Satisfaction Techniques to gather customer satisfaction: Walk-through audits Talking with guests Customer comment cards Exit interviews Mystery shopper reports Customer surveys Focus groups ©2004 Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458

Customer Satisfaction ©2004 Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458

Employee Satisfaction Beliefs and feelings an employee has about his/her job. Impact factors: Personality Values Work situation Social influences ©2004 Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458

Financial Accountability Includes: Keeping the proper financial records Communicating appropriately the financial status of the operation. ©2004 Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458

Menu Engineering Management information tool that focuses on both the popularity and the contribution to profit of menu items. ©2004 Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458

Menu Engineering Menu engineering model segments: Stars – highly profitable and popular. Plow horses – very popular but not very profitable. Puzzles – very profitable but not very popular. Dogs – not profitable nor popular. ©2004 Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458