1. Establishing Standard Food Production Procedures1
Food Production
OH 1-1

2. Chapter Learning Objectives
Explain the importance of standards for and procedures to control production volume.
Describe standard procedures to help managers control production volume.
Describe methods to gather data for sales histories.
Review knowledge and skill levels needed by food production employees.
Instructor’s Notes
Indicate that these objectives (competencies) drive the information in the chapter and in this session.
Ask the following question, “Why are standards important for controlling food production volume?”

3. Standards for Controlling Production Volume
Operations must have standard procedures to produce menu items.
Food production standards help ensure that customers receive the same quality of food on each visit.
Food production standards are typically created by managers and chefs.
Instructor’s Notes
Operations with multiple locations use standard procedures to help ensure that a meal served in one location is comparable to that served in another location.
Standards for food production in multi-unit organizations may be established at the company’s headquarters.

4. More About Production Volume
Standards to control production volume allow the operation to produce food in correct quantities at a specified level of quality.
Instructor’s Notes
Production volume standards must consider an operation’s sales histories, its capacity to produce food, and its employees’ skills. Knowledge of customer preferences is also of critical importance (and sales history information helps to assess this).
Indicate that there are four control tools required to best control production volume.

5. Production Volume Control Tool: Standardized Recipe
A list of ingredients and quantities needed to produce a menu item including methods for production and required portion size
Instructor’s Notes
Indicate that much important information is provided by a standardized recipe.

6. Standardized Recipe
If this recipe is carefully followed, it will yield fifty portions (one and a half cup each) of squash risotto that meet the quality standards of the operation.
Instructor’s Notes
Review the standardized recipe in this exhibit. Note that the standardized recipe shown on this slide is also found in Exhibit 1b on page 4.
Ask students, “What types of information are given in this standardized recipe?”

7. Review of Information for Standardized Recipe
Ingredient details
Correct weights and measures of ingredients
Equipment and tools needed
Production volume
Time required
Storage and preparation information
Cooking methods
Instructor’s Notes
A standard recipe avoids a personal preference approach to producing menu items and helps to assure consistency.
When a computerized version is used, managers and chefs can more easily convert standard recipes into price lists for purchasing, menu plans, and kitchen operations. As well, recipe conversions for daily production can be made automatically.
Explain that recipe conversion involves changing the yield of a recipe (number of portions and/or portion sizes) to another yield.
Indicate that product specification sheets are a second production volume control tool.

8. Production Volume Control Tool: Product Specification Sheet
A list of the descriptions of characteristics required for an item to meet standards
Purposes
Ensures and controls quantity, quality, and cost
Avoids misunderstandings between the operation and its suppliers
Serves as the basis for bid writing
Instructor’s Notes
Indicate that examples of product specification sheets will help students to understand the type of information they provide.

9. Product Specification Sheets
Instructor’s Notes
Indicate that product specification sheets are written by a property’s management team and, in larger operations, this includes the executive chef and a purchasing department representative. Note that the product specification sheets shown on this slide are in Exhibit 1d on page7.
Indicate that menu descriptions are a third production volume control tool.

10. Production Volume Control Tool: Menu Description
A description of the ingredients, portion size, and size count in a menu item
Menu descriptions help kitchen staff, servers, and managers.
Instructor’s Notes
Examples of how menu descriptions help kitchen staff, servers, and managers are listed in the chapter (pages 7–8). If applicable, ask students to review these examples and, if possible to suggest additional purposes for this production volume control tool.
Indicate that examples of menu description will illustrate the types of information provided.

11. Menu Descriptions Instructor’s Notes
Indicate that these menu descriptions are found on page 8 in the chapter.
After discussion of the menu descriptions, indicate that preparation sheets are a fourth production volume control tool.

12. Production Volume Control Tool: Preparation Sheet
Sets standards for basic items required in the establishment
Par levels indicate the quantity of items needed for a specific item based upon the day’s estimated sales.
Instructor’s Notes
Indicate that par levels are based upon recipe yields.
Prep sheets are used daily at the beginning of each shift. Staff remove required food from storage areas, enter information about products on hand, and sign-off on par level amounts.
Indicate that review of a sample prep sheet with par levels will help students understand its purpose.

13. Preparation Sheet Instructor’s Notes
Note that different par levels may be required during the week (if business is slower) and on the weekend (if production volume is greater). Different par levels may be required for different day parts as well.
Point out that this prep sheet has not yet been used, so there are no on hand quantities or initials on this sheet.

14. How Would You Answer the Following Questions?
Ingredients and quantities needed for a menu item are found in a _______.
Quality requirements for specific ingredients are found in a _______.
A review of standards for an entire menu item is found in a _______.
A _______ includes the par levels of items required in an establishment.
Instructor’s Notes
Standardized recipe
Purchase specification
Menu description
Preparation (prep) sheet
Indicate that standard procedures are required to control production volume.

15. Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) Control Production Volume
Planning begins the previous day by using sales histories to forecast estimated number of servings.
Recipes are converted to appropriate yields.
Prep sheets are developed to determine portions needed and required par levels.
Instructor’s Notes
Indicate that these planning tasks on the previous day helps production staff as they begin work the next day.

16. Before Production Begins
These busy cooks are preparing items specified on the preparation sheet.
Instructor’s Notes
Additional Thoughts:
Indicate that the term mise en place is a French culinary phrase that refers to getting everything ready before production activities begin.
Suggest that daily prep sheets help with mise en place responsibilities.
Indicate that the four production volume tools just discussed are very helpful as kitchen staff prepare food for service to customers.

17. Production Volume Control Tools in Action
Product specification sheets
Spot checks help assure that ingredient quality standards are met.
Preparation sheets
Help assure that par levels for basic items are available
Standardized recipes
Help assure that quality requirements will be attained
Menu descriptions
Help assure that food items meet standards when served to customers
Instructor’s Notes
Indicate that production volume control tools are also useful when planning new menu items.

18. Production Volume Control Tools and New Menu Items
Standardized recipes are created first.
Specification sheets (for purchasing) and preparation sheets (for daily operational planning) are developed.
Menu descriptions help assure that foods served meet standards.
Instructor’s Notes
Review how the volume control tools are used when planning a new menu item.
Indicate that preshift meetings help to reduce operating problems during work shifts.

19. Daily Operations Instructor’s Notes
Preshift meetings allow staff to have their questions answered.
Daily specials, expected customer volumes, and any planned special events can be noted.
Another purpose of a preshift meeting is to introduce changes in standard procedures or to discuss duties and operating procedures.
Indicate that correct forecasting is an absolute must for controlling food production volumes.

20. Sales History and Forecasting
Profitable food production requires correct forecasting.
Forecasting yields the estimated number of guests to be served.
The number of guests to be served provides information for preparation sheets.
Instructor’s Notes
A sales history tracks the number of guests and their food choices for a specific period of time.
Sales history information identifies trends that may be seasonal and identifies business volumes created by holidays or special events.
Indicate that there are two ways to gather sales history information—automated (point-of-sales systems) and manual (server input of customer orders).

21. Sales History Information: Point-of-Sale (POS) Systems
After a guest order is placed in the system, multiple types of information can be generated.
POS systems can track orders by hour, shift, or other bases so guest count, staffing, and equipment usage can be assigned.
Instructor’s Notes
Remind students that sales history information can also be generated by server input of customer orders.

22. Server Input of Customer Orders
In properties using manual check systems, servers may input orders into cash registers.
Daily sales information from cash register reports can be used to develop sales histories.
Instructor’s Notes
Indicate that a wide variety of knowledge and skills are needed by food production employees.

23. Food Production Knowledge and Skills
The production team must have a variety of specialized skills at several stages in the flow of food.
Preparing
Cooking
Holding
Cooling
Reheating
Instructor’s Notes
Indicate that the next slide will show an example of tasks relating to the preparing stage of food production that require three levels of experience.

24. Production Knowledge and Skills
Stage
Beginner
Intermediate
Advanced
Preparing
Cleaning, cutting vegetables
Prepping line items, which are more expensive
Working on special menu items
Instructor’s Notes
Mention that this slide shows an example of one skill. Additional knowledge and skills are included in Exhibit 1j on page 14.
Indicate that the next slide will show an example of tasks for three experience levels needed for the cooking stage in the flow of food.

25. Production Knowledge and Skills continued
Stage
Beginner
Intermediate
Advanced
Cooking
Following standardized basic recipes for simple production, for example stocks
Following standardized recipes for more complex dishes, for example sauces
Creating and following standardized recipes
Instructor’s Notes
Mention that this slide shows an example of one skill. Additional knowledge and skills are included in Exhibit 1j on page 14.
Indicate that the next slide will show an example of tasks for three experience levels needed for the holding, cooling, and reheating stage in the flow of food.

26. Production Knowledge and Skills continued
Stage
Beginner
Intermediate
Advanced
Holding, cooling, reheating
Follow proper sanitary standard procedures
Follow proper sanitary standard procedures; acts as role model for beginners
Develop HACCP program or sanitation SOPs
Instructor’s Notes
Mention that this slide shows an example of one skill. Additional knowledge and skills are included in Exhibit 1j on page 14.
Ask students to answer the following questions.

27. How Would You Answer the Following Questions?
Managers should create _______ procedures to guide activities performed by employees while doing their jobs.
When a new menu item is planned, the first thing created is a _______.
Forecasting predicts the number of guests an operation will serve in a given time period. (True/False)
Cleaning and cutting vegetables is an example of the _______ stage in the flow of food.
Instructor’s Notes
Standard operating
Standardized recipe
True
Preparing
Indicate that several key terms were discussed in the chapter.

28. Key Term Review Back-of-the-house Conversion Forecasting
Front-of-the-house
Par level
Plating
Point-of-sale (POS) system
Portion size
Instructor’s Notes
Back-of-the-house—term referring to kitchen employees and management staff
Conversion—act of changing a recipe from one yield to another
Forecasting—task of predicting the number of guests an operation will serve in a given time period
Front-of-the-house—term referring to the staff members who work in the front (public access) areas of the restaurant
Par level—quantity of items needed for a particular food item based on each day’s anticipated number of servings
Plating—term describing how a specific menu item is served including the dish, garnish, sauce, and arrangement of food items on the plate
Point-of-sale (POS) system—computerized device that records sales and which may also be used to print guest checks and to store and use numerous types of data to generate a wide variety of operating reports
Portion size—quantity (volume or weight) of an individual serving of a menu item
Indicate that there were several additional key terms discussed in the chapter.

29. Key Term Review continued
Prep sheet
Product specification sheet
Production volume
Sales history
Standard operating procedure (SOP)
Standardized recipe
Yield
Instructor’s Notes
Prep sheet—short for preparation sheet; this production volume control tool sets the standards for basic food items to have available in an operation for a specific shift or day
Product specification sheet—production volume control tool that lists precise descriptions of important characteristics required for a specific menu item (such as portion cut steak) or menu item ingredient
Production volume—quantity (number of servings) of a menu item to be produced
Sales history—tool used by restaurants to keep a record of the number of each items sold on a daily, shift, or other basis
Standard operating procedure (SOP)—tool that guides activities performed by employees while doing their jobs and also used for training new employees
Standardized recipe—production volume control tool that list the ingredients and quantities needed for a menu item, as well as the method used to produce it, and its appropriate portion size
Yield—number of servings produced by a standard recipe based on a stated portion size

30. Chapter Learning Objectives— What Did You Learn?
Explain the importance of standards for and procedures to control production volume.
Describe standard procedures to help managers control production volume.
Describe methods to gather data for sales histories.
Review knowledge and skill levels needed by food production employees.
Instructor’s Notes
Ask students to do a personal assessment of the extent to which they know the information or can perform the activity noted in each objective.