Portion Control

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  Counting Portions & Ordering

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  When running a restaurant you need to prepare the right amount of food for the expected number of customers so that you don't run out of food and disappoint the customers.

  During service the numbers of portions need to be counted as ordered, and taken off the total. This way the waiters can be notified of dishes that are becoming low.

  Prior to service in an a la carte restaurant the chef will look at the bookings book to get an idea of how many customers to expect and then inform the kitchen of the level of preparation needed and portions count prior to service. During service the amounts of portions need to be counted as ordered and taken off the total so you know before running out that you notify the waiters of item becoming low.

  In an a la carte restaurant the customer's request comes to the kitchen via a docket or order.

  The chef:

  • counts the portions of food on the docket before instructing the cooks to prepare the dishes
  • prepares the dishes to the amount on the order/ docket
  • will also keep an eye on how much food is being ordered against how much is prepared so he can inform the waiters if they are running low on an item and how much they have left to sell

  Making sure you know how much you have, and letting the waiters know if you are going to be short, helps with giving great service and not disappointing customers.

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  Portion Control

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  Click to read a summary of the video

  Portion control means:

  • the control of serving sizes, AND
  • the quality of food served for each customer.

  Portion control allows a chef:

  • to know how much food to order
  • to know what yield can be obtained from the orders made
  • to calculate cost of each meal on the menu
  • to calculate selling price

  Portion control makes sure that each customer receives an equal amount of food for the cost of the meal.

  Portion sizes are decided according to the:

  • type of menu and when it is to be served
  • number of courses to be served
  • size and design of crockery
  • type of customer
  • menu pricing structure

  Portion control equipment

  • scoops for icecream and mashed potato
  • cups / food containers
  • dispensers for milk, beverages, sauces and sugar
  • scales to weigh meats or seafood
  • individual portions

• Say It

  There are 2 parts in this section.

  1. The Glossary

  The glossary lists the more difficult words related to the topic in alphabetical order. The glossary also gives the meaning for each word.

  2. Look, Cover, Write, Check!

  This activity gives you practice at remembering and writing the words from the glossary.

• The Glossary

• Do It

  Jump to Activities

• Do It: Portion Planning

  

• Do It: Understanding Portion Control

  Portion control is important because it controls the serving size and the quantity of food served to a customer.

  In a restaurant, it may be easier for cooks and chefs to guess the quantity of ingredients instead of measuring them out. When this happens, the profit margin on that particular plate may go up or down without you realising it. You might even lose customers for lack of consistently sized meals. One way to avoid this scenario is to portion the foods before they are needed.

  Portion control is also a critical factor in achieving low food costs by avoiding food wastage. At the same time it also plays an important role in making sure that a chef or a bar person does not run out of food and beverages. Therefore you need to be able to plan and prepare products appropriately for the expected number of customers.

• Do It: Portion Calculations

  Lunch is planned for 16 people (pax). Each guest will be served a meat sandwich, a slice of cake and a glass of juice.

  Each sandwich will have 80 grams of ham. A glass holds 200mL of juice.

  To work this out we use a formula: Number of guests X the size of the serving

  For the ham:
  16 X 80g = 1280g (or 1.28kg)
  For the cake:
  16 X 1 slice = 16 slices
  For the juice:
  16 X 200mL = 3200mL (or 3.2L)

  1000g = 1kg and 1000mL = 1L

• Do It: Understanding Dockets or Orders

  

  The docket is the main means of communication between the waiter, the kitchen and the bar. The docket needs to be clear, accurate, concise and legible to ensure that the correct meals and beverages are prepared.

  Dockets that are difficult to read or understand can lead to mistakes in the kitchen. This could affect the customer's satisfaction with the meal.

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