4
  MENU AND FLOOR PLANS
                          Learning Outcomes
      At the end of this chapter, you should be able to:
      
         Comprehend the menu structure and basic menu 
      planning
      
         Identify and explain the type of courses offered in 
      the menu
      
         Recognize,  use  and  understand  the  different 
      types of menu
      
         Understand the purpose of a floor plan
      
         Know how to plan and set a floor plan
     Fundamentals of Food and Beverage Operations                             All Rights Reserved
     © Oxford Fajar Sdn. Bhd. (008974-T), 2017                                           4 – 3
                     Introduction
   A menu is a presentation  of  food  and  beverage  offerings.  The 
     word ‘menu’ dates back to the eighteenth century, when the 
     custom  of  making  a  list  of  food  and  beverage  offerings  to  be 
     placed on the table was born.
   The menu has four important aspects and the waiter needs to 
     know them. They are:
   • The  range  of  items  and  the  number  of  courses  served  in  an 
     establishment 
   • The  range  of  prices  of  meals  and  drinks  offered  in  an 
     establishment
   • The types of menu offered, e.g. set menu, a la carte, etc.
   • The courses offered in the menu and their descriptions 
   The menu structure or format of menu is used to lay out menus as 
     well as to indicate the order of various courses. 
    Fundamentals of Food and Beverage Operations                All Rights Reserved
    © Oxford Fajar Sdn. Bhd. (008974-T), 2017                            4 – 4
                     Menu Structure
     List of menu structure
     •
      Appetizer - It literally means ‘something to whet the appetite’ or 
     ‘something to appease’.
     •
      Soup - liquid  food  made  from  the  combination  of  ingredients 
     such as meat and vegetables with stock, water or another liquid.
     •
      Entrée - It specifically means ‘dishes going out from the kitchens 
     into the dining hall’.
     •
      Main course - The main course is the heaviest meal, consisting 
     of several courses and it is featured as the primary.
     •
      Dessert - This final course of the meal usually consists of pastry, 
     sweets, cheeses, nuts, or other savoury items.
     •
      Pre-dinner meals - The purpose of pre-dinner meals is to help to 
     stimulate appetite, not to fill one’s hunger.
    Fundamentals of Food and Beverage Operations              All Rights Reserved
    © Oxford Fajar Sdn. Bhd. (008974-T), 2017                          4 – 5
                   Menu Structure (cont.)
     Common meals which can be found in events. Types of 
      pre-dinner meals:
     Hors d’oeuvre 
     Usually, hors d'oeuvres are bite-sized, which makes them 
      easy to eat with hands, without using cutlery
     Canapé/Amuse bouche 
     Consisting of a small piece of toasted bread or puff pastry 
      or a cracker topped with some savoury food 
      Crudités 
     Consist  of  sliced  or  whole  raw  vegetables  that  are 
      sometimes dipped in a vinaigrette or other dipping sauce
    Fundamentals of Food and Beverage Operations        All Rights Reserved
    © Oxford Fajar Sdn. Bhd. (008974-T), 2017                   4 – 6