Control The Portion Size And Lower Food Costs In Your Restaurant

Food cost is one of the significant expenses faced by restaurateurs world over. No matter where you go, the restaurant industry is forever plagued by rising food costs. In such a scenario, exercising portion control is crucial for a restaurant’s well being. In this article, we will talk about what portion control in restaurants is, why it is essential, and how you can execute it.

Portion Control And It’s Importance In Restaurants 

Portion Control is the procedure followed that defines the quantity to be utilized in preparing a dish and then serving it. Standard portions also mean consistency in the taste, quality, and quantity of food, which eventually results in customer satisfaction. Controlling portions becomes crucial for the success of any restaurant as it has a considerable impact on Food Costs. Find out how to keep your Food Costs in check here. 

The tight margin in restaurants and high competition has led to a dire need to control food costs. Portion control in restaurants is one of the ways you can keep the Food Costs in check and maintain the overall health of your restaurant. Here is why portion control in restaurants is necessary:-

1. Controls Food Costs

Controlling portion size plays a significant role in keeping the Food Costs in check. Even a slight imbalance in serving can affect your margins. Ideally, your Food Costs should be 30% to 40% of the Selling Price of an item.

Calculate your restaurant Food Costs the right way here through this Food Cost Calculator

Overserving can lead to a severe dip in your revenues. Also, try these seven pro tips to manage your restaurant food costs

2. Reduces Wastage

Leftover food that is sent back by the customers is one of the worst types of Food Wastage as it cannot be recycled. Overserving of food that the customers cannot eat leads to wastage and ultimately inflated Food Costs. Exercising portion control helps eliminate this problem. Many restaurants also specify the portion size in the menu to inform the customers of the quantity to reduce wastage of food.

3. Maintains Consistency

One of the significant reasons why QSRs, especially the Franchise restaurants, are successful is because they ensure consistency in taste as well as quantity. For most parts, you can be assured that there would not be any surprises when it comes to the quality and quantity of food.

Even if you own a Standalone restaurant, the need for portion control still arises as consistency is the key to providing excellent customer service. You cannot depend on the whims and guesswork of your Chef or server, who plate the food as per their estimation. While overserving can increase your Food Costs, underserving can lead to unhappy customers.

Tips to Control Portion Size

Here are some tried and tested ways to exercise portion control in restaurants-

1. Standardized Recipes

Standard Recipes are essential to the success of any restaurant business. A Standard Recipe is a set of instructions that are used to prepare and present a dish. It consists of the quantity of the ingredients to be used, and also the portion to be served to the guests. Thus you can know how many people can be served from one prepared dish beforehand. Apart from the preparing instructions, Standard Recipes should also include-

• Weight/volume of each ingredient
• Serving size
• Recipe Yield
• Equipment and utensils to be used

2. Right Plating

Much like the Standard Recipes, written plating instructions are also essential for helping food and controlling portion size. Ask your Chef to put the plating instructions in writing to eliminate any guesswork. It is also a good idea to have pictures of what the actual dish looks like for reference. Learn how to plate your meals the right way here. 

3. Right Measurement

The most critical part of portion control is using the right measuring tools and utensils. Portioning utensils such as cups, spoons, ladles, and jiggers come in handy in preparing as well as serving the dish. It is also essential to use an excellent commercial kitchen scale for weighing meats and cheese. You can measure ingredients in three ways-

• Measuring by count- In this way, you can count the number of elements to be used or served.
• Measuring by volume- In measuring by volume, you can use measuring spoons, cups, and ladles, etc.
• Measuring by weight- In this way, you use a scale for measuring the ingredients.

Recipe costing, in this case, comes handy in maintaining consistency and also keeps a check on the food costs. Find out how to do recipe costing the right way here.

4. Staff Training

All efforts to control portions can go into waste if your kitchen staff is not adequately trained to execute those measures. The Chef should follow the exact recipe to keep the quantity balanced. No matter how experienced one is, proper measuring utensils must be used while preparing the dish. Make sure that your staff is well trained in serving the food properly on the plate while keeping the portion size and aesthetics in mind as well.

5. Buying Right

Much of the Portion Control worries can be solved if the right type of raw materials is purchased in the correct quantity. It is essential to consider the Product Yield of the item, and the number of portions it would give. Also, keep track of the fresh and dry ingredients required by the kitchen and their price. It is also a good idea to purchase part-prepared and ready-prepared items such as meat. While they can be expensive, you would still save on the labor costs.

Portion control is an integral part of Cost Control in restaurants and can have a significant impact on your restaurant revenues. It also helps in maintaining consistency in food and increases customer satisfaction.