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How much is your food really costing you?

As if it wasn’t important to know your true food costs before the pandemic, it’s all the more crucial now as many restaurants around the country are having to operate at a reduced capacity, rethink their menus and determine where to best allocate diminished resources. By getting an accurate handle on your waste, over-portioning, theft and even the shrinkage of ingredients, you can see what menu items are really costing you – then adjust your promotions so you encourage guests to select your highest-margin items. A recent webcast from Restaurant365 reinforced the power of tracking actual vs. theoretical food costs as a means of accomplishing this. Theoretical food costs are what your food costs should be based on the cost of your ingredients, while actual food costs are what your restaurant actually spent. There will be variance in those numbers, but getting a more precise understanding of where it comes from can help you minimize it. While there are a number of places to focus to help cut waste, it can be most helpful to analyze your individual ingredients and identify those with the greatest cost variance. Drilling down like this can help you zero in on what needs attention or adjustment, whether it’s your portion control of a certain dish, the prices you are getting from a supplier, or the need for a substitute dish on the menu.

Click To learn more about Lowering Your Food Costs

CDC guidelines for College & University Foodservice

Avoid providing any small appliances (e.g., toasters, waffle makers) and using self-service food or drink options, such as hot and cold food bars, salad or condiment bars, and drink stations. Continue to serve nutritionally balanced meals that are individually plated or pre-packaged. Make soap and water for handwashing available—and where soap and water are not readily available, provide hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol—for use before and after eating food. Discourage sharing of food, either brought from home or from the food service.
Provide grab-and-go options. If communal dining halls or cafeterias will be used, ensure that students remain 6 feet apart by placing visual cues in food service lines and at tables. Clean and disinfect tables between use.
When possible, create options that allow students, faculty, and staff to eat meals outdoors, while maintaining social distance (at least 6 feet apart) as much as possible, instead of in a communal dining hall or cafeteria.
Ensure students do not share food or utensils to include the safety of students with food allergies. Use disposable food service items (e.g., utensils, trays). If disposable items are not feasible or desirable, ensure that staff handle all non-disposable food service items and equipment with gloves and that those items are washed with dish soap and hot water or in a dishwasher. Staff should wash their hands after removing their gloves or after directly handling used food service
If food is offered at any event, have pre-packaged boxes or bags for each attendee instead of providing a buffet or family-style service. Review considerations for events and gatherings for additional information about planning and holding events and gatherings that include food service.
Provide tissues and no-touch or foot-pedal disposal containers for use by faculty, staff, and students.

If possible, install touchless payment methods (pay without touching money, a card, or a keypad). Provide hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol near places where people pay so that they can use it right after handling money, cards, or keypads.

source: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/colleges-universities/considerations.html

See more CDC guidelines