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Topic 10 · Act 3 · 15 min

Menu Preparation

Saffron

Remember from before

  • Last time: each outlet serves a different guest. So whose hunger is THIS menu being built for?

Think first

'Does this have nuts? My son is allergic.'

The mother is not smiling. She is waiting. The server glances at the kitchen door, then back. 'I think it's fine, ma'am.' He is guessing. The dish has cashew paste. And on this menu, four of the six curries share that same cashew paste — nobody balanced the card.

Mr. Mehta reads the card

It is a quiet Tuesday at Saffron. Mr. Mehta is back at his Friday table — early this week — and he is reading the menu like a man checking a bill.

Mr. Mehta

Young man, every starter on this card is fried. Where is something light to begin? And the dal makhani — how is it made? My doctor watches my cream.

Anjali

It is… very nice, sir. Everyone likes it.

Mr. Mehta

'Nice' is not an answer. I asked how it is made — and I asked why your whole card pulls one way.

Captain Rao

A fair eye, sir. The dal is slow-cooked black lentils, simmered overnight, finished with butter and a little cream — we can serve it lighter. And you are right: a good card balances heavy with light, crisp with soft, costly with kind. Begin with our tandoori broccoli, sir — grilled, clean, served before the rich mains.

Mr. Mehta

Now THAT is a waiter who knows his menu. Bring me the broccoli, then the dal — lighter on the cream.

Captain Rao

Anjali, a guest can forgive a slow kitchen. They never forgive a card that tastes the same in every line, or a server who cannot tell light from heavy.

Anjali

So the menu is built, Captain — it is not just a list someone typed.

Your guess first

Every starter on a card is deep-fried. What is the menu missing?

Today's topic

Menu Preparation

A good menu is balanced and known — variety on the card, knowledge behind it.

Why it matters

A balanced card lets every guest find a dish, spreads the kitchen's work, and protects the margin — and a server who knows each line turns that card into sales the guest can trust.

The words

Tap a card. Say it out loud together.

Watch how

  1. 1Set the spread first: list light and heavy, crisp and soft, mild and fiery — and fill any gap so no taste or texture is missing.
  2. 2Cost each dish: add the food cost of its ingredients, then set a price that protects the margin and still feels fair.
  3. 3Check the menu mix and seasonality: keep the dishes that sell and use what is fresh now; rest or retire the rest.
  4. 4Mark every allergen at the design stage — cashew, dairy, gluten, shellfish — so no server is left guessing on the floor.
  5. 5Learn each line to sell it: taste it, then hold its main ingredients, method and heat in one clean sentence.
  6. 6Before every shift, read the specials and the 86 list — a balanced card on paper can tilt the moment a section sells out.

Balance the menu across tastes, textures, and price.

Stack the card with five fried starters and no greens.

A balanced card gives every guest a door in; a one-note card sends half of them away.

'Tandoori prawns, sir — chargrilled, lightly spiced, a fresh start before the richer mains. Please note, they're shellfish.'

'The prawns? They're good. You'll like them.'

One answer places the dish on a balanced card and protects the guest. One just hopes.

What would you do?

A guest points to the korma. 'Does this have nuts? My daughter is allergic.' You are not sure.

A guest wants to begin light, then have one rich main. What shows real menu knowledge?

Your dessert card is three rich, creamy sweets. A table of four asks what to finish with. The card is out of balance — what is the strongest fix?

From the outlets lesson — a menu is always built for one outlet. The all-day coffee shop's card should be…?

ChallengeTeams90s

Know the dish

Match each dish to its key ingredient or allergen.

  • Butter chicken
  • Dairy (cream & butter)
  • Shahi korma
  • Nuts (cashew paste)
  • Tandoori prawns
  • Shellfish
  • Garlic naan
  • Gluten (wheat flour)
  • Dal makhani
  • Black lentils
  • Palak paneer
  • Spinach & cheese

Remember on the floor

  • Build the card balanced: light against heavy, crisp against soft, kind price against costly.
  • Cost each dish and watch the menu mix — keep what sells, use what is in season.
  • Mark every allergen when the menu is designed, never guess one on the floor.
  • Know each line — taste, method, heat — so you can sell a balanced meal, not just a plate.
  • Read the specials and 86 list every shift; a card balanced on paper still tilts in service.

Tomorrow: taking the order — clear, complete, no mistakes.

Capstone

Present the menu and confidently describe the dishes to a guest who asks questions — guiding them across a balanced meal.

A good menu is balanced and known — variety on the card, knowledge behind it.