Consider the fast food restaurant, it is important to control the amount of ingredients, but with a constantly changing staff, this can be a hard thing to control.  Training employees to use standard amounts of materials in production is common. Typically large companies invest in this training, but small organizations do not.

One can observe different practices by visiting a locally owned restaurant or fast food chain. Ask the manager how they train their employees to manage the amount of ingredients used. Ask about other ways they control costs.

Discussion your observations and information you gained in the interview in your post.

Ideas for your visits might be: pizza, ice cream, sandwich shops, etc.. When visiting remember you represent Herzing, be courteous and DO NOT GO during peak times. Take up no more than 5 minutes of the manager’s time and be sure to thank them for their time. Note their name in your post as a reference.

Please be sure to validate your opinions and ideas with citations and references in APA format. 

In 100 words or more: Compare and contrast your analysis of your visit to another classmate’s post. How did the cost controls differ from your visit to your classmate’s visit?

In 100 words or more: Discuss additional ways that the company they visited might control costs.

Classmate 1:Hey everyone,            I interviewed a manager named Brian, who is the operations manager for a chain of local restaurants. His restaurants serve a menu of traditional bar food as well as some original items. Brian and his team use COGS to evaluate their management staff so monitoring food purchases is extremely important to their operations (Loff, 2022).            The first step in controlling food costs took place during menu planning. They developed precise recipes with detailed weights and measures for every ingredient included in every menu item sold. The process, including the ingredient measurements, was then documented and compiled for every food and beverage item they offer.Example: Cheeseburger1 8oz Patty2 cheese slices2 leaves of lettuce3 tomato slices1oz. red onion3 pickle chips1 toasted bun2oz. Ketchup           Since every menu item has a detailed recipe they can reasonably estimate costs and consistent product quality. For many of the menu items, they control costs through pre-preparing ingredients for use. Typically, ingredients are ordered in bulk in a restaurant and the bulk shipments are broken down by prep cooks into the exact portion needed for a recipe. Prep cooks weigh and package ingredients based on the predetermined amount so when an item is ordered line cooks simply grab the necessary items without needing to worry about the weight or quantity. Prepping food at the correct weights and measures ahead of time both control food costs and increase the productivity of the line cooks, meaning that guests get their meals quicker (Loff, 2022).           I used to manage several restaurants years ago and this process is typical in my experience. Without pre-prepping ingredients, a restaurant is relying on cooks to use the correct amount of bulk ingredients each time an item is ordered. Measuring ingredients as items are ordered leads to increased waste and a decrease in product consistency since different cooks may measure differently or sacrifice the time needed to measure to increase efficiency during a busy period. Controlling ingredient costs relies on careful and detailed planning. The results of planning are used to create menu specifications, item pricing, and even what type of plate to serve an item.ReferencesLoff, B. (2022, February 14). Restaurant Cost Controls. personal.Classmate 2:Hey Class! I interviewed a friend of mine that owns a sandwich and soup store front and food truck yesterday before the Super Bowl. They have cold sandwiches such as chicken salad and paninis which are to-die-for! They also carry chili daily and a “soup of the day” which is always delicious. All their sandwiches and soups are made fresh! As their company is very small, the sisters with their husbands work out of the food truck for events and special occasions, and at their store front the sisters will work there with an additional two employees when needed. Their management is simple as they do not need to do much training with their employees. The soup and chili are easily managed as the cups and bowls provided to the customers are the same size and do not change, so there is no way to over supply the customer. They get their bread delivered daily from a local bakery, which is pre-sliced so there are no cutting too large slices. Each sandwich is tipped with 8 oz of meat. When their sandwich has two meats, they will put 4 oz. of each meat and divide evenly.  Each morning they will pre-slice their meats and cheeses so easily attainable to make weigh and make sandwiches. Each slice of cheese is thinly sliced so each sandwich contains two slices. Before measuring out their meat, they feel like they were going though much more than expected. When they have a big event, they will make sure to prepackage each meat into 4 oz. sections so it is easier to get sandwiches together when the food truck is busy. It was interesting to see their perspective on how just a simple task of preplanning and measuring out their food has saved so much into their small business. They also control their costs by not over making chili and soup. They have learned that in the summer months, chili isn’t as much of a hit as it is in the winter, so for 5 months May-September they halt making chili as it was being wasted week after week.