CRC - Certified Research Chef Menu Engineering and Cost Management Questions and Answers Flashcards

What is food cost percentage, and how is it calculated?

Answer: Ingredient cost divided by menu selling price × 100

Food cost percentage = (ingredient cost ÷ selling price) × 100, which indicates what proportion of revenue is consumed by raw materials.

In menu engineering, a menu item classified as a 'Star' has which characteristics?

Answer: High popularity, high profit margin

Stars are high-margin and high-popularity items that should be prominently featured and protected in menu design.

What is the purpose of a yield test when costing a raw protein ingredient?

Answer: To determine the usable portion of an ingredient after trimming and cooking loss

A yield test quantifies how much usable product remains after fabrication, allowing accurate cost-per-usable-pound calculations.

A research chef is asked to reduce a product's food cost by 5% without changing the consumer-facing product. Which lever is most appropriate?

Answer: Identify a lower-cost ingredient that matches the functional and sensory performance of the current one

Finding a functionally equivalent lower-cost ingredient maintains product integrity while achieving the cost target.

Which concept describes the minimum number of covers or units a menu item must sell to recover its fixed and variable costs?

Answer: Break-even point

The break-even point is where total revenue from a product equals total costs, meaning no profit or loss is generated at that volume.

What is 'contribution margin' in the context of a food product or menu item?

Answer: The selling price minus the direct ingredient cost of the item

Contribution margin is the amount each unit sold contributes to covering fixed costs and generating profit after subtracting variable ingredient costs.