Business Economic Notes 17
Catering - Restaurants
These notes are issued to Inspectors of Taxes to assist them in examining accounts. They are intended to provide a general background to the trade, with some explanation of its most important features. Business Economic Notes are not intended to provide an exhaustive or definitive picture of any particular trade or profession.
Contents
- Food and Preparation
- Beef
- Lamb
- Food and Preparation
- Cantonese
- Pekingese
- Food and Preparation
- Food and Preparation
- Food and Preparation
- Food and Preparation
9. South East Asia Restaurants
1 General |
A restaurant is defined as a public place or premises, where meals or refreshments may be obtained. In practice, it has a more limited meaning, the term restaurant has slightly more up-market connotations and is generally used to signify an eating place providing a wide range of food, with either table or self-service.
Restaurant is a generic term which encompasses a wide range or variety of eating establishments, including
in-house hotels or store restaurants
roadside restaurants
national or specialist restaurants
The vast majority of national and specialist restaurants catering for the entertainment or leisure food market are in private ownership, and are either sole, family or partnership based businesses.
There is a substantial gap between the small café type establishment and the up-market traditional restaurant. This middle sector is dominated by corporate owned chain restaurants, who have normally taken over the task of providing food for the worker, traveller, shopper or tourist.
Whilst Britain is still fairly low in the international eating-out league, with almost the lowest spending of disposable income per capita in the Western World, it is a growing market with enormous potential. It is spurred on by current socio-economic trends - the general increase in affluence and leisure time of the late eighties.
This note provides background information on the cuisine of the main types of national and specialist restaurants in the UK. They can, of course, only provide a basic insight into the different types of cuisine and are not by any means an exhaustive description.
From the point of view of Business Economics there is essentially little difference between these and other general restaurants. Like any other catering business, they are subject to the same considerations such as costings, pricings, profit margins, overheads, wastage and so on. The type of cuisine, the ingredients used, method of preparation and wastage problems will vary and require individual consideration. Some background information is therefore desirable, if only to be able to appreciate the differences, ask the right questions and form reasonably accurate value judgements on the veracity of answers.
At times it may be necessary to undertake more detailed research, such as, the analysis of menu items, ingredients and portion costings. Detailed information provided by the individual caterer could be verified or supplemented by information, say, from specialised catering and cookery books, which are available in most local libraries.
2. National restaurants |
In Britain today there are a whole host of restaurants representing a comprehensive range of European, Oriental, American/Mexican and specialist cuisine and their numbers continue to steadily expand. It is generally true to say that more and more of these restaurants now strive towards authenticity in the cuisine they offer rather than providing derivative foods to suite the less adventurous British taste.
3 French restaurants |
French restaurants range from the modest "corner shop" bistro or brasserie to the high class gourmet restaurant complete with Michelin Guide rating. French restaurants have one factor in common and that is to prepare and present food in the best traditions of French cookery.
Classifying French restaurants under the heading of national restaurants is perhaps inappropriate, as above all other types of culinary practice, professional cooking in the western world, has largely developed and evolved under the French influence.
French restaurants do not necessarily prepare food representative of any particular province of France but rather French cooking encapsulates a style and manner of cooking and presentation which is uniquely French.
The French chef is renowned for being both innovative and individualistic and quite literally the restaurant revolves around the chef. The chef stamps style on the food sold and governs the dishes on the menu. It is true to say that the character and reputation of a restaurant stands or falls on the ability of the chef.
A fairly recent development in French cooking has been the emergence of nouvelle cuisine, literally meaning new or trendy cooking. The basic concept of nouvelle cuisine is to treat food as an art form, with emphasis on presentation.
It has proved to be a popular form of cuisine, commands high prices, sometimes out of all proportion to its value in terms of quality and content.
For some, presentation is felt to be the basic misconception of nouvelle cuisine. Ingredients are separated from the very things that give them flavour and hence the overall quality and taste of food is felt to suffer.
More recently French gourmet cooking has entered the technological age with what is known as "sous-vide" cooking. "Sous-vide" means "under-vacuum" and the latest techniques in fast chilling and vacuum packing are used to provide a fast high quality gourmet service.
Food is cooked by master chefs at a central point, fast chilled and vacuum packed and then distributed to restaurants. Fast steamers are used to heat food before serving. The advantages of "sous-vide" are that
it is no longer necessary to have a chef in every restaurant
time between taking order and the food service is reduced to a matter
of minutes
kitchen size is reduced, releasing more space for seats
food has a 21 day shelf life and wastage is minimised.
Notably in Britain, the Roux brothers have pioneered the sous-vide technique and have opened one sous-vide restaurant with plans for future expansion.
Commercial caterers are also entering the "sous-vide" field and "sous-vide" production factories have been set up to service a whole range of food outlets.
Food and preparation
So what exactly is French food and what makes it different to traditional British foods. Simply put, whilst making use of the same basic meats and vegetables, there is a substantial difference in the way they are prepared. Plain roasted, grilled, fried or baked foods would typify British cooking, with the usual garnish of gravy or white sauce, whereas French cooking is typified by
marination in wines, herbs and spices, to enrich flavour
a profusion of sauces and garnishes mainly wine based, to complement
every type of meat and manner of cooking
vegetables being sautéed and taste and flavour enhanced with herbs,
spices and nuts
a wider use of basic ingredients such as onions, shallots, garlic, mushrooms and truffles, which are unique to French cooking.
The difference can best be illustrated when comparing two dishes using the same raw materials, beef and vegetables.
In the British way, this would be
- roast beef with roast/baked potatoes and/or boiled potatoes, boiled carrots and/or peas and gravy
or
- a grilled steak with chips and peas garnished perhaps with grilled mushrooms and/or tomatoes
In the French way
- the steak may be entrecote steak, that is, mid-rib steak marinated in a sauce of beef extract, wine, tomatoes, herbs and spices, accompanied with a variety of sautéed vegetables
or
- fillet of beef stilton, a particularly attractive way of cooking and presenting a piece of fillet steak. The steak is topped with a seasoned chicken and cheese mousse, baked and served on a bed of spinach leaves, with a port and veal stock sauce.
Beef and lamb are the main meats in French cooking. The way meat is cut and prepared differs fairly substantially from the traditional British methods.
One of the basic differences is the practice of hanging meat to improve tenderness and appearance. Beef is usually hung for 2-3 weeks and during this process the meat will lose some weight through water evaporation.
The main French cuts are as follows
Beef
Basse Cotes (middle ribs) - this is a well marbled cut. The top two or three slices make tasty tender steaks or can be roasted. The bones-plat de cote, is usually used in a pot-au-feu (stew or hotpot).
Cote de Boeuf (rib) - it can be roasted whole or grilled or shallow fried as steaks. It is well marbled, tender and with a good taste.
Entrecote is a rib steak, it means "between the ribs" and is the piece of meat from between the bones.
Contre filet or faux filet (sirloin) - it is one of the most popular cuts for roasting or steaks.
Bavette d'aloyau - commonly known as skirt, it is normally a tough though inexpensive cut. When hung it becomes tender and usually minced or used in stew-type dishes.
Filet (fillet) - a lean and tender meat, but it is the most expensive cut of beef.
Onglet (thick skirt or back vein) - this is the meat from inside the carcass, against the spine. It is usually hung for about a week and used in stews, or grilled or pan-fried. It becomes tough if it is overgrilled or fried and so is usually done rare.
Rumsteck (rump) - rump is divided into two different cuts governed by the different textures and muscle tissues to be found within the rump, they are
- Aiguillette de rumsteck - a good meat for braising
- Merlan - a lean and tender cut, but only about one pound from each rump
- Pave de rumsteck and steck - the lower part of the rump has a thick nerve running through it. Once this is removed, the bottom half is the pave de rumsteck, because of its cobbled appearance and the top half is the steck. It is a lean meat which can be as tender as fillet when hung and considerably cheaper.
Lamb
Lamb is hung between 3 days to a week. The main cuts are
Epaule (shoulder) - seldom used in restaurants - if at all in stews or cut in cubes for bochettes.
Collier or Collet (neck) - not common in restaurants. Normally cut through the bone and stewed with white wine and vegetables to make a cheap dish.
Cotelettes decouvertes (middle neck) - meat is cut from side of the bone and sufficient for two portions. It can be roasted, grilled or cut in cubes for a quick sauté. It is also used as cutlets for grilling or for the classical French dish Cotelettes a la Champuallon (meat cooked with potatoes and stock and similar to an Irish stew).
Carre (best end) - the most popular cut of lamb. This is the part that the British butcher cuts up and sells as lamb chops.
Selle (saddle) - this is the tastiest joint of lamb. It is either roasted whole or deboned and stuffed.
Noisettes - the eye of the meat without bone or fat is cut from either the best end or saddle. It is like a fillet of beef, but essentially very wasteful and expensive.
Quasi or cote de gigot (chump) - this is the small piece of meat between the leg and saddle. It can be roasted and provides enough for only two portions.
Poitrine (breast) - lower rib joint from the best end can be used for spare ribs or minced. Not usually a restaurant cut.
Gigot (leg) - a traditional roasting joint in both British and French cooking.
4 Chinese restaurants |
Chinese restaurants are noted for their long, and to the uninitiated, bewildering menu, with a seemingly infinite variety and choice. In contrast to western meals with their pattern of clearly defined courses, a Chinese unlike a western meal is made up of a selection of small dishes of contrasting and blending flavours.
The concept of Chinese food has evolved from the Chinese philosophy of the two opposing forces in life, the Yin and the Yang. Yin is cold and negative and represented by the moon and is a female force. Yang is hot, positive and aggressive represented by the sun and is male.
Foodstuffs are considered to contained properties of Yin and Yang, for instance red meats are Yang food and fish is Yin. The objective is to have an harmonious balance between these two forces and thus to ensure good health.
Apart from the harmony of forces, five basic flavours are apparent in Chinese gastronomy, they are
sweet
sour
bitter
spicy-hot
salty
The flavours are said to represent the five natural elements which are metal, wood, water, fire and earth and again a balance of these flavours is required.
The majority of good restaurants in the UK are Cantonese and specialise in authentic Chinese dishes. There are however a prolific number of restaurants run mainly by expatriates of Hong Kong with a style of Chinese food now deeply entrenched in the British tradition. Dishes prepared are by and large variations or derivatives of authentic Chinese food and dishes such as chop suey and chow mein, both American in origin, play a substantial role in their menus.
Food and preparation
The two distinctive styles of Chinese cooking best known in the West are those of Peking (North) and Canton (South).
Cantonese
Canton duck is one of the many Cha Shao or barbecue dishes and is almost as famous as Peking duck. With Cha Shao dishes the meat (usually pork strips) is normally marinated for a few hours in a sauce of soya, wine, oyster sauce, spices and sugar and then barbecued. In the case of Canton duck, a mixture of boiling water, red colouring, honey and vinegar is poured over it, and it is then left to hang for around 6-8 hours and then barbecued. Other meats used in Canton cooking are chicken and beef as well as sea-foods such as lobsters, prawns, crab and squid, served deep-fried, stir-fired or stir-braised. Fish may also be steamed and served with a wine and ginger based sauce.
The light but savoury qualities typical of Cantonese dishes are achieved either by cooking meat and fish together or serving/cooking meat with or in a fish flavoured sauce, such as oyster sauce. On the same principle, shrimp and prawn shells are boiled up in chicken or meat stocks, to form the basis of soups.
Light colours and delicate flavours typify Cantonese dishes. The clear stock based sauces are often flavoured with ground ginger, wine and soya sauce and slightly thickened with cornflour.
Stir-frying or stir-braising are the most common cooking methods with some meats and fish also being poached or stewed.
Steamed noodles or rice is the staple accompaniment.
Pekingese
The more warming and robust dishes come from the cool North. The international dish known as Peking duck, is cooked usually hanging up in an oven. Before cooking, the duck is marinated in a soya and honey sauce and basted in the sauce during cooking. The duck is then usually cut into small pieces and served with a fruity Hoisin sauce and wheat pancakes.
Sauces are generally thicker and spicier than Cantonese.
The usual method of cooking is called Chiang Pa, which literally translated means stir-fried and exploded. Small pieces of meat are quickly stir-fired and then drained. A sauce made from soya, wine, water, sugar or honey and ginger is added to the pan and quickly reduced. Then the meat is stirred in, coated with the sauce, and served. With a dish such as chicken in chilli sauce, chilli powder and garlic will be added to the sauce to provide the heat.
Peking is also noted for Chiang Rou dishes. These are marinated cold meat dishes. The meat pieces are rubbed with a mixture of soya, can sugar and garlic, left to stand for a while and then roasted slowly.
Noodles, steamed bread and rolls or pancakes are usual accompaniments to dishes.
5 Indian restaurants |
One of the prime influences in Indian cooking, giving it a broad range of content and style, is the various religious taboos and practices on the sub-continent. Hinduism is the predominant religion followed by that of the Moslems, Buddhists and Sikhs.
Some of the essential differences flowing from these religions can best be illustrated as follows
Hindus do not eat meat, although they are allowed to take advantage
of the earth's bounty which includes fish, considered to be the fruit
of the sea
Kashmiri Hindus do not eat onions or garlic, as these are considered
to inflame the passions and lead men to sin
Buddhists are vegetarian and Moslems will not eat pork or shell fish
Climate and its effect on regional produce, interwoven with the regional,
religious or secular taboos produce the varied food which is a feature
of Indian cuisine
The basic grain of North India is wheat, whilst rice is the staple
grain of South India. Pulses are common to all regions
The North grows fruit and vegetables more akin to the western culture
such as apples, pears, strawberries, peaches, cauliflower, beans, cabbage
and mushrooms. Produce from Central and South India is tropical with
fruit and vegetables such as bananas, mangoes, coconuts, tamarind, aubergines
and cane sugar
Northern dishes are usually served with a leavened bread called nan
or with chappatis. In the South rice is a common accompaniment
The vegetarian cooking found in the South has a strong emphasis on
coconuts, tamarinds and chillies. The South is also noted for pungent
fish dishes
A common dish in most restaurants is vindaloo, which in fact descries a type of cooking and not the dish. Tandoori meat is basically meat marinated in spices and curds and baked in an earthenware tandoori pot.
Spices are universal and a combination of some spices can be found in nearly every regional dish. There are thirteen classical Indian spices as follows
Ginger
Chilli
Garlic
Cardamom
Onion
Cinnamon
Cumin
Nutmeg
Coriander
Pepper
Cloves
Fenugreek
Turmeric
Food and preparation
Indian food is more varied and complex than Chinese food, but there is a certain degree of uniformity and rigidity of menu recipes, more akin to traditional Western cooking.
Most Indian dishes require a long simmering time for assimilation of spices and to create body and flavour. However, there is a large degree of instant cooking of individual meals, using a base of pre-cooked prime curry sauces and marinated meats. Particular spices and vegetables can be added to create the individual order, with, for example, the right degree of spice heat required by the customer.
The usual staple accompaniments to most meals are rice, either boiled or fried, or specialised rice dishes such as pilaus or biriyanis, and chappatis or leavened bread.
Chappatis are normally made from wholemeal flour and the dough is prepared by adding a small quantity of oil or clarified butter (ghee) and water. The prepared dough is broken into small balls or around 1" to 2" in diameter, which are then rolled out and dry fried. It is normally possible to make up to a dozen chappatis from a pound of flour though this will, of course, vary depending on size and thickness of chappatis.
Restaurant cooking is necessarily a compromise between traditional cooking methods and the commercial necessity of providing a meal in as short a time as possible, whilst allowing the customer a choice from a seemingly wide and varied menu.
The standards of cooking varies considerably between establishments. From those striving to provide, as near as possible, authentic dishes, to those whose food only bears a passing resemblance to the real thing.
As with Americanised Chinese food, such as chow meins and chop sueys, they provide a range of food which have been adapted to Western tastes and evolved from traditional dishes and recipes. Most of these derivatives are based on stir-frying or stir-braising methods of cooking, with in some instances wine or liquor being used to aid the process of rapid assimilation of spices.
6 Spanish restaurants |
Spanish foods are as distinctive as the country and with some exceptions, the majority of well known dishes are based on rice and sea-foods, with the distinctive aroma of olive oil and garlic. Vegetables such as tomatoes, olives, red and green pimentos, aubergines, artichokes, chick peas, runner beans and courgettes, typify Spanish cooking.
The two most well known dishes are, paella and Spanish omelette. These two dishes are by no means the best that Spain has to offer, nor are they popularly made to the true original Spanish recipes. For, as with chop suey and chow mein, these dishes are adaptations to suit a different palate and bear only a passing resemblance to the original foods.
Spain is also renowned for tapas, which are the infinite variety of savoury snacks or appetisers made mainly from various sea foods especially anchovies and sardines and also from sausages and vegetables. They can be served hot or cold, with or without sauces, in marinades or as salads. A variety of tapas can also be served as a main meal and in this form it is known as rations. In recent years a number of tapas bars and restaurants have been opened in Britain along the lines of the long established American tapas and Mexican theme restaurants.
Food and preparation
The Spanish have a fondness for all types of sea-foods including squid and octopus. The most popular methods of cooking are soups and stews and there are a whole host of recipes and regional variations using sea foods, rice, vegetables, chick peas, black puddings and meats, such as pork, chicken or beef. They are usually called cocidas or pucheros and most, if not all recipes will contain olive oil, onions, tomatoes, garlic and almond paste, usually used for aroma and thickening. Wine is seldom used in Spanish cooking, though white wine is used in some soups and sauces.
Meats such as beef, kid and lamb are usually roasted and served with sauces such as solsu espanola which is a brown roux made with meat and vegetable stock, or sofrito, chopped onions and tomatoes cooked in olive oil with garlic and spices. Roast dishes may be accompanied with vegetables such as potatoes, baby artichokes, courgettes or beans. Fish, octopus and squid are usually boiled and then may be garnished with a sauce or marinated in olive oil and paprika before serving. Marinated octopus and squid are usually cut into small rings and are served either hot or cold.
The Spanish food listed below provides some of the essential flavour of Spanish cuisine.
Brochitas - a spicy kebab made with pork and beef
Cocido - a Spanish hot-pot, many varieties, main ingredients
usually chick peas, beef, chicken, black pudding and/or sausages
Bacalao a la Vizcaina - salt cod with a sauce of garlic, hot red peppers and onions
or
A la Gallega (in the Gallecian style) - cooked with green and
red peppers and shallots
Ajoarriero - a stew, fish or meat in olive oil, with tomatoes,
onions, garlic, potatoes and peppers
Andalusian cold soup - made with almonds, garlic and olive
oil
Boquerone en Vinagre - anchovies filleted and marinated in
olive oil and vinegar
Octupus a la Gallega - boiled octopus marinated in olive oil
and paprika, cut into small rings and served hot or cold
Zarzuela de Mariscos - meaning "comedy of fish", a famous fish soup. A large variety of fish and shell fish cooked in tomatoes, olive oil and garlic. A fish stock seasoned with paprika and saffron and some white wine, used in final seasoning.
Spain is also famous for its wide variety of sweetmeats, most originating from the Moorish period and the most renowned being Turron, a honey and almond based nougat. Some other sweets are
Tocino de Cielo - made from egg yolks and sugar syrup
Quesode - a scented cheese made from boiling quince with sugar
Tocinillo de Almendras - a rich sweet, made from egg yolk,
almonds and sugar in a caramel mould
Bizcocho de Almendras - a rich almond sponge
7 Italian restaurants |
There is, of course, a lot more to Italian food than pasta and pizzas. Italian food is complex and varied and consists of diverse regional variations and specialisms. It is true to say however that restaurants in the UK concentrate on a fairly narrow and uniform type of cuisine, as exemplified by the trattoria, that is, eating house type restaurant, with pasta dishes dominating the menu.
Food and preparation
A brief explanation is perhaps necessary on the subject of pasta in order to understand the specialism.
Pasta comes in all shapes and sizes and flavours. Shapes range from the ornamental conchiglie (shells) to the practical ribboned tagliatelle. Colours also vary from black to deep red to green or even orange.
Pasta is basically a wheat based product with eggs and in some cases, the addition of semolina.
Early in the 1960s Italian trattoria became fashionable and restaurateurs built their reputation by serving spaghetti bolognese, lasagne and cannelloni.
Gradually as peoples tastes became educated, more and more authentic pasta dishes were introduced and use of factory made dried pasta has gradually declined.
Today the majority of good pasta restaurants either make their own or buy freshly made pasta. The pasta process can basically be analysed as
mixing the raw ingredients
rolling or extruding
drying
boiling
rinsing
saucing
serving and presentation
A pasta machine is usually used for mixing, rolling or extruding and they are either manual or automatic. An automatic machine will do the first three processes in minutes and depending on size can process loads from 1.5 to 25 kilos, with a throughput reaching several hundred portions an hour.
Like rice, pasta absorbs up to three time its weight in water and about 5 kilos of dry pasta costing around £2 will produce approximately 50 generous portions, making it a vary cost effective product.
Pasta is invariably served with a sauce or cream accompaniment. Tomatoes feature prominently in the majority of sauces. Basic spices used in sauces to give them their distinctive Italian flavour are oregano and basil. Parmesan cheese is used as an almost universal garnish.
Italian cuisine is also famous for its fine range of hors d'oeuvres or antipasti. The most common ingredients used are salami, olives, anchovies, small artichokes, pimentos. A variety of hams and other port based products such as Lonza - fillet of port, Coppa - pigs head brawn and Mortadello sausage are used for antipasta dishes in addition to a variety of fish and sea food antipasta.
There are also varieties of hot antipasta dishes, such as crostine, rounds of fried or baked bread garnished with melting cheese and herbs, and frittelle (ham and cheese fritters).
8 Greek restaurants |
Greek food has a wide regional spread with similarities to the cuisine of Turkey, Armenia and the Balkan countries.
Greeks have a fondness for fish and other sea foods and Greek cuisine is noted for its many excellent sea food dishes.
Food and preparation
Lamb is the favourite Greek meat and the standard method of cooking is roasting on a spit.
Rice and pitta bread are common staple accompaniments to most dishes and extensive use of olive oil, onions, tomatoes, garlic, herbs and spices typify the flavour of Greek cooking. Most vegetable dishes are sautéed in olive oil and "a la grecque" is known internationally as denoting the unique method of cooking vegetables in the Greek style.
Some typical dishes apart from the well known lamb and pork kebab dishes are noted below.
Entrather - lamb and artichokes
Moussaka - minced lamb and aubergines
Youvorlakis - meat balls in tomato sauce
Spanakopeta - cheese and spinach mixture in a pastry crust
Dolmadakia - vine leaves stuffed with meat and rice
In addition the cuisine is noted for its many types of pilav dishes using steamed rice with fish, meat and poultry. A famous Greek cheese is feta, used in many salads and dishes.
Apart from a few authentic Greek restaurants, normally they will feature a mix of Greek, Mediterranean and English items on the menu. Commonly menus will include kebabs with pitta bread and rice based dishes such as dolmades and moussaka.
Doner kebabs based on the traditional Greek dish have been adapted as a fast take-away food. The meat, usually lamb, comes in a reconstituted block and is slow roasted on an electric rotary spit. Slices of meat are carved off the joint as and when required and served in pitta bread with salad and chilli sauce. The profit margin on this type of kebab is normally high and the mark ups will often range between 150 and 200%.
9 South East Asia restaurants |
In recent years restaurants specialising in the cuisine of Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia and Thailand have been opened in the United Kingdom. The majority are in or around London with the biggest increase being in the number of Thai restaurants, with around 80 establishments in this country. Although this type of cuisine is proving popular, it is unlikely that this will fuel any substantial expansion in the foreseeable future as there are simply not enough nationals from these countries to either open or staff many more such establishments. These countries basically share the same cultural heritage, mainly Chinese but with a rich variety of influences, depending on which part of Europe colonised them.
Meals are usually in the Chinese style, with a variety of dishes making up a meal, comprising meat dishes, vegetable dishes, salads and sauces, with rice as the staple accompaniment. Chicken, pork and sea foods such as prawns, shrimp and crabs are more commonly used than beef. Spices most commonly used are coriander, basil, garlic, root ginger, chillies and tamarind, with coconut milk being used fairly extensively.
A feature of South East Asian cuisine is the attention paid to authenticity which includes elaborate food displays and attention to authentic table flower arrangements. Consequently most restaurants directly import fresh herbs, vegetables and flowers from their originating country. The cost of meals however are fairly high and proprietors can normally therefore maintain profit margins comparable to Chinese or Indian restaurants.
Because of the more elaborate food displays and the greater use of traditional methods of cooking, there may be a high wastage element which will need careful evaluation on an individual basis.
10 Specialised restaurants |
In contrast to National restaurants, where the dominant theme is the cuisine of a particular region or country, specialised restaurants tend to concentrate on a particular type of food or food product. Typical specialities include fish and steak but others such as health food and vegetarian have been emerging in recent years.
As a rule such restaurants are more cost effective than other restaurants which offer a wider choice and with variable menus. Because, as with fast foods, their menus are fairly limited and unvaried, making on-going cost controls easier and also limiting wastage.
The exception to the general rule are vegetarian restaurants, which, although specialised, only differ from a general restaurant in that they offer a varied menu which excludes fish and meat and associated animal products.
11 Fish restaurants |
The obvious speciality area is Fish and Chips, both restaurants ad fish bars, which are the subject of a separate Business Economic Note. There are also a number of other restaurants, some spread around the country, but more perhaps concentrated near access to fresh fish, close to fishing ports and good fish markets, who offer a 100% fish and crustacean menu. Beyond these specialists, many traditional restaurants will feature fish and seafoods to a greater or lessor extent as part of their menu, the majority falling in the 20 to 30% category, depending on seasonal availability.
The trends towards healthier eating habits is seeing a slow resurgence in the popularity of fish. The public appear more eager and willing to try different varieties of fish. Menus now no longer contain a thousand and one variations on dover sole, but are branching out into sea bass, eel, turbot and swordfish.
The majority of good fish restaurants only cook fresh fish, which apart from the improved taste is actually cheaper than frozen fish.
However whilst all indications seem to point to a revival in fish, growth is hampered by the deeply entrenched cult traditions associated with fish and seafoods. In restaurants, fish has always had a gourmet and upmarket image and certain fish such as salmon, dover sole, trout and crustaceans such as crab, lobster and prawns have always sold at premium prices. As long as this image continues to be fostered, the progress of fish as a food for the populace will be impeded.
As an example, a chef-proprietor of an average sea-side restaurant was recently quoted as saying he paid 80p for a lemon sole which found ready acceptance by his customers at a menu price of £6.50, a mark up on cost of 700%. Fish like salmon can now be purchased for £2 to £3 a lb or farmed salmon for £1.50 a lb, a fact not borne out by menu prices, which still preserve the myth that salmon is an expensive food.
A selection of market prices in May 1989 is shown below
Salmon (farmed) - £1.50 per lb
Salmon (Scottish) - £3.00 per lb
Rainbow trout - £1.00 per lb
Lemon sole - £1.40 per lb
Eels - £2.20 per lb
Lobsters - £3.50 per lb
Crabs - 90p to £1.30 per lb
Prawns - 90p to £1.30 per lb
12 Health food restaurants |
In an increasingly health conscious society, restaurants specialising in health foods are gaining in popularity and are now seen as more than just a passing fashion.
A health food restaurant basically promotes good wholesome cooking, using ingredients free from additives or grown organically and preparing and cooking dishes with minimal loss of nutriment.
Whilst there may be a strong bias towards vegetarian dishes, they are by no means exclusively so, though meals such as free-range poultry, game, rabbit and sea foods are preferred, rather than commercially farmed meat produce.
Some common health food ingredients are listed below.
Raw sugar
Clear honey
Natural yoghurt
Brown rice
Wholemeal flour products
Legumes (peas, beans, lentils)
Nuts (hazelnuts, walnuts, almonds and so on)
Polyunsaturated fats
Low fat cheeses
13 Vegetarian restaurants |
Whilst most restaurants include some vegetarian dishes, there are not many who specialise entirely in vegetarian cuisine. However as with health foods the trend for vegan food is showing a steady growth. Apart from preparing traditional dishes using meat substitutes such as soya meat, most vegetarian establishments are moving away from the meat substitute concept to providing original and more imaginative dishes with more of an emphasis on health or nutritional foods.
Whilst salads predominate on most menus, other widely used ingredients include pasta, rice, legumes, cheeses, vegetables and nuts.
14 Theme restaurants |
This is an American concept, the idea being to follow a particular theme, be it from a historical period, events, style or country with both décor and food reflecting the theme.
Menus are usually hybrid and imaginative with fancy names reflecting the theme, but the dishes themselves are more often than not merely variations on traditional recipes.
It is difficult to discern whether these type of establishments are restaurants with a bar service or a bar with a food service and certainly the division between trendy pub and restaurant is in most cases fairly marginal.
15 Steak houses |
The vast majority of specialised steak houses are operated by multiples such as Berni Inns, Chef and Brewer, Schooner Inns, Angus Steak Houses, Beefeater Inns and so on and run in conjunction with public houses.
Menus are fairly standardised and provide for an all inclusive fixed price meal comprising starter, main course, desert and coffee. Vegetables such as chips and peas are usually frozen and steak portions are either ready to serve frozen or vacuum packed portions. The only food preparation involved on site is normally the cleaning and cutting of salad vegetables.
The independents in this field may not be able to match the multiples on menu prices but usually offer a better quality and more varied menu with fresh meats and vegetables being used instead of frozen or convenience foods.
16 Vegetable preparation |
Fresh vegetable preparation can be a costly and time consuming process, if prepared by hand. Caterers generally either buy in chilled prepared vegetables or use dedicated food processing equipment.
There is equipment now on the market, capable of handling nearly every type of fruit and vegetable and able to meet different cutting requirements. Outputs can range from around 10 lbs per minute to 2.5 tons per hour.
17 Ready prepared foods |
The alternative to expensive staff and equipment is to make use of ready prepared frozen, packaged and tinned foods. There are now a large variety of caterer pack frozen meals ranging from straightforward items such as pies, stews and hotpots to more exotic cordon bleu dishes.
For the caterer the benefits are
consistent quality
ability to offer a varied and more interesting menu
precise cost and portion control
reduced kitchen costs - staffing and fuel
minimal wastage
quicker serving times
Apart from packaged main courses, ancillary items may be used, such as
tinned or packaged soups and sauces
cold salads and dressings, either tinned or chilled
vegetables, either frozen, tinned or dry packaged
frozen sweets, pastries, cakes and gateaux
tinned fruits
18 Farm vegetables |
A new development is the direct links being formed between caterers and farmers.
For the caterer, the benefits are fresher produce and more control in the quality and specification of produce delivered and cheaper prices. It is estimated that savings of up to 50% can be made by direct purchase.
For the farmer, it provides better returns, more scope for diversification and more awareness of consumer trends.
Locally grown food is now becoming a good selling point on restaurant menus, helping to increase custom.
In order to meet the demands of caterers, some farmers are now turning to cultivation of more exotic produce, such as mange tout, asparagus, shallots, courgette flowers, sprouting broccoli, speciality lettuces, garlic and herbs. Many of these had previously been imported through wholesalers.
The links between caterers and farmers are being assisted by the launch of the second edition of British Country Food, a joint production by the English Tourist Board, Farmers Weekly, Institute of Grocery Distributors, National Farmers Union and the Royal Agricultural Society. This is a directory listing about 400 specialist products and their suppliers and can be obtained from NFU Marketing, 4 St Mary's Place, Stamford, Lincs. at a cost of £8.
Produced by the Inland Revenue
October 1990
© Crown Copyright 1990
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