CMC Menu Planning and Costing 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A restaurant's food cost percentage is 32% and total food sales are $18,500. What is the actual food cost?
- $5,920 (Correct answer)
- $6,200
- $5,780
- $6,475
Correct answer: $5,920
Food cost = 32% × $18,500 = $5,920.
Question 2: Which menu engineering quadrant describes items with high profitability but low popularity?
- Puzzles (Correct answer)
- Stars
- Plowhorses
- Dogs
Correct answer: Puzzles
Puzzles have high contribution margins but are ordered infrequently, making them candidates for repositioning or promotion.
Question 3: When calculating a standardized recipe cost, which factor accounts for unavoidable ingredient loss during prep?
- Yield percentage (Correct answer)
- Edible portion cost
- As-purchased price
- Plate cost
Correct answer: Yield percentage
Yield percentage reflects the usable amount after trimming and cooking loss, adjusting the true cost per serving.
Question 4: A chef purchases 10 lbs of beef tenderloin at $22/lb. After trimming, 7.5 lbs are usable. What is the edible portion cost per pound?
- $29.33 (Correct answer)
- $22.00
- $25.50
- $31.00
Correct answer: $29.33
EP cost = (10 × $22) / 7.5 = $220 / 7.5 = $29.33 per pound.
Question 5: A cycle menu is most beneficial in which foodservice setting?
- Hospital or institutional foodservice (Correct answer)
- Fine dining restaurant
- Pop-up event catering
- Food truck
Correct answer: Hospital or institutional foodservice
Cycle menus rotate on a set schedule and are ideal for institutional settings where consistent, predictable production is needed.
Question 6: Which pricing strategy sets menu prices based on what competitors charge for similar items?
- Competitive pricing (Correct answer)
- Cost-plus pricing
- Value-based pricing
- Contribution margin pricing
Correct answer: Competitive pricing
Competitive pricing anchors prices to the market rate of similar offerings at rival establishments.
Question 7: What does a menu's 'contribution margin' measure?
- Selling price minus food cost of an item (Correct answer)
- Total revenue minus all operating expenses
- Food cost percentage multiplied by sales volume
- Labor cost divided by menu price
Correct answer: Selling price minus food cost of an item
Contribution margin is the selling price minus the food cost, representing how much each item contributes to covering overhead and profit.
CMC Menu Planning and Costing 2
A restaurant's food cost percentage is 32% and total food sales are $18,500.
What is the actual food cost?