hey.im in high school and i have been assigened a project of running a restaurant business.this is what i want to do when i get older so my teacher thought it would be a good idea for me to see how much work it would be befor i went to college this fall to study hospitality management. i have everything done except for buying the food. i was hoping that sum1 on here could tell me how much meat/poultry they would buy for a restaurant surving late lunch and dinner, and has twenty five tables that seat 2-4 people.please help,i kno im not a pro to be posting anything in this forum,but i want to be one in the future,and i thought that a pro would be able to answer my question.thank u so much.
~Allie~

Hi Allie,

I'm' not a professional, not a chef and never worked in a restaurant in my entire life. I'm just a geezer whose been around a long long time and would like to pass along some advice if you don't mind.

If you're passionate enough about something, you can do it. Don't let anyone, teachers, parents, friends or anybody else deter you from your goal. Follow your dreams and go where your heart leads you. And, remember this. Many of the big time chefs on the Food Network including Bobby Flake, Paula Dean and Tyler Florence barely made it through high school. They started out as waiters and short order cooks. They watched, asked questions and learned. Look where they are now.

Good luck in your quest for your own restaurant.

Hi, Allie,

Keep checking back for responses to your request. Foodservice professionals are busy people, as you know, but I am sure someone will find time to help you out.

Best wishes for a great future in the restaurant business!

Hello, Allie.

Let me offer a heads-up that I hope you take to heart. If you wish to interact with professionals, on any level, please get rid of the cutsie-pie text-messaging abbreviations; it is irksome. I would also suggest that you use appropriate capitalizations and observe the common rules for composition.

My time is precious to me. I am choosy when deciding with whom to spend my time in order to provide advice. I am even more choosy when making hiring decisions.

You are about to enter the real world of adults and business, even though you are heading to college. In the next few years, you will be filling your resume with internships, apprenticeships, and mentors all with one, single purpose in mind: getting your first professional start in your chosen profession. As such, EVERYTHING your write or speak or email -- when interacting with those people -- will be an evaluation of you.

So start now. Adopt a professional attitude about every interaction you undertake as you proceed with your career. Make the best impression you can with ALL of your contacts. Be friendly, be gracious, be hardworking, and BE PROFESSIONAL.

Hi, Allie.

Now that I've given you a bit of a lecture, let me give you a resource that will be of help in your food cost assignment. The cost of food will vary widely, so you will not get a completely accurate picture here.

I would suggest that you contact your local restaurant food supplier. If you don't know who that may be, look in the yellow pages under "restaurant supply", or call a local restaurant to get the name of their supplier. If your school has a cafeteria, check with them to find out who their supplier is. Two common suppliers in my area are Sysco and Food Services of America.

Each restaurant interacts with food service suppliers through a sales agent. When you are in contact with an agent, they will be able to provide a lot of information about serving sizes, how many covers each of your tables will be able to go through each day ( the rate of table turn-over will be determined by your choosen style of restaurant and service), and food quantities and food costs.

I know how much chicken I would order, but I think the purpose of the assignment is one in which you go through the process of figuring out the answer for yourself.

If you need additional hints, please ask.

Alli

Food costs will be below 33% of your estimated sales in order for the business to make it in the real world. Use your estimated sales to determine the dollar amount of food to order-for your assignment I would use 30% of sales as the ordering amount of food-and restaurants must get their food supplies from large wholesalers--we dont just run out to the local grocery store to buy our products.

Good luck with your project
Herman