Portion Control

Hi.

I generally keep my slaw in a half size pan(s) in the fridge. I keep my beans on the steam table. After months of trying to devise a way to package my food, I had to resort to a hated method. Styrofoam. I did not want to use styrofoam. I dislike it intensely. I did come up with a styrofoam that I liked. It is a Genpak snap it product, but the difference is that it is black. It shows no smoke discoloration or BBQ orange on the boxes. At any rate, the dinner boxes come with the portioned compartments. Perfect size for sides. I also sell sides in portion cups. They are 4.5 or 5.5 in size (can't recall). Since space is always at a premium in my reefers, I do not preportion them out, but I have considered it for the slaw. I just never get around to it. Even when I am at my busiest it is never too big a deal to portion out the slaw or beans. I guess the downside might be if you preportion and do not use the containers you then have a dating issue. For a very large event I am considering doing a specific amount of preportioning for convenience sake, but only an amount that I feel comfortable about selling for sure. I don't eat slaw, but I think it should be pretty fresh. I make it the night before, hope to use it all that day, maybe use it a second day if it looks good, but never more than that. Darn beans just seem to get better with time though. But, my beans sell like crazy, I have an order tomorrow for two gallons! Hard to keep them going.

That is how I do it. That is what works for me. What works for me might work for you ... or maybe not! My way may not be the best way, but as I said, it works for me.

Best of luck to you!

Kate

like kate said, what ever works for you. each situation is different. at our place, we tend to get swamped on a seconds notice, so we have all the tees crossed and the eyes.. dotted, before the onslaught.
we portion everything. slaw, tater salad, beans, stew, sauces(three different kinds, i make), bbq, and even ribs. all ready to heat and eat.
yes, we use styrofoam. but we dont like the skimpy portions that some of our competition uses. they charge the same or more, for dinners with half the food.
we are "home of the half pound"
meats, and side dishes alike, are half pound in size. makes a big difference! we hear everyday, compliments, on the huge portions.
folks really think they are getting their money's worth, and thats important.
we use 8 oz squat cups(styrofoam)
but each situation is different. you will have to figure out what your customers prefer.
hope this helps
mike

littledixie, this may sound like a walk around the park answer but i hope it will give you some insight into what commercial operations are giving as serving size. from that you can make an educated decision on what you want your serving sizes to be. these sizes are for where i work part time but a kitchen person at sonny's confirmed their sizes to me also (good guy. was a student when i was teaching culinary arts so i know he didn't give dope information)
here goes;
meat (beef turkey or pork)
4 oz at lunch and 6 oz at dinner
ribs
3 bones at lunch for rib sandwich or kids order and 5 bones at dinner.
baked beans
4 oz spoodle
coleslaw
4 oz souffle cup
lima beans and rice
2 oz rice and 4 oz spoodle limas
green beans
4 oz spoodle
that should let you make a decision on your serving sizes.
preproportioned;
the only thing we preproportion is the slaw into souffle cups just to make life a little easier. ervery other side we do is on the fly.
i will say this though. keep an open mind on the subject. i have seen 1st hand just how hard and quick coffeebluff gets hit. it looks like something out of the bible where they talk about a plague of locusts. i know if we ever get to be fortunate enough to take those kinds of hits on a constant basis then i am seriously going to refer to my notes that i made while visiting him.
by the same token the way kate does things is great too. the one thing i have noticed is people just like watching you work and it gives peggy a chance to upsell. hope it helps some and the nice thing is you have great ideas for 2 different ways of doing things and now ya got standard restaurant serving sizes for this area too boot.
now back to cooking for me.
jack

Wow!!!! thanks for all the wonderful information!! What a wealth of knowledge from you guys!!! Sure makes me feel a little more confident going into this thing knowing what works for others. Where do you guys get your styrofoam containers from? I looked at Sams wholesale & the one here seems to carry only the 4 oz cups. Im thinking Im going to go with a little larger portion than that.Once again thank you all for the advice!!!!

dixie,
we are using 4 ounce "souffle cups" made by fabri-kal. they are translucent plastic. got mine at angela's down here but i believe e.h. thompson or pionneer paper up your way carries them.
just remember to get the lids when you get the souffle cups unless you like to be embarressed . voice of experience on that one!!!
jack

Hi.

Whatever size cup you use ... don't fill them too full! More voice of experience ... when that lid goes on it likes to squish out. I know that sounds like a no brainer, but it happens to me anyway. Also ... For some reason, I have about 10 more cups than lids. I think they are like socks in the dryer ... some just disappear on you.

Kate

i'm trying to remember the name of the company i used in florida. they also own t.g lee.
well, the big guys like u.s. food, carry these products. even if you dont order enough to be delivered, you can pick up at the local warehouse. i guess any good paper company in your area, would carry the styrofoam squat cups. remember, always use vented lids, for hot items. this will precent little explosions, on the customer's clothes. my supplier doesnt carry vented, and we have to punch a little hole in the top with knife blade.

Hi.

I will have to remember that venting trick. I get away with no lids on the beans and slaw many times at the flea market, because they are "dining in". Just give them a spoon tucked in the portion cup and away they go. Other times I have been putting the lids on, non vented. I haven't had any explosions ... yet. But now I know. Thanks for that bit of information! Hmm, I should have more lids than cups too. Wonder where they go!!

Kate

I've also had the shortage of lids...what happens to them all?
Peggy
Little Dixie:
The portions look a lot larger if you put them on the plate rather than a container. I put a 4 oz portion of slaw in a cup that size and a 4 oz portion of slaw on a plate. It made the container size look small. If you use a container, go with short and wide if at all possible.

Hey Peggy,

I have looked everywhere for those lids. Thought they might be lurking behind one of the reefers, under this, tucked away hiding here or there, but nope, they just vanish. And it is not just one package here and there, they always come up uneven for me. I wonder if they short us on the lids right in the packages? Can you imagine how much money they would save doing this!! Then again, that seems too dishonest. I am sure that the packages say the same number, matching the containers. This one has me stumped!

Take care!

Kate

Perhaps this is where the lids are hiding. The lids come in 50 count sleves and the cups are in 100 count pkgs. Took me a while to figure that one out. Keep stokin and smokin.

Hi.

That can't be it because I am coming up in the range of 5 to 10 short. Still doesn't make sense to me!

I am alsmost wondering if I have a prankster gas lighting me onboard!

Oh well, it will remain a mystery.

Thanks for the thought though!

Kate

Could it be a couple stuck together and you didn,t notice it? Maybe when you got busy.

Kate,
What was most strange to me was when I went to put lids on one type of 4 oz cup, they wouldn't fit...way too large. They're for another brand of cup all together! Then I remembered that I had done the no lid thing you were talking about where you just stick a spoon or fork into the cup. AHAAA! Mr. Obvious struck again!
Peggy