4-4 Kitchen Connections: Breakfast Sandwiches

In this hands-on session, we’re going to take everything you’ve been learning about ingredient and menu costing and apply it in the kitchen by preparing and serving a simple yet delicious breakfast sandwich menu. The menu item includes an English muffin, two pieces of bacon, one egg, avocado mousse, and a side of breakfast potatoes.

Objective:
The goal of this exercise is to reinforce your understanding of how to cost out a menu item accurately, then prepare and serve it to real guests. This is an excellent opportunity to put your knowledge of food costing into practice in a live setting while honing your skills in organization, timing, and customer service.

Step 1: Ingredient Breakdown
You will begin by calculating the cost of each ingredient used in the breakfast sandwich and its side:

• Focaccia bun
• 2 pieces of bacon
• 1 egg
• Avocado mousse (determine the cost of ingredients used to make this, such as avocado, lime, seasoning, etc.)
• Breakfast potatoes (you will need to calculate the cost based on the quantity of potatoes, oil, seasoning, etc.)

Step 2: Total Cost per Sandwich
Once you’ve calculated the cost of each individual ingredient, you will determine the total cost per sandwich and side. This total cost will help inform your pricing decisions for the dish. As you’ve learned, it’s important to take into account food cost percentages to ensure profitability while remaining competitive in a real-world setting.

Step 3: Menu Pricing
Next, you will need to decide on a selling price for the sandwich. Consider aiming for a food cost percentage of 30% or less, as this is the general industry standard for ensuring profit. Your calculated costs should reflect the selling price that not only covers expenses but also meets your desired food cost target.

Step 4: Mise en Place and Service
Before the service begins, ensure that your mise en place is organized and ready. Each station should be fully prepped, with all ingredients portioned, equipment in place, and a clear workflow established. Service will be fast-paced, so efficiency and organization are key.

Step 5: Live Service
For one hour, we will open service on campus and serve guests who stop by to enjoy our breakfast sandwiches. This will be a real-world experience where you’ll apply everything from costing to customer interaction. It’s crucial to balance speed with quality to ensure each guest receives a well-prepared dish in a timely manner.

Reflection:
After the service, we’ll come together to discuss how the costing process impacted the final pricing and execution. Was the selling price appropriate? Were there any unexpected costs or challenges? This reflection will help you better understand how costing directly affects day-to-day operations in the kitchen.