[welldonechef]

I have a Chef de Cusine who is arguing with me over whether I should calculate rotten beef trim as waste.

His idea is that the beef is already calculated in cost on the plate... so it should be free.

I am saying that usable trim is not calculated against the plate, as it is usable.

Also, if a buffet standard is 1 fruit platter for 50 people, and there are 3 platters left over from a function, it is not over production or waste, it is already paid for.

Help. I tried explaining until I am blue in the face, no luck. Help me make him understand.

If anyone has refereces, that would be awesome as well. Hit him with the books, I say.

[ED BUCHANAN]

Also, if a buffet standard is 1 fruit platter for 50 people, and there are 3 platters left over from a function, it is not over production or waste, it is already paid for.

Possibly'
This is providing there were 200 guest and you got paid for 200 guest. And if used for another function should then drop your food cost % both for that function and overall.

[welldonechef]

Originally Posted by ED BUCHANAN

Also, if a buffet standard is 1 fruit platter for 50 people, and there are 3 platters left over from a function, it is not over production or waste, it is already paid for.

Possibly'
This is providing there were 200 guest and you got paid for 200 guest. And if used for another function should then drop your food cost % both for that function and overall.

Agreed. If there is no other function, except for continental, and staff, then what?>

[ED BUCHANAN]

Originally Posted by welldonechef

Agreed. If there is no other function, except for continental, and staff, then what?>

Did you get paid for 200 covers? Then it is not overproduction.or waste. I you got paid for only 50 its over production and waste. There is quite a difference being told the buffet is for 50 or for 200, Someone should advise kitchen of count at least 24 hours prior.

[foodpump]

Well.....

You could be a cruel, heartless s.o.b and make your Chef de cuisine submit a costing for every ingredient and dish, give him a budget based on % of sales, give him a 30% food cost and demand an inventory every two weeks.........

He might just catch on........

[greyeaglem]

Trim usable for what? If I calculate the price of a steak after I have trimmed a piece, the cost is calculated after the trim. For instance, if I buy a whole tenderloin, 5 up, I will lose about 1 lb. that is usable only for boiling for stock. Obviously that's not worth the per pound price I am paying for tenderloin, so now I have a 4+ lb. tenderloin that I will cut 5-6 steaks from, depending on the piece, and have about 1 1/2 orders of tips from the remiander. At this point, for what I'm paying for tenderloin right now, I don't split hairs and base the price of the steak based on the usable 4 lbs. I have left. If the price goes up considerably, I will subtract the weight of the tips (can't get as much for tips as you can for a steak) and shift the remainder to the price of the steaks. Let's say I pay $6.00 per pound. An 8 oz. steak should cost $3.00. That's how I price it now. If it went to $10.00 per lb., I would look at my menu price for tips, subtract the 1/3 plate cost for those, which might be $4.00. I would subtract the $4.00 from the total price of the piece and divide the remianing cost between the steaks. You use scaps and trim as you can to save money, but a pound of fat trimmed from a N.Y. strip is not worth the full amount per pound that a steak would be. Trim, weigh, price.

[ChefBillyB]

Ask him to figure out the yield on a Prime Rib. Raw weight, yield after cooking, cost of served weight..............See if he understands the fat on the prime after its cooked is figured into the serving price. The fruit trays should be paid for with a Guarantee plus or minus 10%. If this is the case you will have fruit garnish all over the place, you can't win but it is already paid for so eat fruit and be happy............

If I have a 10 lb tenderloin at 5$ a lb thats $50 cost. If I trim 1 lb of fat off the loin and cut 1# steaks I divide the $50by 9, each steak would be $5.55 a steak.......Fat cost money...Bill

[Blueicus]

Agreed, if you already factor in the cost of the trim into the steaks then whatever happens to it is pretty much a bonus, eh?

[pembroke]

Originally Posted by ChefBillyB

Ask him to figure out the yield on a Prime Rib. Raw weight, yield after cooking, cost of served weight..............See if he understands the fat on the prime after its cooked is figured into the serving price. The fruit trays should be paid for with a Guarantee plus or minus 10%. If this is the case you will have fruit garnish all over the place, you can't win but it is already paid for so eat fruit and be happy............

If I have a 10 lb tenderloin at 5$ a lb thats $50 cost. If I trim 1 lb of fat off the loin and cut 1# steaks I divide the $50by 9, each steak would be $5.55 a steak.......Fat cost money...Bill

Amen, I remember calculating yield on prime rib every night after service. The restaurant manager would pull the total rib sold and I'd have to calculate yield %. Each night I would have a different chef carve with the best yielding chef receiving a weekly bonus.

If you buy 10kg of fillet for £20.00 per kilo your cost is £200. Divide your number of portions by £200 to gain your price per portion; if you can sell/include trim in other dishes it's a bonus, but not one I would spend much time calculating. If the butcher trimmed and portioned your meat for you the price per kilo would be greater.......

[fryguy]

if you had 3 fruit trays left after that function then you over produced. that food cost could have been profit. I could see maybe 1 but if you had 3 you really misread the party you were having. I understand if less people showed than the guaranty you would have the food left, but if the guaranteed number of people showed you must have misread the group....I know, if it's a wedding you can count on loading up, and they'll eat it, and on the other hand, if it's a sales meeting they will hardly touch what you put out. should be able to get it a little closer than that ......just sayin'

[boar_d_laze]

This answer isn't based on my experience in the kitchen; but more on my experience as an attorney dealing with troubled restaurant partnerships.

It's not a cooking question, it's an accounting question; and there's no universal right answer. It depends on how the operation keeps its books and for what purposes it uses trim.

To the extent that trimmings can be used for important purposes in other dishes, it's probably a good idea to track them for the purpose of pricing the dishes. If they're merely incidental or held for low cost/low profit items (in the way fillet trim might be held for a staff Stroganoff) it's probably better to book them as waste.

A small operation doesn't want to overburden it's bookkeeping with detail that doesn't make much difference. It makes staff nuts; it doesn't help the accountant or the IRS; and it drives a wedge between staff and management. On the other hand, if you're doing thousands of covers weekly, have an established and inelastic menu, are buying meat in lots of several hundred pounds, and are costing and pricing to the nearest dime -- it's important to know exactly what's going where.

Anyway, we're not the best source to help you figure this out; your accountant is. Ask.

BDL
_______________
Ex owner operator Predominantly French: Intimate Catering; ex cook at a couple of decent joints.

[ED BUCHANAN]

Figuring yield on a prime rib when you have to cook a whole one regardless of 3 , 6, or 8 orders out of it that day and figuring fruit platters are comparing apples and oranges. If you have 50 guest you prepare for 50 not 200 as the original post stated. If you prepared for 200 and only had 50 and did not get paid for 200 and had 3 platters over, it is plain waste and overproduction.

[ChefBillyB]

Originally Posted by ED BUCHANAN

Figuring yield on a prime rib when you have to cook a whole one regardless of 3 , 6, or 8 orders out of it that day and figuring fruit platters are comparing apples and oranges. If you have 50 guest you prepare for 50 not 200 as the original post stated. If you prepared for 200 and only had 50 and did not get paid for 200 and had 3 platters over, it is plain waste and overproduction.

Welldonechef already said the fruit trays were paid for on the buffet. It may have been a waste of time, but its not food waste or overproduction. If only 50 to 100 people showed up for the event its the organizers problem not the caterers. If the food goes back to the restaurant and the people paid for 200 guests, its free to use on the menu at no extra cost to the restaurant. The problem with these posts are that we don't have all the details of the event. I'm just going by what he said, its paid for............................Bill

[DuckFat]

Originally Posted by boar_d_laze

This answer isn't based on my experience in the kitchen; but more on my experience as an attorney dealing with troubled restaurant partnerships.

I cringe every time I hear the "P" word!