Portion Control & Production Staff Duties

Consistency is the name of the game. If your portion sizes vary from one day to another or from one shift to another you will have guests that realize there is inconsistency and you will create complaints.

Secondly, you will have fluctuating food costs from week to week, and your cash flow will be a nightmare to manage.

Portion control is particularly prevalent in quick-serve restaurants where menu consistency, gross profit are essential. This is because customers expect consistency to be served by often low-skilled employees.

No matter what kind of restaurant you operate, chances are, you could benefit from implementing some portion control tools. By understanding the uses for each of these handy items, you can improve the uniformity of your foods and reduce the amount of waste due to excessively large portions.

When your portion sizes are maximised, you will find that the guests waste less and potentially orders a starter before or dessert after their main course, increasing your turnover.

Tools of the trade for portioning:

• Scales.
• Portioning scoops.
• Portioning moulds.
• Portioning funnels.
• Pre-measured and market containers.

Quality, Quantity, Hygiene and Safety.

• Ensure the scale is in perfect working order, calibration correct and battery fully charged.
• Determine the preparation and portioning need.
• DO NOT DEFROST more than required if working with frozen products.
• Do not open more than required product to avoid cross-contamination.
• All working surfaces are hygienically clean.
• Record all quantities, bulk used, portions achieved, waste capture all on your accounting system.
• Check for unnecessary blood loss, fat or sinew waste and ice or water in bags.
• Excessive blood loss during cutting is an indication of prior frozen or water added to products.
• Plan how to repurpose waste and or offcuts.

Once portions are manufactured pack them in easy quantities to count during daily stock counts.

Production staff working habits.

• Run daily workshops on working habits.
• Practice daily and repeat over and over.
• Reward the correct working habits.
• Give continuous Positve//negative//alternative//Positive [PNAP] Feedback.
• Manage by walking around and giving feedback.
• Set the pace early in the day, between breaks and during the last hour of the shift.
• During the vibe meeting for the boh shift, hand out tasks “S.M.A.R.T’ly” Specific-Measurable-Achievable-Realistic-Time bound.
• Record all production and waste and repurpose where applicable.
• Always refer to and accept only the required standards.
• Consistency and safety are always first.
• When demonstrating working habits always demonstrate the correct method only!

Production staff duties and responsibilities checked. Ensure that each person:

• Has a designated task.
• Has a designated responsibility area.
• Has assigned duties for the shift.
• Is checked before leaving their responsibility area.
• Team members can check each other and assist each other and hand duties over, the receiver checks the giver and vice versa.
• Reports equipment and or machine problems and breakdowns are recorded.
• Is rewarded for value-adding and maintenance and cleaning efforts to avoid costly repairs.

Repetition, repetition, repetition forms habits.