# Menu Ideas



## skizz44 (Aug 17, 2010)

Good Day Folks.

I just got my first kitchen manager job last month. I am 22 years old. I am cooking for the elderly in an assisted living facility. serve 35 people lunch and dinner and only have about 3000 to work with for food. Any ideas as far as main entree items go. I have kind of hit a brick wall.

Any and all Ideas welcome please,

Thank you,

skizz44


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## nomnom (Aug 7, 2010)

What style service? Food restrictions, etc?

Do you have access to old menus? Might be good for inspiration.


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## chefedb (Apr 3, 2010)

According to your figures of  $3000 with 70 covers a day (2 Meals)  that breaks to about  $1.42 per meal a lot lower then national average for nursing homes.  A lot of pbj  and bologna sandwiches. Sorry money alloted per person does not leave much room for originality or choice or suggestion.


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## skizz44 (Aug 17, 2010)

Yeah. its tough. I'm way over budget. However, Im getting a lot of bulk stuff ordered, and the less processed the better. Its pretty challenging. These guys like meat, and potato. Which is easy enough, however, its easy to just give steak, potato, vegie, brownie every wednesday, meatloaf every friday,..etc. just looking for some insight.

I saw the last menu, it wasn't too great. Really no inspiration found with it.


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## cheftux (Oct 12, 2011)

The nursing home where my grandmother lives actually has a pretty swanky menu. They do a 4 week rotation, so a total of 32 different lunch and 32 different dinner options.

A lot of the things I saw were items that easily can be made for bulk but still cheap. For example lasagne, shepard's pie, meatloaf, and roast chicken. This way you're not buying 35 chicken breasts and having each guest get one.

That's definitely my suggestion, try to have as many meals as possible be "family style" if you get my meaning. There were only a few individual things on her menu such as chicken fried steak, hamburgers, poached fish, i.e. things that you have to purchase one of per person.

Hope it helps, and thanks for trying to bring quality food to the older generation. It always makes me sad when they get forgotten.


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## sabbah (Jun 2, 2009)

Save everything for soups, the ends of tomatoes etc. Mexican rice and carnitas, Asian stir-fry, Braised Cabbage.

Check out what Ann Cooper does for school food. She has really tight food cost.


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## chefatrh (Feb 23, 2011)

Sorry, late to thread.  Have you done any pasta?  Two #10 can of tomatoes, a little garlic, a half dozen eggs, a pound of flour, some spinach and ricotta and you can make 62  quick easy Cannelloni's. for less than $30.  For another .25 a person you can go crazy and make a bechamel  sauce for it.


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## damon otan (Feb 25, 2013)

Cacciatore with rice, apricot chicken, roast pork and veg, spaghetti with meatballs all should come in at under 1.50 per serve in correct PC


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