Most people think of creating kitchen production formulas as building a recipe for a menu item. For example, if you were explaining how to make a full pan of lasagna, you’d list all the ingredients—lasagna noodles, marinara sauce, ricotta, mozzarella cheese, etc.—along with the required quantities. Then, you’d provide detailed step-by-step instructions, like bringing two gallons of salted water to a rolling boil, adding two pounds of lasagna noodles, and cooking them for twelve minutes until al dente.


What to Make, Not How to Make It


Unlike traditional recipes, a kitchen production formula assumes your team already knows how to prepare the food. The goal is to inform them how much to prepare.


For instance, if you run a deli offering a catering item like a cookie platter, your staff doesn’t need the recipe for cookies—they need to know how many platters to prepare. Similarly, in a barbecue restaurant, the kitchen needs to know how many pans, pounds, or gallons of beans to make for an order, not the bean recipe itself.


Examples of Prep Items: Lasagna, Pulled Pork, Ribs, Potato Salad, Turkey Sandwiches, Meatloaf. 

(Units of measure for these items will be discussed later in this article.)


Below is a screenshot of a list of Prep Items used to build Kitchen Production Formulas. 

NOTE: Only select items under the "Prep Items" heading that have “(Prep)” at the end, which identifies them as Prep Items.


 

Units of Measure & Quantities


Once you’ve established what the kitchen must prepare, you must clarify how much to make and the appropriate unit of measure. Follow these rules:


1. Use "Kitchen Talk"

Use terminology your kitchen staff already uses. If you sell pasta salad, is it referred to as “Pasta Salad,” “Greek Pasta Salad,” “Mom’s Pasta Salad,” or simply “P Salad”? When naming prep items, stick to the exact language your team uses daily.


2. Use the Largest Unit of Measure

Assign the highest practical unit of measure for each prep item.

For example, if you need 4 ounces of Greek Pasta Salad per person, an event for 100 guests would require 400 ounces. However, most operators don’t work in ounces for such large quantities. Instead, use pounds (LBS). Later, you’ll learn to convert 4 ounces per person into a fraction of a pound (e.g., 0.25 LBS per person).


3. The Rule of 100

When in doubt, pretend you’re building formulas for an order of 100 guests.

  • Buns by the Each might be better expressed as Buns by the Dozen.
  • Ounces become Pounds.
  • Liquid Ounces become Pints, Quarts, or Gallons.


4. Stay Consistent

CaterZen’s Kitchen Production Reports can sum up the same items across one or multiple tickets. Consistency in naming and units of measure is critical for accurate reporting.


Sample Food Prep Report

The sample report below shows an order for 100 guests. Review the prep item names and units of measure used for clarity and consistency.