Types of Menu in Food and Beverage Service: A Complete Guide
If you're stepping into the hospitality world or just curious about how restaurants design their offerings, understanding types of menus is essential. From luxurious fine-dining to your favorite café down the street, the menu plays a vital role in the customer experience. Let’s explore the main types of menus used in the food and beverage (F&B) industry.
📌 1. À la Carte Menu
Meaning: A French term meaning “according to the card.”
Features:
Items are listed and priced individually.
Customers can customize their meals by selecting items separately.
Usually found in fine-dining restaurants.
Example: Ordering soup, grilled chicken, and dessert separately with individual prices.
📌 2. Table d’hôte Menu
Meaning: “Host’s table” in French.
Features:
A set number of courses offered at a fixed price.
Limited choices or no choice within courses.
Time-efficient and budget-friendly.
Example: A 3-course meal for ₹799 (starter + main course + dessert).
📌 3. Fixed Menu
Features:
Offers a pre-decided set of dishes at a fixed price.
Often used in banquets, group bookings, or events.
Convenient for large gatherings and easier for chefs to manage.
📌 4. Cyclical Menu
Features:
Rotates on a regular cycle (weekly, biweekly, or monthly).
Reduces repetition while maintaining variety.
Popular in hostels, hospitals, canteens, and corporate cafeterias.
Example: Monday – Rajma Chawal, Tuesday – Aloo Paratha, Wednesday – Chole Bhature.
📌 5. Du Jour Menu
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Meaning: “Of the day” in French.
Features:
Highlights the chef’s special or seasonal dish for the day.
Keeps the menu dynamic and exciting.
Great way to promote fresh and seasonal ingredients.
Example: Soup of the day or today’s chef special pasta.
📌 6. Tasting Menu (Degustation)
Features:
Small portions of several courses served in a sequence.
Highlights the chef’s creativity and kitchen skills.
Usually found in luxury or Michelin-star restaurants.
Example: A 7-course tasting experience featuring amuse bouche, entrée, palate cleanser, main course, and dessert.
📌 7. Static Menu
Features:
Remains unchanged over a long period.
Common in fast food chains and diners.
Helps in standardized preparation and cost control.
Example: A burger menu at McDonald’s or a sandwich list at Subway.
📌 8. Special Menu
Features:
Designed for special occasions, holidays, or festivals.
Offers themed dishes to match the celebration.
Can include Valentine’s Day, Christmas, Diwali, or local events.
Example: A Holi Special Thali or Christmas Buffet Menu.
✅ Description
This blog provides a complete and eco-friendly guide to the 8 main types of menus used in the food and beverage (F&B) industry. Whether you’re a hotel management student, food lover, or aspiring professional, you’ll learn the difference between à la carte, table d’hôte, fixed, static, tasting, du jour, special, and cyclical menus. Designed with simple language and helpful examples, this blog is perfect for quick learning and easy reference. Improve your hospitality knowledge while exploring sustainable and smart menu planning ideas.
✅ Final Thoughts
Menus are more than just lists of food—they are marketing tools, operational blueprints, and customer experiences all in one. Whether you’re training for hotel management, opening a restaurant, or simply a food enthusiast, understanding these types of menus gives you an edge in the F&B industry.
