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Watch Your Portion Sizes When Serving French Fries

Q:

Someone told me I am wasting money by serving a stack of French fries on the plate. In this economy, I am concerned about food costs. Is there anything I could do differently?

A:

Yes, most definitely, you need to try a couple of things. During the rush period, take some samples of the amount of fries currently being used. Get a food scale and a sheet of wax paper and transfer the finished order to the scale and actually weigh what you are giving the customer. Your 6-7 ounces may actually be 8-10 ounces if the plates are very large. Your employees will look out for the customer on this one, making sure they are happy. When I was in the pizza business we had portion cups for the proteins, such as the ground sausage. Controlling costs can be done so much easier by helping your staff do a better job.

This might be too big, unless you want to serve a group: