Saving money with menu alternatives - camp food service

When it comes to food, keeping everyone at camp happy is a difficult task. To have a meal that has something for everyone, offer menu alternatives and menu additions. By giving people what they want, you can all but eliminate complaints - and realize enormous savings.

Menu Alternatives and Additions

By my definition, a menu alternative is a substitute meal. An example is rice, chili, and vegetable stir-fry for a main meal of flank steak and french fries. Menu alternatives should be vegetarian dishes that are less expensive than the main offering and attractive to 20 to 40 percent of the camp population.

A menu addition is a food dish that compliments the main meal, for example, a potato knish at a traditional barbecue. Menu additions should be vegetarian dishes that are less expensive than the main offering and attractive to everyone.

Easy and inexpensive

People eat menu alternatives and additions because it is a food they want. Individuals who otherwise would have eaten only a salad or side dishes and possibly complained may eat the alternative and be happy. Remember, a person who chooses rice and chili over meat is saving you money. Two hundred people choosing a potato knish instead of another burger and bun are saving you money, too.

Menu alternatives can be as simple as a chafing dish with pasta and sauce. For younger campers, put pasta and sauce in separate dishes and keep in mind that elbow macaroni and shells are much easier for them to eat than spaghetti.

Leftovers are also fine alternatives. Campers always seem to want what is not on today's menu, even if it was on yesterday's. Make certain to re-heat leftovers to 165 degrees F and hold at 140 degrees F. And remember, presentation counts!

The Chow Line

Camps that serve cafeteria style should place alternative food areas well away from the main line. An attractive, alternative food area, perhaps called "The Lighter Side," should make the main line move more quickly, too. To keep the alternative line moving, limit the number of choices.

Make sure that campers and staff know what is available at each service by making menus available before meals or by using menu boards. And don't forget to promote the program to your campers and staff.

Those camps that serve meals family style will need to designate a part of the dining room as the alternative food area. Alternatives may be served from a rolling cart or family style. However, keep in mind that family-style alternatives are limited in variety and less cost-effective.

Appearance Counts

Be creative when displaying your alternative foods. Whether you purchase an expensive food bar or cart, build your own, or simply use three chafing dishes, make sure the foods look appetizing and attractive. Decorations can be simple, such as a table covered with a white sheet and ferns from the woods.

Enhancing Your Food Program

Your goal is to offer campers and staff as many appealing, healthy, and cost-effective foods as possible. Offering appealing alternative foods is a subtle way of changing the eating patterns at camp. To change the eating patterns, you will need to carefully watch and use leftovers from your main menu while adjusting amounts purchased and prepared. If this is your first attempt at offering menu alternatives, start by offering pasta and sauce and then build your menu from there.

Do-It-Yourself Dishes

Many alternatives may be prepared ahead and frozen. And house- or camp-made products are often superior in quality to purchased products and cost a fraction of the price. For example, a camp-made 4-ounce knish costs approximately $0.10, while a similar purchased product costs $0.24.

In the weeks prior to your camp's opening, prepare large amounts of food, for example stir-fry dishes, and freeze them in meal-sized portions. Make sure you have in place a good inventory control system with proper dating procedures to make sure food is fresh and properly stored. Then when you need a menu alternative, you just have to look to your freezer for a quick meal.

Adding menu alternatives and additions to your food program is a plus for campers, staff, directors, and owners. With a little work and creativity, you can save money, reduce complaints, and help make the season run smoothly.

Alternative Menu Suggestions

Following are examples of menu alternatives and additions and their approximate costs per serving. Each menu represents three full chafing dishes, except in a few menus where half pans are used.

Alternative Menu

Elbow macaroni - 8 oz. = $0.12 Spaghetti (half pan) - 8 oz. = $0.12 Sauteed vegetables (half pan) - 2 oz. = $0.12 Marinara sauce (half pan) - 4 oz. = $0.14 Cheese sauce (half pan) - 4 oz. = $0.24

Alternative Menu

Rice - 8 oz. = $0.12 Vegetable stir-fry - 6 oz. = $0.30 Vegetarian chili - 8 oz. = $0.20

Alternative Menu

Baked potato - 1 8 oz. = $0.13 Broccoli and cauliflower florets (half pan) - 3 oz. = $0.15 Chili (half pan) - 4 oz. = $0.10 Cheese sauce - 3 oz. = $0.18 Condiments: Bacon bits and sour cream

Alternative Menu

Pitas - one half = $0.05 Tortillas - one = $0.06 Tuna salad - 5 oz. = $0.35 Egg salad - 5 oz. = $0.26 Chicken salad - 5 oz. = $0.35 Chicken Caesar salad - 5 oz. = $0.30

Alternative Menu

Fancy tortilla chips - 2 oz. = $0.20 Chili (half pan) - 4 oz. = $0.10 Seasoned beef(*) (half pan) 4 oz. = $0.24

* grind leftover hamburger, roast beef, etc.

Cheese sauce - 3 oz. = $0.18 Condiments: sour cream, sliced jalapenos, lettuce, or olives

Alternative Menu

Pitas - one half = $0.05 Tortillas - one = $0.06 Beef burrito filling - 6 oz. = $0. 30 Chicken fajita filling - 6 oz. = $0.42 Rice and beans - 6 oz. = $0. 16 Rice and stir-fry mix - 6 oz. = $0.20

Menu Additions

Potato knish (camp made) - add to cold cuts sandwiches, hamburgers, or hot dogs

Potato skins (use skins of potatoes used to make knishes) - add to grilled cheese sandwiches

Bagel chips - make from leftover bagels

Soups - make from water, vegetable trimmings, and other low-cost ingredients

David Rubin is the founder and president of Camp Cuisine, a food service consulting and management firm for camps.

COPYRIGHT 1998 American Camping Association
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