The Importance of Counting Costs
Yield is the serving portion served or sold to diners. The terms that affect yield are AP, EP and RTS, as discussed in Topic 2. Managing these factors will help you maximise yield percentage, thus lessening costs and increasing profits.
Yield is:
- What remains after the entire cooking process
- What is served to guests
- What is sold in the dining room that generates income
- What brings about profits
Yield Management
Under yield management are three topics. Mastering these will help you manage yield effectively:
- Factors Affecting Yield Percentage
- Yield Test
- Cooking Loss Test
Calculating Yield Percentage
Yield percentage is also known as YP%. It’s the amount of usable food left divided by the original weight of the food when purchased. To find the YP%, it’s important to know which form or cooking method will give you a higher yield.
Yield Percentage Formula 1
Yield Percentage = EP/AP
AP - Original weight of food As Purchased
EP - Weight of food after removing waste, trimmings and bones
Example:
A 500g whole fish (AP) was trimmed. Trim and waste was a total of 100g. You have 400g of fish fillet left for serving as an Edible Portion (EP). This means that 80% of the original weight can be served to diners. A higher YP% is better because less food is wasted.
Yield Percentage: 400g (EP) / 500g (AP) = 80% (YP%)
Yield Percentage Formula 2
Yield Percentage = EP/AP
AP - Original weight of food As Purchased
EP - Weight of food after removing waste, trimmings and bones
Example:
400g fish fillet was steamed using two methods:
- Method A yielded 300g of cooked fish
- Method A Yield: 300g (RTS)/ 500g (AP) = 60% (YP%)
- Method B yielded 325g of cooked fish
- Method B Yield: 325g (RTS)/500g(AP) = 65% (YP%)
Method B has a higher yield percentage with lesser wastage making it a better cooking method.
Factors Affecting Yield Percentage
Yield Percentage (YP%) is the percentage of sellable or servable food after waste, trimmings and cooking reactions are considered. YP% is affected by:
- The food itself
- The size of the ingredient
- The original form and end form of the ingredient
Maximising Efficiency: Human Resource
Maximising efficiency in human resources is not just about hiring the right number of staff. It’s about hiring the right people, training them and retaining staff.
Recruiting
- While personality is important, quantifiable skills and experiences are also vital to know if the person can lead and transfer skills.
- Check references to know more about the person you’re hiring.
- Understand what the market rate for salaries for different job roles is before you make a job offer.
