Menu Planner - Job Description

Salvation Army Denver - Emergency Disaster Services


The menu planner reports to the Logistics chief and works with the cook, Food Unit Leader, and warehouseman.  The menu planner may also work with the Planning person, especially with respect to future meal counts.  A projected meal count is the basis for all planning, so it is important to have the recent meal counts.
 
The primary function of the menu planner is to plan the menu. The menu planner starts with the inventory provided by the warehouseman.  If practical, he or she will plan a menu to use the available food.   Once the menu planner develops a menu, he or she determines what needs to be ordered to support the menu.  The menu planner should include needed supplies along with the food order.  Depending on the situation, the menu planner may order food themselves or provide a list to someone else to order the food.

The menu planning function works best if the menu planner and the warehouseman are sitting side by side, looking over the inventory; two heads are better than one.  In some cases the warehouseman may go check the details associated with some items which are part of the meal plan.

The menu planner may start by planning meals for the following day, or even for the same day, but the goal should be to plan at least two days ahead.  The menu planner should review the upcoming meals and the inventory to support them, in addition to planning new meals out into the future.

A rule of thumb is 4 ounces per person for side dishes, while the portion size for a main dish for dinner is likely to be 8 ounces.  Firefighters or others performing hard physical labor will eat more than those with a sedentary occupation.

Note that the menu planner job in an emergency is highly dynamic.  Restaurant meals are frequently donated with little notice, disrupting the plan.  The number of people eating is unpredictable, changing from meal to meal and day to day.  Having a back up plan in case of a larger than expected meal count is always a good idea;  this might be cold cuts or hamburgers, anything which can be prepared quickly.  The meal plan needs to be adjusted frequently, probably once a day.
 
Communications:  The menu planner communicates the menu and the food order as widely as possible.  This includes posting the menu and food order prominently, both inside and outside the truck, writing the menu in the duty log, writing the food order in the supplies log, and emailing the menu and food order to the EDS leadership, especially to those who will be in charge that day.

RAF  6/17/08