Promote new menu items

​This standard is about promoting menu items that have been recently introduced, and/or are being sold as part of a promotion. This includes using promotional materials such as tent cards and posters to display around the service area. This standard also reflects the competencies required to highlight new dishes that may appeal to the customer.This standard focuses on the technical knowledge and skills required to promote new menu items; however it should be assessed in the wider context of safe and hygienic working practices. It is recommended that the following NOS, selected as appropriate to the job role and organisation, are referenced in conjunction with the technical skills and knowledge for the standard:

• Maintain basic food safety in catering
• Maintain food safety in a hospitality environment
• Provide basic advice on allergens to customers
• Minimise the risk of allergens to customers

When you have completed this standard you will be able to demonstrate your understanding of and ability to:

• Promote new menu items

1. ​Liaise with colleagues and senior staff to identify what menu items are to be promoted
2. Obtain relevant promotional material
3. Assemble and display promotional material in a manner that makes it clear and attractive to the customer
4. Make sure that service areas are clean and set up correctly
5. Inform customers of new menu items in a manner which is helpful and clear
6. Answer questions regarding the flavour, ingredients and nature of the menu item clearly and in a manner that is helpful to the customer
7. Refer to promotional material and displays to highlight the features of the menu items
8. Provide feedback to the appropriate people regarding the impact of the promotion

1. Why organisations use promotional activities
2. The types of promotional material that can be used and their relative advantages and disadvantages
3. Where promotional material can be obtained from and the organisational requirements for using it
4. When promotions might commonly be used, including around public holidays and sporting/cultural events
5. How menu items can be promoted by staff when communicating with customers
6. The key features that can be highlighted when describing new/promoted menu items to customers
7. Why it is important to know the ingredients contained within new/promoted menu items
8. The customer groups that might not be attracted to the new/promoted menu items and why