LESSONS LEARNED REPORT EXAMPLE

PROJECT TITLE	DATE OF REPORT
NEW MENU DESIGN – SPRING	00/00/0000
TEAM MEMBERS	PROJECT MANAGER
Greg, Michelle	Shaun

GOALS

What were our goals in this project?	Were those goals achieved? ( Y / N )
Create a new menu for spring that highlights local, in-season produce within our food cost margins.	Yes

What new goals were added and achieved by the project’s end?
We wanted to include squash blossoms on the menu and sourced a vendor that could provide them for an appropriate cost.

LESSONS LEARNED

What went well on this project?	How would you improve these processes for next time, if applicable?	Assigned To
We were able to use an existing recipe for salad dressing on the new salad.	No improvements needed here; this salad will go on the event menu as well!	N/A
We made connections with a new cheese rep and lowered our food cost on the cheese plate.	We will continue to use this vendor and take advantage of bulk wholesale pricing.	N/A
The vendor we found for squash blossoms also has other local produce items that compete in price with larger food distributors.	We will have more access to local, seasonal produce for use in future menus by networking with our new contact.	Shaun

What did not go well on this project?	How would you improve these processes for next time, if applicable?	Assigned To
The prices of some of the local produce we wanted were prohibitively high once you factor in food waste, and we didn't realize that fact until we had already stocked the restaurant.	Next time, we will vet ingredients for shelf life before we put them on the menu.	Michelle
We had to buy new plates for one of the salads, but realized after purchasing that they are much more fragile in the dishwasher than the previous plates.	These new plates are now hand wash only, and we have another shipment of plates en route from the previous vendor.	Greg
Many of our seasonal dishes are more expensive because of limited availability, and we were faced with having to educate customers on food cost and seasonality.	We will hold a meeting with front-of-house staff to educate them on the language to use with customers regarding price and seasonal availability of ingredients.	Shaun

Further Comments	This menu rollout went great! The squash blossoms and new salad went over very well! A guest even asked if we could serve the salad on site at her upcoming wedding. By supporting this new small-farm produce vendor, we are allowing it to broaden its selection for future seasons. We look forward to working with this supplier on summer and fall menus!

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