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Capstone Meal Project: A Patio Barbecue

Alyssa Collins

University of Southern Mississippi

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Table of Contents

Page Number

Meal Description 3

Part One: The Plan

Marketing Plan 5

Promotional Material 9

The Menu 10

Standardized Recipes 11

Recipe and Menu Pricing 16

Nutrient Profile 18

Diagram of Serving Line 19

Evaluation Form 20

Part Two: The Results

Meal Quantities: Produced and Left Over 22

Financial Analysis 23

Evaluation Results 24

Recommendations and Conclusion 29

References 31
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Meal Description

Spring has sprung, temperatures are rising, and the associates of the Food and Nutrition Services

Department of St. Marys Hospital in Grand Junction, Colorado need a way to celebrate the end of

winter. Therefore, the patio barbecue was arranged to provide a delicious meal in a positive outdoor

environment to brighten each hospital staff members and visitors day.

This event took place from 11:00am to 2:00 pm on April 5, 2017 on the Columbine Caf patio at

St. Marys. Hospital staff, volunteers, patients and visitors were encouraged to attend. They were

informed of the event via email and through flyers posted around the hospital.

The patio barbecue meal consisted of a barbecue brisket, green beans, macaroni salad, baked

beans, potato chips and angel food cake with berries and whipped cream for dessert. Attendees were

able to purchase soda or water with the meal. The barbecue meal was served for the low price of $6.99.

No associate discount was available, as the meal offered multiple sides and dessert.

After eating the barbecue, attendees were asked to fill out a brief survey on the appearance,

aroma, texture, flavor and overall taste of the menu items as well as the effectiveness of the advertising

for the meal. The survey results were then analyzed to determine how well-liked the meal was.

The event was meant to be a fun way to spend lunch and offer a different dining experience for

the customers. Overall, this was accomplished. The patio barbecue was a success, as displayed in the

evaluation results. Most of the customers expressed gratitude for the meal and a desire for more outdoor

barbecues.
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Part One: The Plan

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Marketing Plan for Patio BBQ

Date ____04/05/17______________________

1. What is your marketing goal?

The goal of the marketing plan is to inform associates and hospital visitors of the patio barbecue

occurring on April 5th in order to sell as many of these meals as possible to make a profit.

2. a. Identify all of your target audiences.

The three audiences for the patio barbecue are the hospital employees, the hospital visitors and

hospital patients that buy lunch in the hospital caf. St. Marys is the largest hospital in between Salt

Lake City, Utah and Denver, Colorado. Therefore, most patients are from Grand Junction and the

surrounding area. The population of Grand Junction is 79.6 percent Caucasian, 15.3 percent Hispanic

and 2.6 percent mixed race. 51.8 percent of the Grand Junction population is female with a median age

of 34.2 years. The estimated median household income is around $47,329.00 (Grand Junction,

Colorado, 2015). Grand Junction is located in Mesa County, where 15.6 percent of residents live in

poverty. Majority of the population has only received a high school degree and 26.3 percent of the

population has a Bachelors degree or higher. Unfortunately 13 percent of the population does not have

health insurance (Quick Facts: Mesa County, Colorado, 2016). As these characteristics are the majority

of Mesa County and Grand Junction, these are the most likely the employees and visitors of St. Marys,

as well as the potential customers.

b. Prioritize your target audiences. Who are the two most important ones?

As most patients are not permitted to eat in the caf, the two most important target audiences are

the hospital employees and visitors. Therefore, most marketing efforts will be geared towards these

individuals.

c. How will you assess the opinions of your primary target audience(s)?
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The opinions of the primary target audiences will be assessed using a short survey. The survey

will be distributed to each person purchasing a meal as they make their way through the buffet line. The

surveys will be returned by each individual after completing their meal.

3. What are your programs strengths & weaknesses?

STRENGTHS
A direct email will be sent to each hospital
employee. The email will include all
information regarding the meal (price,
location, menu, etc.).
WEAKNESSES
The meal will be offered outdoors, which
may be inhibited if the weather is bad.

There will be signs throughout the hospital
that will be visible to both employees and
visitors. The sign will include all information
regarding the meal (price, location, menu,
etc.).
The only form of marketing will be the
posting of flyers and the email, which may
not reach as many people until the day of.

The patio BBQ meal offers more selection for The main entre is not vegetarian and this
the same price as the usual caf menu may limit the amount of patrons.
options.

The meal will be set up as a buffet, which The meal includes many heavy sides and only
will allow for quicker service than if each one vegetable option, which may alter sales if
item were to be served. more people are trying to eat healthy during
their lunch.
The meal will include a dessert, which is
normally not included in the caf meal
selections at the home station.

The meal will be outside, which will promote

a positive environment and will allow the
visitors and employees to see some sunshine.

4. What one central message would you like to send to your target audience(s)?

The central message that will be sent to the target audience is to purchase and enjoy a delicious

barbecue meal on the caf patio at a reasonable price.

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5. What are your refined goal & specific objectives?

GOAL: Customers who purchase the barbecue meal will have both a delicious meal and a pleasant
experience on the outdoor patio.

OBJECTIVES:

At least 175 people will purchase the barbecue meal.

At least 50 people who purchased the meal will fill out and return the survey.

Of the 50 people who return the survey at least 50% will say the taste of the food was excellent.

6. What tactics will you use? Identify specific tasks that are a part of the tactic. Who will be
responsible for each task? What is the estimated cost of each task & of the tactic?

TACTIC: Advertise the meal to the hospital visitors and employees.

TASKS RESPONSIBLE PERSON(S) Est. Cost

Email the meal specifics to the St. Marys Retail manager $0.00
employees

Print flyers Dietetic Intern $5.00

(paper and
ink)
Hang up flyers outside of the visitor and Dietetic Intern $0.00
employee elevators on each floor of St.
Marys

Advertise theme meal throughout the Executive chef, retail manager, dietetic $0.00
week by word of mouth intern, nutrition services employees

TOTAL:
$5.00
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7. How will you evaluate your marketing efforts?

The marketing efforts will be evaluated on the survey. The questions will be:

A. Was the advertising for this event effective?

a. Yes
b. No

If no, please explain why:

___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________

B. How did you hear about this event?

a. Email
b. Flyers in the hospital
c. Other:__________________________________________________________________

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Promotional Material
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The Menu

This is the usual weekly menu that will be displayed in front of the caf. This includes the

other items for purchase at different stations for each day of the week.
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Standardized Recipes

The recipes included are from Sodexo. The anticipated sales for the event is 225 patrons,

therefore the recipes reflect this number. The potato chips, whipped cream and berries are not

included, as they are AP items.

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Recipe and Menu Pricing

BBQ Brisket

Ingredients Price Per One Amount Needed Total Price Per 225
serving Servings
Beef Brisket $1.71 per 5-5/8 oz 78-1/4 lb $385.22
Salt 2-1/4 oz $0.11
Pepper 2-1/4 oz $0.84
Onions- Yellow, Fresh 13-1/4 oz $0.24
Celery- Fresh 13-1/4 oz $0.43
Water 1-1/8 gallon $0.00
BBQ sauce $0.22 per 2-7/8 oz 5 gallon $50.09
Total Recipe Price: $436.93 Price Per Serving: $1.94

French Cut Green Beans

Ingredients Price Per One Amount Needed Total Price Per 225
serving Servings
Green beans- French, frozen $0.18 per 3-1/4 oz 45 lb $39.94
Margarine, Whipped 13 oz $0.84
Salt 2-1/4 oz $0.11
Pepper, white, ground 2-1/4 oz $0.84
Total Recipe Price: $41.73 Price Per Serving: $0.19

Vegetarian Baked Beans

Ingredients Price Per One Amount Needed Total Price Per 225
serving Servings
Onions- Yellow, Fresh $0.01 per 2/3 oz 9-3/4 lb $2.84
Baked Beans, Canned $0.18 per 3-3/8 oz 47-1/4 lb $41.11
Ketchup 1-7/8 lb $1.03
Apple Cider Vinegar 1-7/8 cup $0.71
Brown Sugar- Light $0.01 per oz 4 lb $2.42
Mustard- Ground, Dry 2-1/2 oz $0.54
Molasses 1-1/4 oz $0.13
Total Recipe Price: $48.78 Price Per Serving: $0.22
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Classic Macaroni Salad

Ingredients Price Per One Amount Needed Total Price Per 225
serving Servings
Elbow Macaroni- Dry $0.08 per 1 oz 14-7/8 lb $17.44
Water 11-1/8 gallon $0.00
Carrots-Fresh $0.01 per 1/8 oz 1-7/8 lb $1.20
Mayonnaise $0.03 per oz 7-3/8 lb $7.45
Mustard- Yellow 7-3/8 oz $0.23
Onions- Fresh, Yellow 1-3/8 lb $0.41
Peppers- Red, Fresh $0.02 per 1/8 oz 1-3/8 lb $3.86
Granulated Sugar 7-3/8 oz $0.19
Salt 1-1/4 oz $0.03
Pepper 1-1/4 tablespoon $0.24
Total Recipe Price: $31.05 Price Per Serving: $0.14

Angel Food Cake

Ingredients Price Per One serving Amount Needed Total Price Per 225
Servings
Cake Mix- Angel Food $0.52 per 1/3 oz 18-3/4 lb $118.02
Strawberries $23.04 per 8 lb (1 case) 24 lb $69.12
Whipped Cream $40.43 per 12, 16 oz 1 case $40.43
bags (1 case)
Water 1-1/2 gallon $0.00
Total Recipe Price: $227.57 Price Per Serving: $1.01

The price for one case of hamburger buns, which includes 72 buns, is $16.62. For the

four cases needed, this will cost $66.48. The price for one case of the individual bags of Lays

potato chips, which includes 64 bags, is $28.83. For the 4 cases needed, this will cost $115.32.

The entire meal will cost approximately $967.86, which is roughly $4.30 per person. The entire

meal will be sold for $6.99 with no associate discount available. Meaning, if 225 people

purchase the meal, there will be a profit of $605.00. This price does not include beverages;

beverages will be sold at their original price.

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Nutrient Profile

The nutrient information displayed below is calculated using the CBORD database for

Sodexo recipes. The nutrient information for AP items was calculated using MyPlate

SuperTracker.

Menu Item Serving Calories Carbohydrates Protein Total Fat Sodium

Size
Homestyle 3 oz 260 kcal 9g 15g 18g 510mg
BBQ Beef
Brisket
100% 1 bun 220 kcal 37g 9g 4g 280mg
Whole
Wheat Bun
French Cut 3 oz 35 kcal 5g 1g 1g 75mg
Green
Beans
Vegetarian 4 oz 130 kcal 29g 5g 0g 350mg
Baked
Beans
Classic 3 oz 230 kcal 25g 4g 13g 140mg
Macaroni
Salad
Lays 1 oz 160 kcal 15g 2g 10g 170mg
Potato
Chips
Angel Food 1 slice 140 kcal 32g 3g 0g 320mg
Cake (50g)
Strawberries 2 oz 11 kcal 2g 0g 0g 0mg
Whipped 2 oz 50 kcal 4g 0g 3g 0mg
Cream
Totals: 1,236 kcal 158g 39g 49g 1,845mg
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Diagram of Serving Line

1 2 3 4 5 6

1. BBQ Brisket
a. Utensil needed: 3 oz spoodle
2. French Cut Green Beans
a. Utensil needed: 3 oz spoodle
3. Vegetarian Baked Beans
a. Utensil needed: #8 scoop
4. Classic Macaroni Salad
a. Utensil needed: 3 oz spoodle
5. Angel Food Cake with Berries and Whipped Cream
a. Utensil needed: Spatula
6. Separate table holding: buns, condiments, and individual bags of potato chips
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Evaluation Form

Please rate the meal:

Appearance Excellent Good Fair Poor

Aroma Excellent Good Fair Poor

Texture Excellent Good Fair Poor

Flavor Excellent Good Fair Poor

Overall Excellent Good Fair Poor

Was the advertising for this event effective? Circle: YES NO

If no, please explain why:
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________

How did you hear about this event? Circle: EMAIL FLYERS
Other: ________________________________________________________________________

What suggestions do you have for improving this meal?

______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________

Thank you!
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Part Two: The Results

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Meal Quantities: Produced and Left Over

A total of 225 servings for each menu item were prepared the day before the event. This

number was forecasted from a patio barbecue that the hospital had a few years prior. However,

the chef did prepare enough brisket for 300, as he decided he would use the leftovers either for

dinner or for a later date. There were a total of 212 customers who purchased the barbecue meal

for lunch that day.

When the meal was finished at 2:00pm, there were some items remaining. There were

five total briskets (around 23 pounds), 40 servings of baked beans, and 60 servings of macaroni

salad. There was no remaining angel food cake or green beans. The number of remaining potato

chips was not counted, as they were added to dry storage before the intern was able to assess the

amount left over. The remaining potato chips were recycled for the retail caf, so they were not

wasted. The baked beans and macaroni salad were used for dinner or were frozen and saved for a

later date.

The menu items that remained after the meal were likely due to the buffet style of

service. If customers did not want certain items they did not have to include the items on their

plates. For the popular items, like the green beans and angel food cake, these were likely all

eaten because customers wanted them and potentially served themselves more than one portion

size.
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Financial Analysis

St. Marys Food and Nutrition Services Department has a monthly budget of $35,000.00.

The barbecue will be included in the budget for April. The executive chef is in charge of

ensuring that food costs do not exceed this amount. Since the buffet was early in the month, he is

able to adapt the rest of the month to make sure the expenses remain under budget.

The style of service for the barbecue meal was buffet, so the price for the barbecue meal

was $6.99 regardless of which sides were chosen by each customer. Using the recipe and menu

pricing established above, the price per serving was $1.94 for the brisket, $0.19 for the green

beans, $0.22 for the baked beans, $0.14 for the macaroni salad, $1.01 for the angel food cake

with berries and whipped cream, $0.23 for the buns, and $0.45 for the potato chips. All of these

totaled makes the food cost of the meal around $4.18.

Since 212 people purchased the meal for $6.99, the total sales from the lunch came to

$1,481.88. The total food cost with the additional brisket came to approximately $1,047.92.

When food costs are subtracted from sales, the profit from the meal comes to approximately

$433.96.

This profit does not include labor costs. The meal required preparation work the day

before from two associates that make minimum wage, or $9.30 an hour. The preparation took

around five hours, which would make the labor costs approximately $93.00. Additionally, two

associates ensured that the buffet line remained stocked with food throughout the meal period,

which is an additional labor cost of $55.80, making the total labor costs approximately $148.80.

After including labor costs, the profit comes to $285.16.

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Evaluation Results

As each barbecue attendee sat down to eat their meal, evaluations were distributed. As

there are multiple exits from the caf, customers were instructed to leave the completed surveys

on the table to be picked up rather than being dropped off in a box.

At 2:00 when the event was over, a total of 83 evaluations had been completed out of the

212 barbecue customers, meaning 39% of customers completed a survey.

Once the surveys had all been collected, the results of the surveys were compiled in

Tables 1, 2, 3, and 4.

Table 1. Evaluation Results

Excellent Good Fair Poor

Appearance 53 28 2 -

Aroma 51 28 4 -

Texture 48 33 2 -

Flavor 53 26 4 -

Overall 52 28 3 -

Table 2. Advertising Effectiveness

Yes No No Answer
Was the advertising 62 9 12
effective?

Table 3. Forms of Advertising

Email Flyers Other No Answer

How did you hear 40 16 18 9
about the event?
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Table 4. Suggestions for Meal Improvement

Suggestions Number of Responses

The meat needs more flavor 3

There should be bigger plates 7

Desserts should be at the end of the line 2

There should be trays outside 4

Needs more vegetables and vegetarian options 5

Have the BBQ more often 6

The data displayed in Table 1 was then used to calculate percentages of each component

that was surveyed. This information is displayed in Graphs 1-5.

Graph 1. Appearance Results

Appearance
Excellent Good Fair Poor

2%
0%

34%

64%
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Graph 2. Aroma Results

Aroma
Excellent Good Fair Poor

0%

5%

34%

61%

Graph 3. Texture Results

Texture
Excellent Good Fair Poor

0%
2%

40%

58%
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Graph 4. Flavor Results

Flavor
Excellent Good Fair Poor

0%

5%

31%

64%

Graph 5. Overall Results

Overall
Excellent Good Fair Poor

0%
3%

34%

63%

From the data collected, the barbecue appears to be an overall success. From the results,

there were zero customers who rated any quality of the meal as poor. There were occasional
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ratings of fair, with the most being for flavor and aroma. However, the percentages remained at

5% or less for the fair ratings, which is minimal. The component with the most scores of

excellent was the flavor; 65% of customers rated the flavor of the meal as excellent. The texture

of the meal received the lowest scores of excellent, with only 58% of customers rating it

excellent. For the components being scored, all received greater than 50% as excellent, which

met the desired goal of the meal.

When examining the results of the effectiveness of the meal, it appears that 75% of the

customers believed the meal to be advertised effectively. 48% of customers heard about the meal

through email, 19% of the customers heard of the event through the flyers posted, and 22% heard

about the meal through other sources, which was generally through co-workers. This section of

the survey did remain un-completed on multiple surveys; either because it was unseen or because

it required some writing. 14% of customers did not answer the question on the effectiveness of

the advertising and 11% of customers did not answer how they heard about the meal. Therefore,

it can be concluded that email is the most effective form of reaching the most customers.

The last question on the survey asked for suggestions for improving the meal. The

common answers were compiled in Table 4. The suggestion with the most responses was that

there should be bigger plates, followed by having the barbecue more often and then needing

more vegetables and vegetarian options.

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Recommendations and Conclusion

The patio barbecue was a fun and successful experience for the 212 hospital associates,

visitors and patients who participated in the event. The quantities produced were almost exact to

the amount purchased, the food was prepared correctly, the temperatures were held properly

throughout service, and the overall taste of the food was good. However, there were some slight

changes to the meal that could have made the experience even better.

Unfortunately, a global email was not sent out to the hospital associates until the day of

the event. Usually these emails are sent out a few days prior, but the retail manager forgot to do

so. Although most survey participants responded that they heard of the event through email,

many comments about the effectiveness of the advertising regarded wishing they had heard

about the event earlier in the week. Prior notice should be given if the event were to take place

again.

The weather on the day of the event was colder than anticipated, which may have

impacted the amount of customers. However, most customers purchased the meal, went through

the buffet, and then sat inside. On a warmer day, potentially more customers would have been

fine with eating outside and encouraged more of their friends or co-workers to also partake in the

meal. Although this did not appear to impact the sales too greatly, sales would likely increase on

a warmer day.

Offering a vegetarian entre would have attracted more customers and subsequently

increased the overall meal profit. Suggestions for improvement provided on the customer

surveys included increasing the amount of vegetables and vegetarian options, and including a

vegetarian entre option would have addressed this. However, this would also increase the food
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costs and labor costs, as creating another entre would take time and effort. In order to

implement the vegetarian entre, the budget would need to be addressed.

In terms of the flow of food, there were some issues. The angel food cake was placed on

a separate plate at the beginning of the line instead of the end. Additionally, no trays were

provided outside. This caused customers to carry two plates at once, which made the buffet line

more difficult to navigate. If this event were to take place again, trays should be placed outside at

the beginning of the line to avoid this.

Although there are alterations that could be made to improve upon the experience, overall

the taste and quality of the menu items was good; as confirmed by the survey results. Moreover,

positive feedback was heard by most customers when collecting the surveys. If the event were to

take place again with the proposed changes, it would most likely be more successful.
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References

"Grand Junction, Colorado." Grand Junction, Colorado (CO) profile: population, maps, real

estate, averages, homes, statistics, relocation, travel, jobs, hospitals, schools, crime,

moving, houses, news, sex offenders. (2015). Retrieved from http://www.city-

data.com/city/Grand-Junction-Colorado.html

SuperTracker (n.d.). ChooseMyPlate.gov. Retrieved from

http:www.choosemyplate.gov/supertracker-tools/supertracker.html

Quick Facts: Mesa County, Colorado. (2016). Retrieved from

http://www.census.gov/quickfacts/table/BZA115214/08077