Menu Planning & Costing Exam Practice

Try three original, scenario-based practice questions for Menu Planning & Costing. Draft your answers, reveal the example points, then choose a self-mark for each question.

Practice resource: These are original questions written for revision, not WJEC questions or an official mark scheme. Your answers and self-mark are not submitted or saved by this page.

Question 1 · 4 marks · Customer needs

Scenario: A community café is planning a lunch menu for families visiting at the weekend.

Explain two factors the café should consider when planning suitable dishes. [4 marks]

Reveal example points to compare your answer
  • Consider the customer group’s preferences, ages and likely budget.
  • Offer variety in ingredients, colours, textures and cooking methods.
  • Include clear information and suitable choices for dietary requirements.

Explain why each factor matters to this customer group. These are example points, not a fixed mark scheme.

Question 2 · 4 marks · Recipe costing

Scenario: A café sells a dish for £8.50. The ingredient cost for one portion is £3.20. Ignore other costs for this question.

Calculate the gross profit per portion and explain what the figure represents. [4 marks]

Reveal example points to compare your answer
  • Gross profit per portion is £8.50 minus £3.20.
  • The result is £5.30.
  • This is the difference between the selling price and the food cost for that portion; it is not the same as net profit because other costs still need to be paid.

Show the subtraction, give the correct money value and explain what is excluded. These are example points, not a fixed mark scheme.

Question 3 · 6 marks · Menu improvement

Scenario: A small restaurant has a menu with several fried dishes, high ingredient waste and few choices for customers who do not eat meat.

Evaluate changes that could improve the menu for customers and the business. [6 marks]

Reveal example points to compare your answer
  • Add a well-planned vegetarian option that meets customer needs.
  • Use a wider range of cooking methods and ingredients to improve variety.
  • Plan quantities and use overlapping ingredients carefully to reduce waste.
  • Review ingredient costs and portion sizes so dishes remain good value and contribute to profit.

Balance customer appeal, menu variety and cost, then recommend the strongest change. These are example points, not a fixed mark scheme.

← Back to all exam practice topics

Keep revising this topic