CEC Kitchen Management & Operations 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A kitchen records $12,000 in food cost against $40,000 in food sales for the month. What is the food cost percentage?
- 40%
- 30% (Correct answer)
- 25%
- 33%
Correct answer: 30%
Food cost percentage equals food cost divided by food sales ($12,000 / $40,000 = 0.30), or 30%.
Question 2: Beef tenderloin costs $10.00 per pound as purchased and has an 80% yield after trimming. What is the edible portion cost per pound?
- $10.80
- $12.50 (Correct answer)
- $18.00
- $8.00
Correct answer: $12.50
EP cost equals AP price divided by yield percentage ($10.00 / 0.80 = $12.50).
Question 3: What is the main purpose of using the FIFO method in storerooms and walk-ins?
- To use older stock before newer stock, reducing spoilage (Correct answer)
- To reduce the number of suppliers
- To speed up receiving by stacking new deliveries in front
- To keep the highest-cost items in front
Correct answer: To use older stock before newer stock, reducing spoilage
First In, First Out rotates stock so older product is used first, which cuts waste and spoilage.
Question 4: A par level is best defined as:
- The maximum shelf life of a product
- The average daily sales of a menu item
- The minimum price a vendor may charge
- The amount of an item that must be on hand to cover usage between deliveries (Correct answer)
Correct answer: The amount of an item that must be on hand to cover usage between deliveries
Par is the standard quantity needed on hand to get from one delivery to the next, plus a safety margin.
Question 5: Cost of goods sold for the month is $36,000 and average inventory is $9,000. What is the inventory turnover rate?
- 4 times (Correct answer)
- 0.25 times
- 2 times
- 6 times
Correct answer: 4 times
Inventory turnover equals COGS divided by average inventory ($36,000 / $9,000 = 4).
Question 6: During receiving, a case of raw chicken registers 48°F. Under the FDA Food Code, what should the receiver do?
- Reject it, since cold TCS food should generally be received at 41°F or below (Correct answer)
- Accept it but write a note on the invoice
- Accept it and refrigerate it immediately
- Accept it if it is used the same day
Correct answer: Reject it, since cold TCS food should generally be received at 41°F or below
Cold TCS foods must generally arrive at 41°F or lower, so the shipment should be rejected.
Question 7: Which is the most important management benefit of standardized recipes?
- They give consistent quality, portion size, and predictable cost (Correct answer)
- They cut the number of menu items
- They let cooks change ingredients freely
- They remove the need for staff training
Correct answer: They give consistent quality, portion size, and predictable cost
Standardized recipes produce the same yield, quality, and cost every time, which makes accurate costing possible.
