Сократите текст до 6-7 предложений из основной информации menu planning. the menu is a listing of the items the food service establishment has for sale. the menu is an important component of food service operations. without a menu the customers will not know what their choice is for dishes to order. the menu creates an image of the establishment. it should be in harmony with the type of the food service establishment. for example, fast-food or quick-service restaurants offer a limited number of menu items but they sell these items in large quantifies. their customers are served at a sales counter, that is why separate menus are not needed. customers are familiar with the standardized menu and do not need its description. fast-food restaurants simply post names and prices of their products near the sales counters.on the other hand, a big restaurant would have an altogether differ­ent menu. first, the number of menu items would be much greater. the traditional table-service restaurant might have a menu as large as a book with detailed descriptions of its wide range of dishes. to draw attention to daily specials some restaurants find it useful to box these items on the menu or to write them on a chalkboard near the entrance. the menu planning is organized on the basis of the available food products and kitchen staff. the service transfers the menu items from the kitchen staff to the customers. in order to properly serve customers, the servers should be ready to answer their questions. they should know what items are on the menu, the portion sizes offered, how the items are prepared. service should also know the meaning of all terms used on the menu so they can explain them to any customers. the menu is generally designed by the chef (head cook) of the restaurant. the structure of the menu is usually based on following courses: starters, soups, entrees, main courses, desserts. when a chef designs a menu, he (she) usually starts with the main course and then plans the other courses. there are four basic types of menus: 1.    a  la carte menu  allows the customer to choose dishes which are cooked to order and served to the guests.2.    table d'hote menu  offers a limited choice of dishes. the guests have to take the whole meal consisting of three or four dishes and pay a fixed price.3.    carte du jour  means "card of the day" and the dishes of this menu are served on this day only.                4.    cycle menu  is a number of menus, which are repeated in a certain period of time. it is usually used in hospitals, student and school can teens.