The Limitations of Standardized Formulas

Standardized formulas have the same problems as all recipes—the problems we discussed earlier regarding variations in ingredients, equipment, and vagueness of instructions. These problems can be reduced by writing the recipe carefully, but they cannot be eliminated. Even if an operation uses good standardized recipes, a new employee making a dish for the first time usually requires some supervision to make sure he or she interprets the instructions the same way as the rest of the staff. These limitations don’t invalidate standardized recipes. If anything, they make exact directions even more important. But they do mean that experience and knowledge are still very important.