The Culinary Institute of America's Department of Menu Research and Development

Our online courses prepare you for the new foodservice frontier: Menu R&D.

Menu R&D is a collaborative discipline where culinary arts, marketing, food science and technology, and operations management converge to help you develop profitable food service strategies and meet consumer wants and needs.

Create your own opportunities in this growing field by:

• Choosing a career in R&D
• Enhancing your current R&D skills as your job grows more complex
• Leading your company through the CIA's "process collaboration" philosophy

With so much at stake, today's menus and restaurant operations must be engineered through a formal, ongoing process that includes all stakeholders. Working with foodservice segment leaders, the CIA has developed the first and only industry standard for Menu Research and Development. Our faculty teach the strategy and tactics of "process collaboration" among the many professionals who plan, market, buy, sell, create, execute, engineer, source, package, and deliver a foodservice brand.

Browse all four of our 5–6 week courses

Marketing and Consumer Behavior in Menu Research and Development. Classes begin on January 18 and March 22, 2009

• Taught by Lisa Klein-Pearo, Ph.D.
• This course is designed to introduce basic marketing concepts, theories, and best practices as they apply to Menu Research & Development. No prior courses or professional experience in marketing are needed to succeed. The course is structured on the Menu Research & Development process, and examines the role of marketing and the specific marketing activities that occur at each stage.
• Tuition: $895
• Click to apply for scholarship
• Register now!

Food Science and Technology Applications to Menu Research and Development. Class begins on January 25, 2009

• Taught by Chris Loss, Ph.D. (CIA, '93)
• This course is designed to introduce class members to basic food science principles and best practices as they apply to Menu Research & Development. While no prior experience or coursework is required, it is expected that students will have a basic understanding of scientific principles. The course is structured on the Menu Research & Development process, and examines the role of food science professionals at each stage in the development process.
• Tuition: $895
• Click to apply for scholarship
• Register now!

The Culinary Art of Menu Research and Development. Class begins January 12, 2009

• Taught by Chef Mark Thomas (CIA, '72)
• This course is designed to provide foodservice professionals involved in the menu new-product development process a better understanding of their role and the culinary skills required to be more successful. Class members will see how their efforts are part of a multidisciplinary team approach, and how they can better integrate their skills with others to be more effective. The course will provide practical applications of the process theory so class members can improve their current new-product development effort.
• Tuition: $795
• Click to apply for scholarship
• Register now!

Operational Strategies for Menu Research and Development. Class begins March 16, 2009

• Taught by Chef Mark Thomas (CIA, '72)
• This course is designed to introduce class members to details of front-line operations and the factors that need to be considered as they apply to Menu Research & Development. Basic understanding of foodservice operations is needed. The course is structured on the Menu Research & Development process, and examines the role of operational logistics and food delivery systems and the specific operations activities that occur at each stage in the R&D process.
• Tuition: $795
• Click to apply for scholarship
• Register now!