FOOD & BEVERAGE SERVICE BASICS

Food and Beverage Service Basics

1. FOOD & BEVERAGE SERVICE

2. What Is Food & Beverage Service? The  food and beverage service is a process of  preparing, presenting, and serving food and beverages to customers . Food can include a wide range of styles and cuisine types. These can be classified by country.  Beverages include all alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks. Alcoholic beverages include wines and all other types of alcoholic drinks such as  Cocktails,  Beer, Ciders, Spirits, and Liqueurs.

3. About Hotel & Catering Industry The hotel & catering industry or food service industry is widely known as hospitality industry. The industry is usually defined by its output of products which satisfy demand for food, beverage and accommodation . The scope of catering industry is defined by its social and economic importance. It increases employment prospects and with the expansion of International tourism, it contributes to the national economy. The industry provides millions of meals per day in a variety of types of operations.

4. What Is Food & Beverage/ Catering Establishment. A catering establishment is defined as that provides food and or drink (beverage). This is known as a product-and-service provider. Lots of different kinds of commercial (for money) businesses operate in the catering industry, but there are also non-commercial businesses in the industry.

5. Classification of Catering Establishment. Hospitality Industry is basically divided into 2 major categories. They are : Commercial Catering: Commercial catering involves catering for profit and customer satisfaction. Customer satisfaction cannot be given priority over profit as the existence of a commercial establishment is possible provided the company has enough money to sustain itself and its staff. Welfare Catering : This type of catering involves catering without the motive of profit. Although loss is not objective either. It is generally done out of compulsion or obligation, or a part of legal requirement or charity. 

6. Classification Chart Of Catering Establishments.

7. Restaurant Restaurant is a commercial establishment committed to sale of food and beverage. A restaurant may be a licensed part of a hotel operation, where by the sales of restaurant contribute to the sales performance of the hotel as a whole. Restaurant may also be independent business entities under individual ownership and management. In side restaurant we can see chairs and tables so that guest can eat food prepared by kitchen in a comfortable atmosphere. Beside this restaurant is equipped with crockery, cutlery, furniture & linen which may vary in quality & quantity according to the standard of the restaurant which is determined by its décor, entertainment facilities, quality of food and service.

8. Types Of Restaurants Coffee Shop: The concept is borrowed from United States of America, distinguished by its quick service. Basically pre-plated food is served to its guests in an informal atmosphere. Table cover lay out is less elaborate and have basic essentials only . Specialty Restaurant: The entire atmosphere and décor are geared to a particular type of food or theme. In a single word it can be told that a special type of food of a particular area or country is served in this restaurant. Thus restaurants which offer Chinese, Japanese, Indian, Thai, Bengali cuisine would be termed as specialty restaurant. The service is based more or less on the style of the country from which the particular cuisine originates .

9. Continue Continental Restaurant: The atmosphere is more sophisticated and caters for people who can eat at leisure. The accent is on good continental food and elaborate service. Grill Room ( roti sserie ): Various meat cuts ( specially game birds)are grilled or roasted here. Normally grill room has a glass partition between the restaurant and kitchen so that the guest the guest can choose his meat cut and can see the process of cooking. Roasted meat items are served with different types of sauces, roast gravy and roast potato . Multi cuisine Restaurant: This is a type of restaurant offers food of different cuisines along with high profile of service and sophisticated atmosphere.

10. Continue Discotheque: A restaurant which is principally made for dancing with recorded music or live music. Different types of alcoholic, non alcoholic, cocktails, mock tails are available in discotheque along with light snacks. Night Club: it remains open at night for dinner and to dance with live performance. Foods of different cuisines along with alcoholic beverages are served here with high standard of service . Bistro: A small establishment normally serves pates, thick soup, casseroles etc.

11. Continue Quick Service Restaurant (QSR) : A QSR, meaning quick service restaurant, is a restaurant categorised by fast service, a casual atmosphere, limited seating and a focused menu .

12. Transport Catering Transport catering has a number of characteristics not commonly associated with other food & beverage outlets . The transport catering can be classified under 3 sectors. Rail Catering Air lines Catering Sea Catering

13. Railway Catering Rail Catering: Rail catering is divided into two major areas. Terminal Catering: Terminal catering is a type of catering where the foods are available on the spot. Examples: IRCTC outlets, Station Outlets. In transit Catering: It’s a type of catering where the food is served on transit and the food is prepared in pantry car.

14. Airlines Catering Like the railways, airlines catering also fall into two main areas. Terminal Catering: Food and Beverage outlets at air terminals usually consist of self service and waiter service restaurant along with licensed bar . In transit or in flight catering: The in flight catering service varies due to class of travel and type & duration of flight.

15. Sea Catering Sea Catering: Dining on almost all cruise ships is included in the cruise price. Traditionally, the ships' restaurants organize two dinner services per day and passengers are allocated a set dining time for the entire cruise, but a recent trend is to allow diners to dine whenever they want. Ships maintain the class tradition of ocean liners and have separate dining rooms for different types of suites.

16. Pubs/Wine Bars Pub/ Wine Bar: A bar is an establishment that serves alcoholic drinks such as beer, wine, liquor and cocktails along with snacks such as peanuts, chips etc for consumption on the premises. Bars provide stools or chairs that are placed at tables or counters for their patrons. Bar can be on busy street and in other areas where passerby can drop in for a beverage. Hotels often have these types of bars available to the guests of the hotel as well as to individuals not staying at the hotel.

17. Banquet Catering Banquet function catering is the term used to cover the service of special functions for specific groups of people at specific times; the food and beverage provided being predetermined. It includes occasion such as lunch/dinner parties, conference, cocktail parties, wedding and dinner reception etc. in the large first class establishments all functions takes place within the banqueting suite and under the administrative control of Banquet Manager. In the smaller hotel these functions normally takes place in a room set aside for the purpose and come under jurisdiction of the hotel manager or assistant manager.

18. Take Away Service Take away services: This sector of industry is concerned with the preparation and service of food and beverage quickly for immediate sale to the customers for consumption either on or off premises. Examples of fast food and take away operations include the many themed hamburger unit found in the streets of most of the cities to-day as well as operations such as fish and chips shop.

19. Clubs Clubs, as a sector of catering industry offers food, beverages and some time accommodation to its registered members. The types of club varying from working men’s club to political party clubs social clubs, sporting clubs to the private executives club . Clubs can be classified under two sectors . Proprietary club: These are licensed clubs, owned by individuals or company and operated by them for self profit . Registered club: These are registered clubs in which the management is responsible to an elected committee, the members enjoy the facilities of food and beverage and pay their subscription to a common fund.

20. Welfare Catering Welfare food and beverage establishments may be defined as those operations in which profitability of the catering facility is the outlet’s primary concern. Since the operations are either completely or partially subsidized by a parent body, such establishment’s primary obligation is the well being and care of their customers or patients.

21. School Catering School catering: The school meal catering service was until recently structured on a dietary basis with a daily or weekly per capital allowance to ensure that the children obtained adequate nutritional levels from their meal. Most of the schools used to operate their dining room with family type service or self service basis with traditional meat and two vegetable lunches. But today there is a trend of snacks type of lunch as an alternative to main meal. Some schools now provide sandwiches, rolls, pies, soup, yoghurt etc and the children may choose from the selection. This trend has gone one step further in some areas which have cut their school meal service and are providing more of the dining room space for the children to bring their own lunches from home.

22. Hospital Catering Hospital Catering: Hospital catering facilities have improved considerably over the past twenty years with the result that new hospitals in particular are benefiting from the well planed and managed catering services. Hospitals require a specialized form of catering as the customer is normally unable to move elsewhere and choose alternative facilities and therefore special attention must be given to the food and beverage.

23. Prision Catering Prisons Catering: The catering within the prisons is responsibility of the prisons Governor with delegated responsibility being given to a catering officer.

24. Employee Catering Employee Catering: A variety of catering styles and level of services are found in industrial catering situations. The majority of the market is created by popular fast food along with different methods of service, such as Self service Cafeterias Buffet Restaurant

25. Management in a large company can expect waiter service facilities. At the top end of the industrial catering market, the directors and executives get such a standard catering service, which is very similar with the services found in commercial high class restaurants. In providing a catering service for the employees, the company may decide to change a subsidized rate from the employees. In some sectors of the industry, the catering service is provided virtually free, such as oil companies, insurance, banking, where the employees pay a small amount for their meal.