1st sem F&B notes FOOD AND BEVERAGE OUTLETS

FOOD AND BEVERAGE OUTLETS

Food and beverage outlets are the areas where food and beverage are sold to the guests. There are different types of restaurants that have evolved to meet the dynamic demands of customers. The lifestyle of people is continuously changing and so are there eating habits. The restaurateur must consider the menu, service hour, mode of service, expenditure potential of the customer and so on, to satisfy the changing needs of customers and to sustain themselves in an ever – changing market environment. The following types of food and beverage outlets can be seen which may or may not be attached to a hotel.

Specialty Restaurant: These restaurants deal in a particular type of cuisine like Chinese, Italian, French, etc. it serves specialty dishes which are its strength and contribute to the brand image. A few restaurants’ may even specialize in a particular type of meat (e.g. seafood, steaks) Each and every aspect of the restaurant is typical and related to the area of region or community whose food is being served.

The food, service, uniform, décor, etc. are ethnic and authentic of the area whose cuisine the restaurant specializes upon. When one enters into such kind of restaurant one can feel the culture and tradition of that area. These restaurants may be attached to a hotel or may independently exist. These type of restaurants operates during luncheon and dinner hours, normally more expensive than ordinary restaurants. The seat turnover in this type of restaurant is low and the average revenue per cover is more compared to coffee shop.

Coffee Shop: This is generally attached to a hotel. In a five star hotel the coffee shop operates round the clock. It cannot independently exist. This concept is borrowed from the USA, it is distinguished by its quick and pre-plated service (dishes ordered by the guests are neatly plated in the kitchen with garnish and placed before the guests.) This type of service is termed as American Service. The seat turnover is high.

 The service is very informal and emphasis is on pace of service. Service is generally snacks and very light meals. The meals part is not as elaborate as the restaurant. Prices are not as exorbitant as the restaurants. Although the coffee shop is operational round the clock, there are meal timings when certain items are available which are not available at other times. There are some dishes, which are available all 24 hours.

Cafeteria: These generally independently exist and are found in railway stations and airports etc. The service is generally self service. Food is displayed in the counter and the guest helps himself in picking up the food as per his liking as he moves along the counter and finally pays the bill at the end of the counter. Sometimes payment of the bill may be through coupon also. Very informal atmosphere exists in these outlets and prices are not very high.

Fast Food Outlets: They are generally not attached to a hotel and are found independently existing. They serve fast foods, which are easy to prepare, carry and eat. These outlets provide very limited seating arrangements and people are not encouraged to sit and pass time in these places.

The menu is limited and they are usually specialized in one or two dishes. The menu is slightly high priced due to the advance machinery they use in the preparation of food items. Service is done in disposable plates and packets. Patrons are supposed to get their food from across the counter. There may be one person to look after the clearance and cleanliness of the place. Very limited service is provided.

QSR: Quick Service Restaurant: These are fast food outlets, which give importance not only to the pace but also to the quality of service delivered. These are basically stand-alone restaurants that might have a brand name attached to them; hence quality plays an important role here. The seating arrangement and ambiance is usually informal. The service staff may or may not collect order from the table as some of these restaurants have counter service available.

Grill Room (Rotisserie): These kinds of outlets are generally attached to the star hotels although they can be found independently existing also. They specialize in grilled, roast, broiled meat, poultry and fish. Grilling is done over an open fire on a metal grill, and broiling is done under an electric or infrared broiler.

 The kitchen is separated from the service area by a glass partition so that guest can see the chef preparing the food. This gives rise to impulse buying. The guests are normally assured of better hygienic condition as they can see the actual food preparation. The service is usually American, which is also called pre-plated.

Banquets: This is generally attached to a hotel or restaurant. Some hotels have more than one banquet hall in their premises. This outlet generally caters to a huge gathering of people who assemble in the banquet hall for events like reception, marriage, party, birthday, conference, seminar, etc. The service is generally from a buffet when a lot of guests have to be served within a short span of time. Sometimes formal lunch, dinner, etc. also takes place in banquet halls. This is the highest revenue producing F&B outlet in any commercial hotel. Sometimes banquet halls can independently exist where an outside contractor does the catering part.

Bar: These food and beverage outlets deal with the alcoholic beverages only. They may be attached to a hotel or independently existing. They have certain specific hours of operation and the law strictly governs the operation. Their hours of operation, inventory, location and client to whom they should serve etc. are governed and regulated by the law enforcing agency.

Vending Machine: Such kind of service involves service from a machine requiring a coin or token of a particular denomination and the product comes out through an outlet in the machine itself. These machines are not extensively used in India and the use is still confined to tea, coffee and packed milk.

                                    

Discotheque: It operates during night hours. It provides a dance floor for guest to dance on. Special sound and lighting effect is created for an appropriate ambience. It is patronized mostly by the youth and couples. This may be attached to a hotel or may independently exist. The ones which independently exist are open to anybody who can pay but most allow only couples. The ones which are attached to the hotels are not only opened to the members but guests accompanied by members are also allowed. They also have specific hours of operation and are normally attached with a bar.

Multi Cuisine Restaurant: These restaurants deal with more than one cuisine like Indian, Chinese and Continental etc. They are not as exclusive as the specialty restaurants. There is no emphasis on adherence to the culture and tradition of a particular area of region or community. They may be attached to a hotel or may independently exist. They generally have specific time of operation when attached to a hotel. They may be operating on a straight shift from morning till night when independently existing. They are not as highly priced as a specialty restaurant.

Room Service: This food and beverage outlet is attached to a hotel and caters to the food and beverage requirements of the guests who are staying in the hotel only. These food and beverage outlets cannot independently exist. The service in room service is always in trays and trolleys. In a five star hotel the room service operates round the clock. The prices in the room service are generally more than the coffee shop.

Pub: A pub generally independently exists, which serves only beer. The atmosphere in a pub is generally very informal. Most pubs have a very informal seating arrangement and generally designed to suit the likings and requirements of the youth. They also have specific hours of operations and the law, like the bar, governs operations. Books of inventory and accounts are maintained as per the government regulation and are supposed to produce them before the concerned authority as and when required.

Pastry Shop: They may be attached to a hotel or may independently exist. They deal with only pastry or pastry related products. Those, which are attached to a hotel, deal with pastry prepared in the same hotel. The ones which are not attached to hotels have their own bakery either in the same premises or outside the premises. Service is done across the counter. Very limited seating arrangements may be provided if space permits.

Poolside Barbeque: These are generally attached to the hotels and operate near the poolside. They generally operate for lunch and dinner only. There are adequate lighting arrangements to take care of the dinnertime. The menu is not very elaborate and comprises a lot of grilled and barbequed items. Some light meals are also available. These outlets are generally attached with their own kitchens which are more often than not makeshift. A bar may be attached to the outlet or alcoholic beverages may be served from the service bar. Once again the décor is very informal like a coffee shop. Service is very much similar to the coffee shop as well.

Permit Room: They are generally found in restaurants and in hotels. In a restaurant there is a specific area where one can serve alcoholic beverages. The restaurant cannot pour alcoholic beverages in any area outside this. Same set of rules and regulations are applicable to the permit room as applicable to the bar. Prior licenses have to be secured from the appropriate authority before starting a permit room.

Night Club: They are generally attached to hotels and are open to members only. The operation starts late in the evening and goes on till late in the night. Stripes, cabarets and floorshows etc are performed as a part of entertainment. These are not seen in recognised star and commercial hotels. An elaborate menu is offered and the service is quite formal and extensive. It opens only for members. Alcohol is served to the members.

Coffee Bar: This is a very recent development and becoming very popular. These outlets deal with only coffee. They specialize in different types of coffee. Both alcoholic and non-alcoholic coffees are served here. The alcoholic coffees are commonly called as specialty coffees.

Cyber Café: These are also very recent developments and fast growing in popularity. Each outlet provides computers with internet facility and the guest can surf the internet for a specific period of time paying a certain amount of money. The outlet also provides light refreshments like tea, coffee and snacks to keep the people engaged when there are two different sessions with the computer.

Pizza Outlets: These outlets are mostly stand-alone. These outlets have been a recent development in India over the past decades. Their food mainly deals with pizzas. They also offer food and beverages like pasta, garlic bread, soft drinks, ice-tea etc. In India, chains like Pizzeria, U. S. Pizza, Pizza hut, Smoking Joe’s etc are very popular. This trend has given rise to the franchising business, hence making pizza a youth food trend along with family and office treat zones, basically covering all age groups. These outlets also deal with home delivery and take away. They usually have a moderate or minimum seating arrangement in an informal manner or tables are attached to walls with high chairs. Here one can enjoy hot and fresh food.  One also has the optional at most places to plan their own pizza as per the available ingredients in the menu.

Home Delivery/Take Away: This has been a recent trend over the past few years. As the name suggests, these outlets deal with delivery of food till your doorstep. These are stand-alone restaurants (kitchen only) that emphasize only on quick preparation of food and its delivery. There is no seating arrangement available here. The staff may contain chefs, order taker, cashier and delivery boys. The order taker takes order over the phone or of walk-in guest, notifies the kitchen and hands over the packets to guest or delivery boys. He also might take the cashiering responsibilities at the counter, which might be overlooked by the manager. Normally such outlets do not charge for home delivery. Food is provided in cardboard boxes, plastic containers, aluminium foils, plastic bags, etc. These outlets should not be confused with restaurants which provide services of home delivery.

Drive-inns: These are developing outlets, which have not yet made a strong base in India. In places like U.S., U.K., etc they have already made their mark and are best accepted. Mc Donald has started this type of service in few of its outlets. This kind of restaurant may be attached to a hotel or stand-alone. They are normally situated on highways or near petrol pumps etc. This kind of outlet has no seating arrangement, only a path around the outlet for vehicles to enter and exit. It has one or two counters where the attendant takes your order and payment, and another counter where the pick-up / delivery of food order is done. These outlets are time saving and economical.

Chai-bars: Just like coffee bars, these outlets also deal with only one kind of beverage, i.e. tea. In India, tea in the Hindi language is known as “Chai”. These outlets may mostly have an informal atmosphere and seating arrangement. The menu here includes variety of tea based on different regions, methods of preparation etc. These outlets may also provide light snacks on the menu to go along with the beverage. These outlets may be stand alone or attached to a restaurant. If attached to a restaurant, the same premises are used for service with a different menu card or tent card only for tea.

Bakery: These outlets may be attached to a hotel, pastry shop or may be stand-alone. They may or may not have a seating arrangement. They may have a kitchen/place attached to the outlet where bakery items are prepared. The ready to eat food items are then put at a counter for display. The food items mainly deal with various bread preparations. The guests can then choose their food and make payment over or at the end of the counter.

Grill and Eat: These are restaurants, which give a lot of emphasis on guests and their interests in food. The main attraction being the fact that guest has to pick ingredients, raw meat, vegetables etc of their choice from the counter and cook food himself on grillers/cooking range provided on the table itself. The grillers/cooking ranges are a part of the decor. The chefs are available for assistance at all times. The guests may not have knowledge of cooking and might harm themselves, hence, safety and first aid is also given importance. These kinds of restaurants may be attached to a hotel or stand-alone. Here they do have an elaborate seating arrangement. The restaurant may or may not have a theme for themselves depending on the country, region or cuisine they are dealing with.

Ancillary Departments

Ancillary sections support the activities of the main department. There are many ancillary areas behind the operations of the restaurant that are well managed, efficiently supervised, and stored with suitable supplies and equipments. These sections must be strategically located according to flow of work, well equipped, properly manned, well coordinated and supervised effectively so that they can provide uninterrupted support to the restaurant during service periods. It is necessary for all these factors to come together like a well oiled machine to determine overall a successful back-up to the food and beverage operation. The size and layout of each section depends on the volume of activities carried out and its workflow.

 These ancillary sections contribute to the success of the total catering operation. Ancillary sections are usually situated between the kitchen and food service areas. They are meeting points for staff of various departments as they carry out their duties, and therefore there must be close liaison between these various members of staff and departments under whose jurisdiction they come.

The service areas themselves are some of the busiest units of a catering establishment, especially over the service periods. Because of this, it is most important that department heads ensure that all staff knows exactly what their duties are and how to carry them out efficiently and quickly. A pride in the job and in doing it well means that the staff will co-operate with one another to give a complete and efficient service to the customer.

·         Pantry

·         Still Room

·         Hot Plate/Food pickup area

·         Silver room/ Plate room

·         Spare Linen Room

·         Kitchen Stewarding/ Wash – up

·         Dispense Bar

Pantry

The pantry or service room is located between the kitchen and the restaurant. It stores items such as hollowware, special service equipment, glassware, linen, condiments, disposables etc. that are not stored in sideboards or hotplate. Pantry as a specific area means a place where the mis-en-place is carried out. This department is very essential for all food & beverage outlets, mostly for coffee shop as it’s round the clock operations. Hence there is no need for mis-en-place to be carried out in the restaurant unlike the specialty restaurants where the mis- en-place is carried out during non-operational hours when it is closed for the guest in the restaurant itself.

Two swing doors connect the pantry to the service area. One is to enter the restaurant and the other to return to pantry. Using wrong doors may lead to accidents.

The equipment required in the pantry depends on its location. Sometimes one of the waiters or steward is put in charge of the pantry to carry out and keep tab on day-to-day operations.

Some of the common equipments in the pantry are:-

·         Cupboards – for glassware, condiments, disposables, linen etc.

·         Linen Box – For soiled linen.

·         Stainless steel work table

·         Plate warmer

·         Bain-marie

·         Range for making tea coffee

·         Refrigerator

·         Sink for washing service equipment. etc.

Some of the tasks performed in the pantry are as follows:

·         Wiping of crockery, cutlery and glassware

·         Refilling of sauce, jam etc bottles & cruet set

·         Storage of excessive crockery, cutlery and glassware

·         Fresh linen is stored here

·         Folding of serviettes

·         Storing dirty linen

·         Polishing silver articles

·         Briefing is conducted in the pantry area

·         Storage of required stationary

·         Washing of small items

Before the start of service pantry staff must ensure

·         Plate warmer, bain-marie is on.

·         Adequate supply of disposables, condiments( butter, lemon, olives, sauces etc) beverages, linen is available.

At the end of service staff must ensure that

·         Pantry is thoroughly clean, including equipment and floor

·         Plate warmer and Bain- marie is turned off

·         Soiled linen is counted, recorded, and sent to the housekeeping department for ewashing and fresh linen is collected.

Waiters should be encouraged to wash their hands frequently during service.

Appropriate planning of the pantry is necessary from design stage to ensure an effective mis-en- place for a successful operation in the long run.

Stillroom 

Still room is responsible for the provision of coffee, tea, fruit juices, breakfast egg preparations, sandwiches, assorted breads, toasts, Melba toasts, breakfast rolls, and preserves(jam, marmalade, honey)etc. It may function throughout the day depending on the size and location of the hotel, and is very busy during breakfast time. Stillroom supervisor is in-charge of the still room functions. He is assisted by semi- skilled staff to do the routine work of still room.

·         Responsibilities of the head of the still room are:

·         Ordering supplies of goods from stores through requisition sheet.

·         Maintaining adequate stock of fresh beverages.

·         Preparing beverages.

·         Ensuring uninterrupted supply of dishes ordered.

·         Ensuring highest standards of hygiene.

·         Allocating work to subordinates and ensuring adequate staff is available to carry out the work.

·         Stock taking.

Functions of still room.

·         All hot beverages, toasts preserves, cereals & breads are dispensed from still room.

·         Tea, coffee, tisanes & preserves are stored in the stillroom.

·         Assorted juices, biscuits, crackers & digestives are also dispensed from here.

·         Smaller establishment also dispense egg preparation & porridge from pantry.

·         Sandwiches: plain or grilled.

Almost all the items required during breakfast and high tea service are provided by still room.

Still room equipments: The nature of activities carried out in the still room determines the equipment used in still room. Some basic equipment is:

·         Work tables with stainless steel top and cutting board.

·         Salamanders

·         Coffee and tea making machine

·         Cooking range to prepare eggs, waffles

·         Refrigerators

·         Sink with hot and cold water facility with draining board

·         Racks to store glassware, hollowware,  and other service equipment

·         Cabinets for storage

·         Blender/juicer

To avoid duplication of machinery, these machines may be shared with other departments by placing them in common place.

 

Hot Plate / Food pick-up area

Like the name suggests this area is where the food pick-up counter is in the kitchen and acts as a contact point between kitchen and service staff. It is controlled by the aboyeur (barker). Cold cabinet, hot cabinet, bain-marie, overhead shelf, infra-red facilities, etc. are incorporated in the pickup counter. This area is always there in any extensive food & beverage outlet. It usually comes under the production section where the chefs who have processed raw materials into finished food items check, plate, garnish and dispense the food.

 Cut vegetables, lettuce leaves, cold sauces, etc. are stored in the cold cabinet for making salads quickly. Dishes prepared before head such as accompanying vegetables, gravies, soups of the day, etc. are placed in the bain-marie so that during service wait staff can pick these up without having to wait.

Hot plate should be stocked with adequate chinaware such as soup bowls, half plates, full plates, etc. if the dishes are plated in the kitchen. Food containers such as platters, entrée dishes of different sizes, etc. should be kept ready for portioning out the dishes.

Following is the order execution procedure at the hotplate:

·         The first copy of the kitchen order ticket (KOT) is given to the aboyeur. ( all orders written by the waiter must be legible to the aboyeur)

·         The aboyeur shouts out the order to the kitchen staff.

·         Aboyeur keeps the plate or containers ready for dishing out (cooks may also do this depending on the situation)

·         The aboyeur checks the dish for portion size and presentation, garnishes the dish wipes edge of the dish if required. 

·         The aboyeur hands over the dish to the correct waiter and ticks KOT against the dish delivered.

·         If all the dishes of a KOT are delivered, the KOT is deposited in a control box. This box is kept locked and can only be opened by a member of staff from the ‘control department’.

There are two types of orders based on the priority to be given: Running order and New order. The aboyeur must ensure that a running order is given priority as gusts are in the middle of a meal and any delay in responding to a running order will result in poor customer satisfaction.

One of the important duties of an aboyeur is to notify waiters when a menu item is not available by writing the dish “off board” so that the waiters do not take the order for that item.

The language used at the hotplate will vary from country to country and region to region. The language used must be understood by the production staff.

There should be cooperation and understanding between kitchen and service staff. Kitchen staff is constantly at the cooking range and work under pressure during peak hours. Any disturbances or exchange of harsh words will affect their mood which will result in poor quality food preparation, wastage, and delay. Realizing their nature of work, wait staff must be cooperative and should not shout at them nor pressurize them to deliver dishes faster.

Similarly, cooks must understand the nature of work carried out by the wait staff. They handle customers of various temperaments, different age groups, and different needs and many guests demand quick service. If the quality of food is not good, the wait staff is the first recipient of negative remarks from guests. They are constantly on their toes to please the guests by serving the ordered food. It should be remembered that guests’ meal experience depends on many factors, with the waiter’s attitude being the top most. Any unpleasant incident at the hot plate may result in poor service and negative attitude towards the guest. Both production and service staff must work as a team and help each other perform better to achieve customer satisfaction. The aboyeur is responsible for ensuring proper coordination amongst the production and service staff.

This area keeps in continuous contact with kitchen stewarding for service equipments, crockery, silverware etc. This area is in need of certain important heavy equipment like hot plate machines, plate warmer, Bain Marie, salamander, food warmer, etc.

                        

Silver room/ Plate room

Silver room stores and maintains the complete stock of silver and other service equipment required for catering operations, together with a slight surplus stock in case of emergency. It maintains record of stock received and issued to various outlets. Surplus stocks are stored neatly and item wise for easier access and control. Other than the main hotel stores there are satellite stores, which are attached to the food and beverage outlet itself. Weekly or monthly requirements are brought from the main store and kept here. Silver required for the restaurant, room service, banquets, etc. may be of different design and kept separately, specifically for that purpose.

The storage of silver is most important. Large silver such as flats, entrée dishes, salvers, soup tureens, chafing dishes, water pitchers etc. are stored on shelves, with all the flats of one size together and so on. These shelves are labeled to show where each item is stored. This makes it easier for control purpose and for stacking. When stacking silver the heavier items should go on the shelves lower down and smaller and lighter items on the shelves higher up. This helps to prevent accidents. All cutleries-spoons, knives, and forks are made into a bunch of 20 pieces per item for easier counting and are stored in cutlery box or drawer lined with baize. This helps to prevent noise and stops the various items sliding and being scratched and marked in the drawer when it is opened and closed.

Smaller items such as budvase, ashtrays, cruet set, menu holders, butter dishes, etc are stored separately in a cupboard. Extra glassware for function catering is stored separately upside down on a paper lined shelves or racks specially designed for the purpose of storing different glasses. These racks are also very useful for transporting glassware without damaging them.

The Inventory is judiciously maintained. Inventory registers and stock registers are maintained. The manager in charge of the restaurant is responsible for the stores. The service equipment in stores should be cleaned and polished periodically.

Silver Cleaning:

Now a day’s most of the silver used in food service operations is made of EPNS( electro plated nickel silver). Silver is highly resistant to corrosion and staining, but it can be tarnished by sulphides, which are usually present to some extant in the atmosphere and in many foods such as leafy vegetables and eggs. Tarnish consists of a superficial film of silver sulphides. Initially tarnish appears to be golden in colour, but prolonged exposure to sulphides turns it into blue black discolouration.

ü  The tips of EPNS forks are most prone to tarnish as they are in regular contact with eggs, salt, condiments, and very hot food stuffs.

ü  Dark spots may arise when silverware comes into contact with undissolved salt in hot solutions of certain powder detergents.

ü  Food dried on the surface of the cutlery gives the salts and acids in the food more time to act and cause tarnishing.

                   

Silver Cleaning Methods:

The cleanliness of all service silver is very important. There are various methods of silver cleaning. Method used generally depends on quantity, size of item, class of establishment and the cost involved. Some of the silver cleaning methods include:

BURNISHING METHOD

 This process is a bulky, hence suitable only for large establishments .This method of silver cleaning keeps the silver in good condition with minimum effort and gives a long lasting polish. It saves time, money, and labour and produces an unbeatable shine. Regularly treated items keep their original shining and their lifetime is considerably increased.

Ø  It is a revolving drum with a safety shield.

Ø  There may be a provision to insert a rod from one end to the other end of the drum, the rod is removable and may be used to pass through the handles of teapots, coffee pots, milk jugs , sugar basins, etc, to hold them in position while the drum is revolving.

Ø  The drum is half filled with highly polished bearing balls.

Ø  To these bearing balls, certain amount of detergent (ERI special soap, ERI deoxidizer) is added according to manufacturer’s instructions.

Ø  The silver required to be polished is placed inside.

Ø  Water should be poured into the drum until the bearing balls are covered.

Ø  The lid is closed tightly and machine is turned on.

Ø  As the drum revolves the mixture of water, detergent powder acts as a lubricant between the silver and bearing balls. Thus, any tarnish is removed from cutlery and hollowware.

Ø  After removing from the burnishing machine, the silver should be rinsed in hot water and polished with a clean dry tea cloth.

      Advantages:-

·         This method effectively removes watermarks and tarnish.

·         It achieves a consistently high shine.

·         It reduces labour costs compared to manual methods.

·         It is very time saving method.

·         It is easy to handle.

Points to remember :-

·         The balls used should be spherical, polished and non magnetic ones.

·         Bearing balls should be kept submerged in water even when not in use to prevent rusting.

·         Items need to be carefully positioned in the drum to prevent damage.

·         Hollowware can be damaged if large heavy items are burnished in the same compartment.

This method is not suitable for cleaning forks and knives as the prongs of forks are not cleaned properly and continuous use may damage the cutting edge of knives.

POLIVIT METHOD  OR  ELECTROLYTIC METHOD

A polivit is an aluminium metal foil containing holes which is best used in an enamel or galvanized iron bowl. It is a quick way of cleaning silver. This method produces good results and is suitable for large pieces of equipment such as entrée dishes, salvers, trays and jugs, etc..

Ø  The galvanized iron bowl is washed and the aluminium foil is put inside.

Ø  The silver to be cleaned is then put into the bowl, ensuring that at least one piece of the silver is in contact with the aluminium foil.

Ø  Sufficient boiling water is poured into the bowl to cover the silver being cleaned.

Ø  Washing soda of about 30 gm per 5 lit should be added to the water.

Ø  A chemical reaction takes place between the polivit, soda, boiling water and silver which causes the tarnish to be lifted.

Ø  After 3-4 minutes, the silver should be removed from the bowl.

Ø  The silver should be rinsed in hot water and polished with a clean dry tea cloth.

PLATE POWDER METHOD

This method is ideal for articles that cannot be cleaned by the above methods. Items cleaned by this method are cruets, toast rack, parts of trolley etc. This is pink powder, which needs mixing with a little methylated sprit to obtain a smooth paste. The reason for using methylated spirit to mix the powder is that when the paste is rubbed on the article the spirit evaporates much more quickly than would water, and the silver is therefore, ready for polishing much more quickly, if however, methylated spirit is not available, then water may be used, but the cleaning process takes a little longer.

 Following points must be considered while the silver polishing is done using this method.

Ø  Ensure the powder or paste is of a reputable brand, for example Hegarry.

Ø  Once prepared, apply the paste onto silverware with a soft cloth or sponge---either of which should be thoroughly and freshly washed to eliminate any abrasive dust particles which could cause scratching.

Ø  The silver is then left until the paste has dried, and the paste is then rubbed off with a clean cloth.

Ø  Rinse the silver in hot water and polish with a soft, dry tea cloth.

Keep in mind:-

·         The article to be cleaned must be free from grease.

·         When silver is cleaned that has a design or engraving on it, a small toothbrush may be used to brush the paste in to the design and a clean one is used to remove it.

·         Only those polishes sold specifically for silver should be used; cleaners intended for chromium plate, stainless steel, etc. will scratch silver.

SILVER DIP

This method is very quick and produces good results because of the chemical reaction between the liquid and the silver; however it is a popular method in the medium –sized establishments. This is a less arduous method of detarnishing, especially on heavily embossed designs whose crevices are difficult to clean with silver powder.

Ø  This is an acid base solution.

Ø  This solution is put into a plastic bowl and the silver to be cleaned is placed into a wire basket and dipped into the plastic bowl containing the solution.

Ø  The equipment should be completely submerged in the solution.

Ø  The silver should be left in the bowl only for very short time. Never leave silver plated cutlery in the dip solution for more than 10 seconds.

Ø  The items are removed and drained

After draining it is placed in warm water, rinsed and wiped with a clean dry tea cloth. This method is quick but may damage the silver due to chemical reaction between silver and solution.

Spare Linen Room

This is a sub department which stores, dispenses and keeps a record of the restaurant linen. The spare linen room stocks the linen that is required for operations as one cannot run to the housekeeping/laundry for new linen whenever requirement arises. The linen room is located near the food service area for emergency. The restaurant linen may include tablecloth, throw over, serviette, etc. The linen room exchanges soiled linen for fresh ones. One of the senior stewards in every shift exchanges linen at the end of his shift, the room is kept locked for control purposes.           

At the end of the day, once restaurant operations are closed, the waiter collects, classifies, and bundles all the dirty linen after checking for tears and burns. The waiter enters the number of soiled linen into the ‘Linen Exchange Register’ in duplicate which includes the type and the total number of soiled linen. He then takes them to housekeeping department where these are checked by linen keeper in his presence; linen keeper verifies the record in the linen book and exchanges the soiled linen with fresh ones. The top copy of the linen book is signed by the linen keeper and retained. The duplicate remains in the book for restaurant reference. Any discrepancy must be recorded so that missing linen can be collected later. The book that keeps record of the same has to be counter signed by the manager of that outlet.

Linen Exchange Register:

Hotel ABC                                                                     Linen Exchange Register                                      Date:                                                                                                                S.No: From : abc Restaurant                                                                                   To: Housekeeping Department S.No.                 Items                               Returned                 Received                                Remarks 1.        Table Cloths                                        10                            10 2.        Naprons                                               10                            08            Two pieces will be issued later                             Sign of Steward                                                                                                  Sign of Linen Room Assistant

 

Sometimes the linen room also takes care of the exchange of uniforms or vice versa. If a separate sub department is created for uniforms, it’s called ‘the uniform room’.

Kitchen Stewarding / Wash Up

The wash up is the most important and integral part of F & B service area and should be located in such a way that staff can work efficiently and speedily when passing from the food service areas to the kitchen. This is the first section where the waiter enters from the food service area. Here, the waiter deposits all the dirty plates and silverware properly. Glasses may also be left here for washing in specially designed racks. The server must place any debris into the bin or bowl provided.

The objective of cleaning utensils is to remove any material from them on which micro-organisms can develop, and to destroy any micro-organism which is already present in the service ware by sterilizing. The wash up area is divided into two sections.

1.      Pot Wash: This area is designated for washing kitchen utensils such as pots, pans, heavy dishes, ladles, etc. This section is also known as scullery. It is located near the main kitchen. Each satellite kitchen has its own small pot wash.

The duties of scullery staff include:

a)      Ensuring constant supply of kitchen utensils by washing them as quickly as possible.

b)      Ensuring the utensils are clean and polished as required and as per standards.

c)      Keeping kitchen clean and hygienic.

d)     Cleaning other kitchen equipments like ranges, hot plate, fryer, etc.

e)      Cleaning filters and ducts of the exhaust system

f)       Garbage disposal.

g)      Transporting goods from stores.

h)      Pest control in kitchen.

Pot washing is perhaps the least attractive job in catering business. At the same time it is one of the most important jobs. It involves a lot of physical work of lifting of heavy vessels, scrubbing etc. Clean utensils should be placed on the racks and ladles hung adjacent to kitchen for easy access.

2        Ware/ Dish Wash: Area for cleaning the service equipment- crockery, cutlery and glassware etc. The ideal location for ware wash is near the restaurant and room service elevator to minimize the distance of carrying soiled equipment by the wait staff. This area should be out of public view and must be sited correctly so that the staff can work speedily and efficiently when passing from the food service areas to the kitchens. The service staff should stack dirties correctly at the side board, with all the correct sized plates together, and the table ware stacked on one of the plates. All glassware should be stacked on a separate tray.  In bigger organizations the area can be divided into many sections, each dealing with a separate category of items namely cutlery, crockery, and glassware to speed up the washing process and to avoid breakages. In hotels each restaurant has its own dish washing area situated in the pantry to get its service equipments washed.

Ware washing is done either manually or by washing machines depending on the volume of washing to be carried out. In manual wash, two sink or three sink method may be used, with each sink used for specific purpose or dish wash machines may also be used.

All washing jobs of kitchen and restaurant equipment are monitored by the head washman, assisted by adequate experienced hands. It is the responsibility of the head washman to ensure that all kitchens and service outlets are provided with clean and presentable equipment on time, the kitchen area is clean and garbage is removed. He also ensures that his subordinates are provided with adequate cleaning agents and tools. Garbage disposal is a very important activity and while carrying out this work, the local government’s rules and regulations must be followed.

Three sink method: (Manual method)

Kitchen Stewarding:- Storage, maintenance, cleanliness & issue of crockery, cutlery, glassware & hollowware to the food & beverage department are the responsibilities of kitchen stewarding dept. Kitchen stewarding may also operate staff cafeteria and also be responsible for maintenance of heavy kitchen equipment like planetary machine, peeling machine, onion chopping machine, water filters, ice-cube machine, dishwashing machine & glass washing machine, Installation of gas connection, cleaning & pest control, supply of coal, wood and cleaning of silverware etc.  Some hotels contract the kitchen stewarding job

Dispense Bar 

A dispense bar means any bar situated within a food and beverage service area and that dispenses alcoholic beverages to be served to guests having meal in the restaurant, which has license to sell alcoholic beverages. However in some establishments wine and other alcoholic drinks for consumption with a meal are sometimes dispensed from bars situated outside the food and beverage service area itself because of the planning and layout, e.g. one of the public bars.  Beverages are issued against authorized BOT (bar order ticket/token). At the end of operations closing stock is recorded and requisition for fresh supply is made to the storeroom according to the par stock level maintained. There should be check on pilferage and malpractices.

There are certain essentials necessary in the planning of every bar. These factors should be given prime consideration when has to plan a bar or set up a bar for a particular function:

a)      Area- There should be sufficient area or space for the barman to work and move around. The minimum space from the display cabinets to the back of the bar counter should be 1meter (3feet).

b)      Layout- Layout should be planned in such a way that everything in easy reach of barmen, so as to prove quick and efficient service to guest. Careful consideration must be given in the initial planning. Adequate storage must be provided in form of shelves, cupboards and racks for convenient storage of the stock and equipments.

c)      Plumbing and Power- Adequate supply of power is essential for effective working of various equipments. Some equipment may need special electrical wiring. It is also essential to have supply of hot and cold water, proper drainage is also essential.

d)     Site of the bar- Site of the bar in restaurant is also a major factor. The bar should be positioned in such a way that it achieves the good sales target.

In order to carry out all the functions effectively and efficiently, the dispense bars should be well equipped with some basic equipments like Ice maker, beer panel, sink, blender, soft drink dispensers, refrigerator etc. and some other small equipments required at bar are: bar spoon, glasses, service trays, straws, boston shaker, howthorne strainer, wine baskets, wine buckets, glass rimmer, peg measures, bottle pourers, chopping board and knife, coasters, lemon squeezer, ice scoop, ice bucket, cork screw, bottle opener etc.

The ancillary section of the service area, without being visible to the guests, contribute to the success of food and beverage operations. One cannot imagine running a food service operation only with a kitchen and service area. Preparing items available on the menu and serving those in restaurants are the main activities of any food and beverage outlet, the success of which depends on the availability of clean pots and pans, serving dishes, crockery, cutlery, glassware, linen, and area to organize before the actual service. It is the ancillary sections that ensure continuous and uninterrupted supply of presentable, clean, and pathogen free food service equipment, anda hygienic and well organized kitchen and service area to facilitate faster food service. Together this ensures that guests have a great lasting impression of the outlet.

Strategic locations and effective supervision of all these sections is important to achieve maximum benefits. The number of sections required depends on the style and size of operations, and the distance between the kitchen and service area.

                                 

                           

Angostura - A proprietary brand of aromatic bitters.

Brioche- A light soft roll, often in the shape of a ring, made from yeast dough eith eggs and butter.

Bain Marie (water bath): is a French term used for a piece of equipment to keep the food hot. The equipment contains water that is at a simmering point. The food containers are placed in this water.

Brasserie - A French restaurant with a relaxed, upscale setting, which serves single dishes and other meals.

Cabaret - A night club with stage performance. Sitting and dining arrangements are made for the audience.

Coffee Shop - An informal American style restaurant, which originally serves coffee and snacks.

Croissant- A crescent-shaped breakfast roll made with puff pastry.

Danish pastry- A flaky yeast cake glazed with icing or syrup and garnished with fruits and nuts.

Demarra sugar - A large grain, unrefined sugar with distinct golden colour.

Food warmer: an arrangement in the pick-up area to keep the plated food or food in entree dishes hot. It may have electrically heated filament or light bulb.

Gateaux - Highly decorated layered cake with variety of toppings.

Ginger ale - Carbonated water flavoured with ginger extract.

Hot plate: an electrically heated plate for cooking or heating food. Some sideboards have attached hot plates to keep the food warm before service.

Landing table:  a table on which soiled service equipment are deposited for wash.

Lounge - A public waiting room in a hotel room or in an air terminal. Here, often food and beverages are offered to the guest.

Marmalade- Preserve or jam usually made from oranges. This preserve is a little bitter because of the addition of peel or zest.

Melba Toast- A very thin slice of bread toasted on both the sides till it become crispy and crunchy.

Muffins - A cup cake, usually containing dry fruits.

Napery - A term for table linen.

Off board:  A board in the kitchen indicating non availability of menu items.

Plate warmer: an electrical equipment in the pantry used to keep the plates warm before the service starts.

Salamander: an electrical equipment like an oven used to brown or glaze the top of certain food items or to toast bread.

Specialty Restaurant- Specialty restaurant is a restaurant serves specialized cuisines. Service in a specialty restaurant is both formal and stylish. The prices tend to be high because of higher overheads. The menu may be an a la carte, buffet, or a table d’hote. Waiters should be highly skilled, as specialized services such as preparation of food at tables and flambés, may have to be done.

Scones - A small round cake made of raised dough, usually served in afternoon tea time.

Tea cake - An afternoon traditional English fruit cake.

Tonic water - Aerated water flavoured with quinine, originally used for medicinal purpose.

Zester - A tool used to remove/scrape the outer skin of the citrus fruits.

Questions:

1.      What is the difference between coffee Shop and specialty restaurant?

2.      What are various F&B outlet found in large hotels? List the suitable forms of service in each outlet?

3.      Sketch the layout of a good pantry? What are the features of a good pantry?

4.      Justify why pantry is known as the nerve centre of food and beverage operations.

5.      What do you understand by ancillary departments? Name them and explain in brief.

6.      Give a brief note on importance of a dispense bar in a restaurant operations.

7.      Explain the different method that is used for silver cleaning?

Assignments:

·         When you visit any restaurant observe the ancillary areas and their functions.

·         Observe how service staff organizes service.

Formats

·         Layout of a pantry.

·         Linen exchange register