1st sem F&B Notes Practicals Food Service areas-Induction and Profile Of the areas

 Food Service areas-Induction and Profile Of the areas

The purpose of this practical is to make you learn about various food service areas

At the end of this practical you should know about various food service areas.

Service is a term that is used to describe the manner and method in which food is served to guests in foodservice operations. In former times, this often constituted an elaborate and convoluted protocol, much of which is no longer in vogue.

1)      Grill and Eat 2)   Bakery 3)   Chai-bars 4)   Drive-inns 5)   Home Delivery/Take Away 6)   Pizza Outlets 7)   Cyber Cafe 8)   Coffee Bar 9)   Night Club 10)  Permit Room    11) Cafeteria    12) Coffee Shop    13) Specialty Restaurant

14)  Poolside Barbeque   15)  Pastry Shop    16) Pub    17) Room Service    18) Multi Cuisine Restaurant    19)  Discotheque    20)  Vending Machine  21)  Bar  22)  Banquets  23) Grill Room  24) QSR: Quick Service Restaurant     25) Fast Food 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 restaurant 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 lunch 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.

Disco Thique: These may be attached to a hotel or may independently exist. The ones which are attached to the hotels are not only opened to the members are also allowed.  although they can be found independently existing also. They can be found