Management of Food and Beverage Operations - Paper Example

Explain the factors influencing the selection of a catering system in a commercial food and beverage operation.

According to ASEAN (2013), a catering system is a set of food production and food service network where all the components of the system operate in an integrated manner to achieve cohesive, effective, and efficient operation. Various factors influence the selection of a catering system in commercial food and beverage operation. Some of these factors include menu, service style, service standards, production volume, and available space. The list used in the catering system should determine the type of kitchen structure and service style to be utilized by the system. The menu identifies the needs of the staff, the dining space, and production and service equipment. There are various types of menus, and they include rotating, functions menu, buffet, and the la carte. The menu dictates the service and production equipment needed in the system. For instance, if one chooses a tableside service, some of the equipments to buy are carvey utensils, trolley, and gueridon among others.

Production volume is another factor that influences the selection of a catering system. Production volume enables one to determine the demand for food and service. Some factors to consider are the demand at peak hours, variations in demand, standard trading and service equipments, and the effects of events on regular food production. Under service style, one needs to consider whether the catering system will be a self-service, table service, take away, or a counter service such as that of McDonalds. If one chooses a takeaway system, equipment to consider buying are tabletop fryers, sausage steamers, and griddles. Service standard is another factor influencing the selection of a catering system. One should understand the options for buying different materials, understanding standard operation procedures, knowing individual items in the kitchen, and comprehending the contents of public statements such as vision statement, mission, and value (ASEAN, 2013).

Identify and explain common characteristics found in a food production process

Food production is a crucial element of hospitality management and restaurant businesses. Food production involves art and scientific approach. Food production is the process of transforming raw food ingredients into readymade food products that are fit for human consumption. The processed foods can be sold in restaurants, hotels, and in homes (Food Production, 2017). Variables that are common and are a characteristic of the food production system include commodity type, preparation, and holding. The availability of fresh foods falls under the commodity type. Food production processes might use fresh vegetables, meat, and cereals as one of their commodity type for running their business. Commodity type also defines the machinery to be used in the food production process. For instance, a sausage production process consists of meat grinders and sausage stuffers as one of the primary equipments (Agriculture and Consumer Protection, 2017). Preparation is a common characteristic of the food production process. A food production company needs to be well prepared for its whole operation of processing the various types of food. The processing unit should have enough space for the storage of raw and finished food products. Sanitation is an essential factor that ensures the storage of food in the right manner and the disposal of waste products as per the waste management policies. The employees in the processing unit should be mentally ready to work and ensure all systems are working correctly. Holding is another variable common in a food production process. Food products should be stored appropriately. In the case of a sausage processing plant, refrigeration is necessary to store the cooked and smoked sausages. The holding of the company should be spacious enough to ensure all requirements of the various department s are met.

Identify and explain common characteristics found in food and beverage service systems.

Increased customer participation: The buffet system is typical in the food and beverage service. In this method, varieties of foods are organized onto platters, dishes and hot buffet servers (Anguita, 2015). The meals are placed on a long table that is specially designed to attract customers. Customers serve themselves with the choice of food they prefer and consume the amount they wish. The system serves many guests at the same time and utilizes fewer employees. The buffet system has applications in restaurants, canteens, and large events. The freedom and flexibility of the system encourage customer participation.

Low customer contact: The table service discourages minimal customer contact. The waiter conducts all the activities such as bringing food to the table and clearing the table once the guests finish having their meal. The service works best for business dinners where guests dine alone or want to share a good time with friends while being served by a waiter. The table service has various sub styles under it, and they include English, American, French, and Russian. The English system is similar to the family system that serves dinner at home. In the American style, the waiter picks customers orders and takes the request in the kitchen. Once the food is ready, the server brings the food to the customers table. The French style utilizes trolleys that present food on the table of the customers. In the Russian style, food is served on platters and taken to the customers table where food is served from the left side of each guest (Anguita, 2015).

Identify and explain the type of catering and food service equipment available for use in at least two different hospitality sectors such as a bar, cafe, cafeteria, takeaway, restaurant to name a few.

Beagles takeout joint. This takeout joint utilizes two primary equipments, and they include refrigerators and fryers. All commercial kitchens require refrigerators and freezers for the storage of perishable goods. Top freezer refrigerators can be used in a takeaway joint to store sausages, the dough used to cook pizza, and meat among others. Refrigerators and freezers enable the hotel staff to store food that can be prepared the next day and remain fresh. Another essential equipment is a fryer. Fryers are necessary for cooking fries, sausages, and doughnuts among others. The fryers help the cooks to prepare different types of foods at the same time. The fryers are quick and efficient to operate in a busy takeout joint with frequent customers.

Smuffs Bar: the bar offers a variety of alcoholic drinks to its customers. Some of the primary equipment in the bar includes ice machine, sinks, glasses, and wine and beer coolers. The ice machine is essential for making ice cubes in various styles. The customers will always have their drinks topped up with ice cubes to ensure the drink is cold. Sinks are an important component of a bar, as glasses will require being washed every time. Wine and beer coolers provide an integral part of the business since they keep the beer and wine in a cold state to ensure customers enjoy their drinks.

Explain the effect of new technologies to the management of food and beverage operations.

Food ordering

Traditional food ordering system involved waiters writing down the customers request on paper then taking the order to the kitchen for processing. The rapid use of computers, smartphones, and the Internet has led to the development of automated food ordering systems that are computerized (Krishna, Palak, Nirali, & Lalit, 2015). After receiving orders from customers, the waiters feed in the information on the computer. The system notifies the waiter of available and unavailable dishes. The ordered dishes are sent to the staff in the kitchen who views the details on screen. After preparing the dishes, the kitchen staff confirms completion on the screen, and the waiter after viewing the confirmation request proceeds to take the orders and deliver to the customer.

Cashless Payments

The rapid evolution of mobile technologies has led to the development of cashless payments through cards and mobile devices in the hospitality industry. A majority of quick-service restaurants have adopted the use of cashless payment methods (Shatskikh, 2013). The customers feel secure when they transact through cashless means. Mobile payments utilize scanning of a barcode on the Point of Sale (POS) system. The customer follows various prompts, and the pay is finalized. The use of mobile payments provides customers with speed, convenience, and security.

Social Networking Sites

Social networking has now become a global phenomenon. Social media sites enable users to connect with people and share relevant information. The networking sites have brought numerous advantages to the hospitality industry. The hotels utilize such platforms for creating brand awareness, building relationships, and maintaining customer loyalty (Yazdanifard & Yee, 2014). Connecting with users via social media sites enables the hotels to receive customer feedback on their services. The hotels can improve their marketing strategy by using social platforms to promote their products to a diverse number of customers.

Explain the requirement and impact of selecting the correct equipment when developing an integrated food production and food service system.

Space and requirement

A food production and food service system requires ample space to function efficiently. One should seek and evaluate the area needed to set up or expand a food production system. Less space will result in congestion, and the staff might collide with each other while working. For instance, a four-door fridge might consume a lot of space if the majority of food produced does not require refrigeration. The extra space occupied by the refrigerator could be used for setting up a food rack.

Versatility of equipment

The management should purchase equipment that is efficient in maximizing profits for the hotel. For instance, a three-basket fryer might cook the same amount of fries as a two-basket fryer. The hotel should use the two-basket instead of the three. The hotel will save on space and electricity costs. The use of quality products that have higher performance will maximize profits.

Maintenance/servicing

Kitchen equipments bought should be durable and require fewer maintenance services. Increased maintenance cost of some of the kitchen appliances will minimize profits. The kitchen might utilize plastic equipment instead of glass to reduce instances of breaking. Employees should take care of equipments such as refrigerators by setting the right temperatures, checking the door seals, and defrosting.

Consider the criteria important for establishing standards in food and beverage departments and identify their advantages.

Forecasting

Forecasting is an essential strategy in every business entity. Forecasting allows proper planning and superior execution. Research indicates that predicting is a significant managerial function. Overproduction and under production are some of the problems that arise due to inaccurate forecasting (Ryu, 2002). A study using Mean Absolute Deviation (MAD) in a food service operation indicated that the simple exponential smoothing strategy provided accurate forecasts of production (Ryu, 2002). For this case, managers can use forecasting to reduce inventory costs, evaluate the future of the business, and utilize customer feedback for improvement of services.

Standard yields

Managers should set rules and regulations that monitor the operations of the food and beverage premises. A food production service should strive to improve standard pricing of their products to ensure prices are not high or low leading to management loses. Standards should be set for a p...