FOOD AND BEVERAGE SERVICE THEORY

HANDBOOK
MEAL PLANNING AND MANAGEMENT

INTRODUCTION

In the recent years, eating away from home has been on the increase and
there is a widening diversity in the nature and the type of food and beverage
on offer.

The hospitality industry (Catering/Hotel industry) has a greatly expanded

demanding improved professionalism in food and beverage service staff.

There is even greater need for more people to make their career in this noble
profession alongside the need for improved confidence and performance
through higher standards of knowledge and skills.

Food and beverage service staffs are

employed in huge variety of establishments in the hospitality industry, but

their basic roles does not differ no matter what type of restaurant, hospitals or
other venue they work in.

The number of food and beverage service staff and their positions in an
establishment hierarchy depend on their size of operation and service offered. The
function of the waiting staff; large,medium or small establishments remain the
same.

BENEFITS THAT ACCRUE AFTER LEARNING FOOD AND BEVERAGE

SERVICE AND SALE

After learning food and beverage service and sale (meal planning), one will be able
to:-
i) Appreciate the organisation of food and beverage service outlets.
ii) Know appropriate equipment for variety of food and beverage
service outlets
 iii) Relevant skills for food and beverage
iv) Control and direct operations in any food and beverage outlets
v) Good guest care (interpersonal skills)
vi) Promote health and safety as regards the employees, guest and
property.

DEFINITION OF TERMS

Food and beverage service

- Is the essential link between the menu, beverage list, tent menus and
other services on offer in an establishment away from home
- Is the professional presentation of food and drinks to a customer in
a given establishment away from home

Food
- Is anything either solid, liquid or paste form possessing a chemical
composition which enables it swallowed to do one or more of these four
things:-

i) Provide body with energy

ii) Build and repair worn out tissues
iii) Provide body heat
iv) Make the body grow

- Can include a wide range of styles and cuisine types. These can be by
country, ethnic group or international meal that is universal to everybody.

Beverages
- This is an inclusive of all drinks i.e. alcoholic and non-alcoholic
beverages
Examples of alcoholic beverages: -cocktails, beers, ciders, spirits, wines,
liqueurs e.t.c.
Examples of non-alcoholic beverages: - Mineral water, spring water, aerated
water, juices, squashes e.t.c.
Hotel
- Place where there is provision of food, drink and accommodation.

Restaurant
 - Place where there is provision of foods and drinks generally at high price
with high levels of service.
- They Commercial enterprise committed to the sale of food and beverage
for profit.

Service
- Is the act of filling the needs, wants, and desires of the guest? Service is
what servers provide to meet the expectations of the guests when they
come to dine ( i.e. Guests expect a clean table, clean dishes and utensils,
safe food, hot foods served hot, and cold foods served cold).

Hospitality
- Means creating a pleasant dining experience for your guests with small
gestures like giving a friendly greeting, smiling-even when tired,
remembering names, hanging up coats, pulling out chairs, remembering a
returning guest’s favourite drink, knowing exactly what is ordered, and
anticipating what the guest needs next.

- It is paying close attention to detail. It is acknowledging guest promptly,

making friendly small talk, and saying a pleasant goodbye when the guest
leave the restaurant. It is reading the guests and always making them feel
comfortable, welcome, and important.
- Hospitality is a key element to bri5nging the guests back and to
increasing the amount of your tip.

ELEMENTS REQUIRED FOR THE SUCCESS OF FOOD AND

BEVERAGE SERVICE

(Question:-What do you require to be successful in food and beverage service?)

One requires blending or combination of four key things as follows:-
i) Sound product knowledge
ii) Well developed interpersonal skills ( how you relate to
customers)
iii) A range of technical skills ( variety of technical skills)
iv) Team work ( ability to work as a team.)

N/B Working in food and beverage service offers a wealth of opportunity for
professional development and advancement: for those committed to the hospitality
industry and to working in food and beverage service, a fulfilling, exciting and
enjoyable career awaits.

TYPES OF ESTABLISHMENT THAT PROVIDES FOOD AND

BEVERAGE.
They are several namely:-
- Hotels -motels - Restaurants - Schools
- Hospital - Prisons - varsities and college
- Cafeteria - Food courts - Public houses e.t.c

IMPORTANCE OF FOOD AND BEVERAGE SERVICE

This is viewed in relation to:-

i) Customers
ii) Employees
iii) Establishment

CUSTOMERS
It aims at meeting customers’ needs and these include:-

i) Physiological needs
- This involves satisfying one’s appetite or quenching the thirst need; the
need for special foods (diabetic, vegetarian)

ii) Economical needs

- This involves the need for good value; rapid fast service; a convenient
location.

iii) Social needs

- When desiring enjoyable company; going out with friends or business
colleques; attending function to meet others.

iv) Psychological needs

- Needs for enhancement of self-esteem; fulfilling life-style needs; need
for variety; results of advertising and promotion.

v) Convenience needs
- This is as result of being unable to get home (shopper, workers) or having
to attend some other events (cinema, theatre); desire for someone else to
 do the work; the physical impossibility of catering at home (wedding,
other special functions)

EMPLOYEES
i) Need to earn an income to support and improve
standards(monetary benefit)
ii) Need to practice and increase skills and knowledge.
iii) For esteem purposes (job satisfaction).

ESTABLISHMENTS
i) To maximise sales and achieve profits.
ii) To expand business.
iii) To be competitive enough to cut a market niche.
N/B provision of food and beverage away from home forms a substantial of the
activities of the hotel and catering industry. The hotel and catering industry is
considered to cover all undertakings concerned with the provision of food and
drink and accommodation away from home.

THE MEAL EXPERIENCE

- Is a series of events both tangible and intangible that a customer
experiences when eating out.
It is assumed that the main part of the experience begins when the customers
enters a restaurant and ends when they leave. Any feeling that a customer may
have when they arrive at the restaurant and when they leave should also be taken
into account and included as part of the total meal experience.
The main aim of food and beverage operations is to achieve customer satisf
action hence enhancing the total meal experience. i.e to meet the customer’s needs.
This series of events is divided into:-
i) Tangible aspects- e.g food and drink
ii) Intangible aspects- e.g service, atmosphere e.t.c.
The tangible and intangible aspects must be integrated together to present a total
product to the customer i.e all components of the meal experience should be in
harmony