FOOD AND

BEVERAGE SERVICE

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 PART I

Food Service Equipment

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 Chapter 3
Food Service Equipment
• In this chapter you will learn
– Category of Food Service Equipment with examples
– Types of dining room furniture, their sizes, and uses
– Various linen and their uses, types of crockery and their uses
– Parts and types of glassware, their sizes, and uses
– Meaning of cutlery, flatware, and hollowware with examples
– Special service equipment and their uses
– Advantages and disadvantages of disposables
– Purchase considerations and storage of service equipment

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 Food Service Equipment

• Food service equipment includes all pieces of

equipment of furniture, crockery, cutlery, glassware, etc
used by the guests and the staff in the service area.
• A wide range of service equipment is available in the
market to suit various styles of food service operations.
• The atmosphere of the dining area is influenced by the
quality of the service equipment.

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Equipment Category and its
Examples

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 Furniture
• Dining room furniture is available in many
shapes, sizes, material, colour, texture, and
design. Furniture chosen must blend with the
décor of the service areas.

• Tables, Chairs, and sideboards are commonly

found furniture in food service areas.

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 Furniture
• Restaurant Tables:
– These tables are divided into two sections- table tops and
table bases.
– Table tops are available in many shapes, sizes, and
materials such as wood, glass, stone etc. The standard
shapes are rectangular, square, and round.
– Table bases are holding post of the tables and are available
in many designs. The selected table tops are fixed to the
table bases chosen .

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 Furniture
– Table tops of granite, marble, mica, or glass is used in
the outlet where the seat turn over is very high and the
service is informal. These table tops are not covered
with table cloth, but place mats are used.

– Wooden table tops are used in fine dining restaurants.

They have permanent cover of thick woollen cloth or
felt, called ‘baize’. The baize is never exposed to the
guests and it must always be covered with a clean table
cloth.
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 Furniture

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 Furniture
• Following table shows the table sizes and their capacities

• The Standard height of a dining table is 30”

• The size of the cover is 24” x 15”

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 Furniture
• Restaurant Chairs are available in wood, metal, and PVC
They are available in many styles, with arms and without
arms. The type of Chairs to be procured depends on the
target clients and profile of the restaurant.
• Wooden chairs- Favorite in steak houses and fine dining
restaurants.
• Metal chairs -provide a modern and sleek look. Available
in colours
• Moulded PVC chairs - suitable for cafeterias and low
budget eateries
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 Furniture

• Standard size of Chair

– Height of the chair ( from floor to the seat) : 18”

– From floor to the top of the chair : 39”
– Depth of the chair : 18”

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 Furniture

• High Chairs and booster Seats : Used for children.

They are available in variety of finishes and colours.
• Banquet Tables: Used in function catering and are
available in many shapes and sizes. The Common
ones are long and round tables.
• The size of commonly used long table is 6 x 2 ½’ and
8 x 2 ½’
• Other shapes of banquet tables are quarter round, half
round, and serpentine
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 Furniture

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 Furniture

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 Furniture

• Banquet Chairs: are used during function. These are

available with arms or without arms. The chairs should
be stackable, comfortable, strong , and sturdy

• Sideboard : It holds all the necessary cutlery,

crockery, hollowware, menu cards, check pads,
accompanying sauces, etc that are required during
service. It is also termed as a ‘dummy waiter’.

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 Furniture

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 Furniture

• Number of sideboards required for a service area

depends on

– Total number of covers

– space available
– style of service
– quantity of equipment to be held
– number of wait staff to share the sideboard

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 Furniture
• Reception Desk
• It is a high desk placed near the entrance of the
restaurants that accept reservations.
• It holds a telephone and a reservation book
• The keys of the sideboards, linen cupboards etc are
placed in the drawers of the desk
• Restaurants where seat turnover is very high and
customers walk in without reservations would not have
such a desk. Example fast food outlets, cafeterias etc

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 Linen

• ‘Linen’ in food service area refers to tablecloths,

napkins, tray cloths, slip cloths, buffet cloths, waiter’s
cloths, and tea cloths

• The fabric chosen should be long lasting, with non-

fading colours and must withstand frequent laundering
and stain removal process.

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 Linen

• Table cloth
– All tables with wooden top are covered with tablecloths
– The colour of the cloth must blend with colour scheme of the
interior
– Hotels with many restaurants may use different colored
tablecloths for each outlet for better control of linen
movement
– The size of the table cloth depends on the size of the table
to be covered

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 Linen

• The minimum fall of the table cloth from the edge of

the table is 9”
• To cover the table of 2’6’ square table, the minimum
size of the cloth is 48” x 48” which is calculated as
• Width of the table : 30”
• Add: fall of tablecloth on two sides : 18”
• Total : 48”

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 Linen

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 Linen
• Napkins
– Napkins are used for guests’ use, folded and kept
either in the glass, on side plate , or in the centre of
the cover.
– The folded napkins are kept in the glass for the
dinner, and on side plates or at the centre of the
cover for lunch. However this is not followed rigidly.
– All covers must have one type of fold and all
covers must have napkins placed in one position

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 Linen

• Points observed while folding the napkins

– Always use square, clean, and starched napkins
– Do not use torn or frayed napkins
– Make simple folds that do not require too much of handling
– Crease well at every stage of fold
– Avoid complicated folds as they look unimpressive when
unfolded

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 Linen

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 Linen

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 Linen

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 Linen

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 Linen
• Slip Cloth : It is used to cover the soiled table cloth
during the operations
• Waiter’s Cloth : It is used by waiters during the service
for wiping the edges of the dishes and for carrying the
hot dishes.
• This should be folded and carried just above the wrist
and never over the shoulder, around the neck, or
tucked inside the pocket.
• The cloth should be clean and changed immediately if
stained.
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 Linen

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 Linen
• Tray cloth : It is used for lining the tray for better
presentation and to provide good grip for the items
being carried.
• The cloth should be changed as and when it becomes
wet or soiled.
• To avoid frequent changing of cloth, rexin material
may be used which can be wiped dry

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 Linen
• Buffet Cloth: Buffet cloths of various sizes are used for
covering the buffet tables. The following must be
remembered while covering the buffet tables
– Centre crease of the cloth should run in the middle of the
table
– When more cloths are used, the overlapping of the cloth
should not be facing the entrance
– The fall of the cloth should be even all over, especially on
the front side

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 Linen

• Satin Cloth: It is draped around the front side of the

buffet table to cover the legs and to make the buffet
counter attractive. It is available in attractive colors.

• Tea Cloth: It is used for wiping cutlery and crockery.

The cloth should be lint free and changed frequently.

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 Crockery
• It includes all items of earthenware or chinaware such
as plates, cups and saucers, pots, vases etc
• Following are the different types of chinaware available
in the market
– Earthenware: It is cheaper, but easily chipped, and much
heavier than bone china
– Bone China: It is strong and translucent. Very expensive
– Porcelain: It is vitreous and translucent with blue or grey tinge.
It is used in oven-to-tableware dishes
– Stoneware: It is hard, tough, and vitreous crockery, fired at
high temperature. Available in bright colours.
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 Crockery
• Consider the following points while selecting
the chinaware
– Plates should have complete and even glaze
– Pattern or design should be under the glaze so that
it does not wear out
– Should be suitable for multi purpose
– Light weight and Stackable
– Suitable for machine washing
– Resistant to high temperatures
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 Crockery

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 Glassware
• Food and Beverage service outlets use variety of
glasses for different types of drinks. Glasses are named
by the drinks served in them.
• There are two types of glassware
– Plain glass
– Cut glass
• Glasses have any or all of the following parts
– Bowl
– Base or foot
– Stem
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 Glassware
• Glassware is classified into the following according to
their parts
– Tumbler: It is a bowl without stem or foot. Its sides may
be straight or widened. Examples Rock glass, Collins,
highball, juice glass
– Footed ware: In this, the bowl is attached to the base/foot
without stem. Examples Brandy balloon, Beer goblet
– Stemware: This type has all three parts. The stem
connects the bowl with the base. Examples Red wine
glass, white wine glass, Champagne saucer etc

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 Glassware
• The capacity of the glasses is either expressed
in ‘out’, oz, or ml
• The glassware chosen should
– be free from air bubbles
– have smooth, transparent, and even finish
– be relatively heavy and durable
– be resistant to impact and thermal shock
– be easy to replace
– not be cracked or chipped
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 Glassware

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 Glassware

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 Tableware
• Tableware refers to flatware, cutlery, and
hollowware
– Flatware means all forms of spoons and forks
– Cutlery refers to all types of knives and other cutting
implements used in the dining area. However, cutlery
is the common term in the hotel industry to refer to
spoons, knives, and forks
– Hollowware refers to all tableware other than cutlery.
Examples pots, jugs, butter dish, jugs, finger bowls
etc
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 Tableware
• Cutlery is available in various designs in silver, plated
silver, and stainless steel. The type of metal needed
depends on the profile of the restaurant, and the
capital available.
• Silver, and plated silver cutlery: expensive, suitable for
high-class restaurant. It is expensive and consumes
more labour for polishing.
• Stainless steel cutlery: It is cheap, easier to clean, and
resists scratching. Most food service operations prefer
Stainless Steel.
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 Tableware

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 Tableware

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 Special and Miscellaneous
Equipment and Their Uses
Given below are the some of the special and
miscellaneous equipment, their uses, and the storage
area. Refer to page no. 71 to 75 for more details

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 Tableware

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 Tableware

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 Disposables
• Disposables are extensively used in all types of
catering operations.
• Disposable cups, plates, knives, spoons, forks, table
rolls, place mats, napkins are some of the examples.
• Disposable has many advantages. It reduces
investment, labor on washing, laundry cost, storage
area, breakages etc.
• The main disadvantage of disposable is that it creates
litter, especially during the off premises catering.

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 Purchase Considerations for
Food service Equipment
• Following points must be considered while purchasing
the food service equipment
• Capital Available
• Type of clientele
• Style of Service
• Location
• Efficiency and durability
• Cost of Maintenance
• Replacement
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 Purchase Considerations for
Food service Equipment
• Menu Items
• Type of Meal on offer
• Storage
• Suitable for multiple applications
• Design and Pattern to suit the décor
• Operation Cost

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 Storage of Service Equipment

• Crockery: Clean crockery should be stored in piles of

20 to 25 for easier counting. The piles should be kept
covered and stored at convenient heights .
• Glassware: Clean and polished glasses should be
stored upside down in a cupboard or shelves lined
with paper or stored in plastic-coated wire racks. Do
not put one inside the other as this will cause cracks
and accidents to staff.

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 Storage of Service Equipment
• Linen: Linen of different sizes and colours should be
neatly folded and stored in linen racks or cupboards
lined with paper. The inverted fold of linen should be
outside for easier counting and picking up.
• Cutlery and Hollowware: Cleaned and polished
cutleries are segregated and stored in the
compartmental drawers of the sideboard. Hollowware
items are stored in shelves at a convenient height.
• Furniture: Chairs are stacked and covered and the
collapsible tables are stacked one over the other.
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 Points to Remember

• Wide range of service equipment is available in the

market to suit the requirement and the pocket of the
food service operators
• The quality of service equipment in use reflects the
profile the restaurant
• Wooden furniture are used in fine dining and specialty
restaurants and metal and moulded PVC chairs are
used in fast food joints, popular restaurants, cafeterias
and so on

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 Points to Remember

• Furniture chosen should be comfortable, easy to

maintain, sturdy, and durable.
• Linen should be long lasting, with non-fading colours
and must withstand frequent laundering and stain
removal process
• Tables with wooden top should always have ‘baize’
and covered with table cloth whereas other table tops
will have place mats
• All covers should have one type of napkin fold placed
in one position
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 Points to Remember

• Bone china crockery is strong, beautiful, but expensive.

Upscale restaurants use bone china
• Silver and Silver plated cutlery is very expensive and
the cost of maintenance is high while stainless steel
cutlery is cheaper, easy to maintain, and resists
scratches.
• The selected cutlery, crockery, and glassware should
be opt for multiple applications.
• Service equipment must be stored properly in the
appropriate place
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