PART – 1: Introduction to Food and Beverage Service

CHAPTER – 1: Food Service Industry

1.    Detailed note on the development of the food service industry in India.

The development of the food service industry or catering in India is mainly attributed to the British, who introduced hotels and restaurants similar to the ones in Europe. They also established resorts in the hill stations. The rapid development of transportation, especially the railways in the mid-nineteenth century, enabled people to move in large numbers. This led to the establishment of lodge and restaurants in and around the railway stations to cater to the need of the travellers. Refreshment rooms at railway stations and pantry cars in some of the trains were introduced.

Civil aviation developed rapidly after the Second World War. The introduction of the international flight services in the year 1948 and the mid – 1950s encouraged a lot of foreigners to visit India and also many international hotel chains such as the Sheraton, Holiday Inn, Intercontinental hotels, etc started operations in India.

Reputed hotels such as The Taj, The Oberoi, The Ambassador were well established when India became independent. After independence, the hospitality industry grew at a faster rate. As economic activities augmented, numerous eateries and hotels of different styles and sizes were established, which catered to the food and beverages services to the travelers and the general public.

2.       Explain the contribution of the ITDC towards the growth of the hospitality industry.

The Indian Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC) was set up in October 1966 with the objective of developing and expanding tourism infrastructure in the country and thereby promoting India as a tourist destination. ITDC succeeded in achieving its objectives by promoting the largest hotel chain in India and providing all tourist services such as accommodation, catering, transport, in – house travel agency, duty free – shopping, entertainment, publicity,, consultancy, etc under a single window.

It also offered consultancy services from concept to commissioning in the tourism field for private organizations.

3    Classification of catering sectors according to the priority given to the catering operations, profit motive, and the market they are catering to.

                                 i.            Classification of Food and Beverage sector broadly into two groups according to the priority given to the provision of food and beverages:

Primary Catering Services: Catering establishments which are primarily concerned only with the provision of food and beverages to the customers. Eg; Food service outlets, accommodation sectors, various types of restaurants and takeaways.

Secondary Catering sectors: Catering establishments in which the provision of food and beverages is not the main activity but a secondary or support activity. Eg; Institutional catering,transport cateringIndutrial catering, catering services in theatres, amusement parks, departmental stores, etc. the primary activity of these units is not the provision of food and beverages to the clients but for the activity for which it is set up.

                               ii.            Classification of  food service industry according to the profit motive:

Ø  Commercial

Ø  Welfare

Commercial Sectors: These operate mainly to earn profit and earn adequate return on investment through the provision of food and beverage services, eg; F&B outlets within hotels/resorts/motels/clubs, stand-alone restaurants, popular restaurants,pubs, bars, coffee shops, fat food outlets etc.

Welfare Sectors: These operate mainly to provide services at no profit and loss basis. Mostly run by private bodies or government and operates within their outlined budget for the provision of F&B services, eg; school catering, university catering, hospital catering, military catering, prison catering, etc.

                              iii.            Classification of  food service industry according to Market/type of customer: Food and beverage sectors provide various markets. Some of these services to the general public while others only to restricted groups.

 Non-captive markets: The customers have a choice where to eat. The type of restaurant chosen maybe a fine dining restaurant of a deluxe hotel, stand-alone restaurant, coffee shops, fast food outlet, specialty restaurant.

Captive market: The customers do not have a choice where to eat and have to avail services provided by a particular catering outlet, eg; college students staying in hostels, hospital patients, old age homes, prisoners and industrial workers.

Semi-captive market: The customers have a limited  choice of where to eat. In such a market the customers have a choice before selecting the food and beverges. Once these choices are made, the customers have no choice but to content with what is offered. Eg; Passengers travelling by trains and airlines may take food and beverages

epared in the pantry or wait till the destination arrives, Highway travellersalso have a limited choice of taking food and beverages from any outlets located on the highways.

4.     Classification of the customers in the food service industry

Classification of the food service industry according to Market/type of customer: Food and beverage sectors provide various markets. Some of these services to the general public while others only to restricted groups.

 Non-captive markets: The customers have a choice where to eat. The type of restaurant chosen maybe a fine dining restaurant of a deluxe hotel, stand-alone restaurant, coffee shops, fast food outlet, specialty restaurant.

Captive market: The customers do not have a choice where to eat and have to avail services provided by a particular catering outlet, eg; college students staying in hostels, hospital patients, old age homes, prisoners and industrial workers.

Semi-captive market: The customers have a limited choice of where to eat. In such a market the customers have a choice before selecting the food and beverages. Once these choices are made, the customers have no choice but to content with what is offered. Eg; Passengers travelling by trains and airlines may take food and beverages prepared in the pantry or wait till the destination arrives, Highway travelers also have a limited choice of taking food and beverages from any outlets located on the highways.

5.    Difference between a coffee shop from a specialty restaurant

Specialty Restaurant: Such kind of restaurants serves specialty dishes and operates mostly during the luncheon and dinner hours (3pm – 7pm – 11pm). The ambience and décor of such restaurants reflects the theme of the specialty restaurant and may specialize either in a particular type of food such as fish and chips, pastas, steaks or a particular type of cuisine for example, Indian, Chinese, Mediterranean, Italian, etc.

Coffee Shop: The concept of coffee shops has come from the USA. It is a restaurant that mainly serves snacks and beverages 24 hrs a day; however it may also serve all the three meals. Most coffee shops cater to the need of the customers at any time of the day. The service and ambience of the coffee shops are informal. The furnitures and the service equipments are not very expensive. The staffs work in three shifts and the main thrust is on 24 hrs operations, quick service and high seat turnover.

6.    Features of a popular restaurant.

Popular Restaurant: These type of restaurants are informal, yet hygienically kept and are located in a busy area such as bus stands, railway stations, shopping area, etc. Popular restaurants cater to the needs of the middle class and the customers are in a hurry. These restaurants may have chaat counters, fruit juice counters and takeaway counters separately either inside the restaurant, within the vicinity of the guests or outside the restaurant. During luncheons hours, these restaurants serve business lunch, mini lunch and thali meals in separate areas to speed up the services. The area of the popular restaurants are quite large with more number of covers. It serves the dishes that are popular and highly in demand in the locale with quick services and are moderately priced. It operates from 7 am to 11pm. The cutlery used are very minimal, made of stainless steel and restricted to spoon and fork. Example; Annapurna and Saravana Bhavan restaurants in Tamil Nadu are some examples of popular restaurants.

7.    Dhaba

Dhaba: Dhabas are roadside food stalls found on national and state highways, mainly catering to the requirements of heavy vehicle crew. It specializes in Punjabi cuisine and tandoor cooking, serving very limited dishes, which are freshly prepared. The dishes are kept on tables with service spoons for customers to help themselves. Coir cots are used for the customers to sit on and narrow table is used for placing the dishes and eat. The dishes served here are inexpensive and taste like home – made food. It is also frequented by the youth and families at times. It offers both vegetarian and non – vegetarian dishes.

8.    Difference between a night club and a discotheque.

Discotheque: Operates during night hours and provides a dance floor for the guests to dance on. Special sound and lighting effect is created for an appropriate ambience. Drinks, specially beer and snacks are made available during the operations. The service is very informal. It is patronized mostly by the youth and couples. The dress code is not insisted upon. It is generally located in secluded places in hotels, so as to avoid disturbances to the other guests. The entry is limited to a certain number of guests according to the floor/room capacity and an entry fee is levied.

Night Club: It operates during the night and offers dinner, dance and live entertainment. Cabarets or floor shows are the main attractions of the night club. Couples can dance on the floor to the music performed by live bands or recorded music. The guests here are required to wear a formal wear. Dinner and wine are served at the table and guests can have their meal while enjoying the show/performances. Night clubs levy an entry fee.

9.    Features of a cafeteria.

The traditional cafeteria system consists of a straight line of counters containing a variety of hot and cold dishes. The customers start at the end of a line, pick up a tray, and move along the length of the counter as they select the dishes they want to have. This form of service is widely followed in institutional and industrial catering establishments.

In modern free flow cafeteria system, the counters are segregated according to the type of dishes offered – hot or cold, appetizers, soups, breads, sandwiches, etc.

In most cafeteria style operations in India, guests make payment at the cash counter beforehand for the items they want to eat and collect them against the bill at the appropriate counter(s). Cafeterias are situated in railway stations, cinema halls, shopping complexes, college premises, office premises, etc where the guests expect quick services. The tables in a cafeteria provide the basic accessories such as cruets, straw holder, napkin dispenser and water glasses. The water services and the table clearance will be done by waiters.

1     Influencing factors in the selection of a restaurant?

The influencing factors in the selection of a restaurant are largely governed by the external and internal factors.

External Factors:

Are the factors originating outside the organization on which the management has no control, thus determining the F&B operations.

Following are some of the major external influences:

·         Political

Ø  Government policies and regulations on food packaging, processing, food safety, disposable system, pollution control, labour laws, etc.

Ø  Tax laws – VAT, service tax, luxury tax, etc.

·         Economic

Ø  Increasing cost of the raw materials, labour, water and energy.

Ø  Changes in the disposable income of the society

Ø  Credit policies of the suppliers

Ø  Loan policies for starting the venture

Ø  Rate of interest

·         Social

Ø  Changes in the eating habit of the people

Ø  Growth of ethnic minorities that demand particular r cuisine or preparations

Ø  Changes in the population distribution

Ø  Changes in the socio – economic grouping of the area

·         Technical

Ø  Advancement in the food processing technology

Ø  High tech food production and service equipment

Ø  Information technology

Internal Factors:

Are the factors originating within the organization on which the management has its own control. Some of the major internal influences that govern the operation are as follows:

·         Food and Beverage

Ø  Highly perishable nature of food commodities

Ø  Wastage, pilferage and poor portion control of food and beverages

·         Staff

Ø  High level of staff turnover

Ø  Absenteeism

Ø  Poor supervision

Ø  Shortage of staff

Ø  Unskilled staff

·         Control

Ø  Store control procedures

Ø  Purchase procedures

Ø  Proper cash and control to avoid theft

Ø  Correct pricing of dishes

Ø  Issue procedures