The food and beverage service department of a hotel is the most labour intensive department. It is divided into sections called outlets for effective management control. Each outlet is headed by an outlet manager and has its own operational procedures. A food and beverage manager heads the department and he delegates authority and responsibilities to the outlet managers.

 BANQUET

This outlet is usually the largest revenue-earning outlet in the food and beverage service department. It serves food and beverage to a gathering of people at special function such as wedding, parties, receptions, cocktail dinner, seminars, conferences and meeting. Banquet function can be held at lunch or dinnertime and the pattern of operation may vary from one kind to another. The outlet also rents out banquet halls for exhibitions, concerts and other programmers.

Types of food service in banquets – The Indian banqueting menu consists of a fixed predetermined buffet menu selected from the varied cuisines of India or a selection of dishes from continental food.

Organising a banquet function- It is normally planned in advance, since considerable time is required for planning and organizing a function. However the food and beverage service personnel should be prepared for any exigency as guest may suddenly demand the unexpected.

The banquet outlet has its own staff that works in shifts to cater to these functions the banquets sales assistant are responsible for managing the banquet reservation system in the banquet office.

COFFEE SHOP:

It’s an outlet, which is open 24hrs a day and is usually found in star category hotels. The basic concept behind this type of operation is less priced and more turnover. The service is informal i.e. not very elaborate and formal. Generally the foods are pre- plated other then the Indian dishes where the entrée or the main course are placed on the table or sometimes being served by a waiter. Promptness of service is of prime importance. The prices of the food and beverage, which are being served, are not very high priced compared to a specialty restaurant. Being open for 24hrs it’s the only venue where one can get a decent meal on a …long after all the other restaurants have closed has a provision of serving many types of foods like Indian, Chinese, Continental and different types of alcoholic beverages are only served during permitted hours. (Sometimes varies from state to state.)

The revenue generated from this outlet is the second highest in the food and beverage service department.

 RESTAURANT

A restaurant is a commercial establishment committed to the sale of food and beverage. A restaurant may be a licensed part of a hotel operation, whereby the sales of the restaurant contribute to the sales performance of the hotel as a whole. Restaurants may also be independent business entities under individual ownership and management.

• Continental Restaurant

The atmosphere is more sophisticated and caters for people who can eat at leisure. The accent is on good continental food and elaborate service. 

• Specialty Restaurants:

Every five star hotel has at least one specialty restaurant, and it is specialist in serving one particular type of cuisine, but again now a day the concept of having a multi cuisine restaurant is also gaining popularity as they offer guests a wide variety of choice of food.

The service in this type of a restaurant is very formal and stylist. The prices of the food items in the menu are comparatively higher because of its higher overheads. The menu offered may either be an a la carte, buffet, or a table d hotel. Sometimes flambé dishes are also served where the food is prepared right in front of the guest from a special food trolley known as gueridon trolley and hence the waiter should be highly skilled. These restaurants normally function dinning lunch and dinner sessions. Entertainment in the form of music by a band or an orchestra may also be provided.

For a specialty restaurant to be profitable it should provide not only excellent food and service but also a good décor ambiance. The components used should be of high standards, as this will enrich the entire dinning experience of the guests.

ROOM SERVICE:

Is a very important part of food and beverage service department? The guest’s orders his or her food and beverage requirement over the phone from his room and the person taking the order is know as the Room Service Order Taker. He takes down the whole order on a kitchen order ticket (KOT) and for a beverage on a bar order ticket (BOT) with date and time of order taken and the service time and hands over the order ticket to the room service waiter, who in turn places the relevant order ticket either to the kitchen or the bar for drinks and subsequently picks them and serves them to the room at a specified time.

As far as the question of revenue earning is concerned it has a very small turnover. Considerable effort and labour is necessary to run this outlet and can be termed as a guest facility and operate 24hrs. The menu is similar to that of a coffee shop but the prices are slightly higher comparatively because of higher overheads i.e. in terms of staff and equipment.

The prime importance in this type of an outlet is accuracy and promptness i.e. the whole order taken has to be carried out accurately within the specified time. The outlet is headed by a outlet manager known as Room service manager. Under him there are captains followed by waiters. It is the responsibility of this captains and waiters to check each room service tray or trolleys so as to ensure they have the relevant food ordered by the guest along with necessary cover and accompaniments. There is always an average waiting time for each set of orders and this may vary from hotel to hotel.

In most of the hotels to speed up the service of food and beverage we have room service floor pantries from where the required cutleries, crockery and glassware and certain accompaniments required for serving of foods in a room is present.

Again the efficiency of a room service outlet is also measured in terms of clearance i.e. it is the responsibility of the room service waiting staff to ensure that all trays and trolleys are cleaned from the guest rooms after service is done because there is nothing more annoying to a guest the sight of used trays and trolleys in the corridors.

This department is also responsible for providing food and beverage amenities to regular guests and VIP’s, which may include fruit basket cookies, dry fruits and nuts and soft beverages and hard liquor.

BAR:

In a hotel this particular outlet can be divided into two and they are –

1. Public bar

2. Dispense bar

1. Public bar:

 Are situated in the public area of a hotel and caters to persons who pays for it irrespective of the fact whether they are in-house guests i.e. staying with the hotel or an outside guest. Cocktail snacks can be served and the prerequisites are served should be fast and discreet, good décor, ambiance, efficient staff and availability of wide variety of beverages.

2. Dispense bar:

 Generally situated at the back area of the hotel and is used for dispensing and serving drinks to the other outlets of the hotel such as the coffee shop, room service, banquets, specialty restaurants etc. other than the above outlets one may also come across outlets like a barbecue restaurants and a pastry cake shop a night club and a discotheque.

BARBEQUE RESTAURANT:

 The term barbeque is said to have originated from ancient French practice of cooking the whole animal over an open fire. (In French “Barbe” means beard and refers to the whiskers of the animal and “que” means the tail)

This type of an outlet is generally located near the swimming pool and of late has become very popular.

Normally during the day the space may be used for some other and in the evening it is used for private functions or a barbeque restaurant for an a la carte guest. The two main reasons of having a barbeque restaurant are:

• Increase the revenue of the hotel.

• Gives a variation of dinning i.e. provides the guests with another venue to dine. The food served here is barbequed cooked over a charcoal grill.

PASTRY AND CAKE SHOP:

 This outlet has become very popular in Indian luxury hotels during the last few years. It caters to both in-house and non-resident guests. It may be a self-service counter on a small area where there are a few tables with waiter service and is normally located at the lobby area of the hotel and mostly the business in this outlet is in the form of take- a ways.

DISCOTHEQUE:

A restaurant, which is meant for dancing to, recorded music being played by a disc jockey a live band, may also perform. An essential part of a discotheque is a bar while the food offered consists mainly of snacks.

NIGHT CLUBS:

 It is principally opens at night for dinners, dance and cabaret. A dispensing bar is always provided. Décor is lavish while service is elaborate. A live band is important to the set up.

Most establishments insist on formal wear so as to enhance the atmosphere.

SELF HELP OR CAFETERIA SERVICE: 

The second type of service is self-help or cafeteria service. This service cuts down the cost of labour and thereby the high price food. The clientele or the guest here waits on himself or herself. This indicates that if the service is of their own. Here the customer takes a tray or plate and moves along-selecting the dishes from the display counter, and arrives at the place where the cashiers totals up the trays contents and the customer having made his payments carries the tray to the table. The used dishes are collected and returned to the washing up area by the cafeteria staff. Mobile trolleys are convenient for this purpose.

Layout is a very important to ensure that the service is quick. Sufficient tables and chairs are provided in the dinning hall. The cafeteria unit must have a hot plate, refrigerator, a water cooler and a display counter. There should be a rail to rest and slide the trays upon. Some units have conveyer belts upon which the trays are placed. The service may be table d’hôte or a la Carte and the courses are provided in proper sequence. A strict supervision is very essential for a high-class cafeteria service. A spoon and knife and a fork wrapped in a napkin may be kept at one end of the counter for the customers to pick up.

 In India two types of cafeteria service are in operation. From the point of view of sales, in the first case coupons are sold at the beginning and the customers buy food equal to the value of the coupons, but he is restricted from buying anything more unless he goes again to get the additional coupons. Many a times the customers feel lazy to do this and so in such cases it sometimes results into a loss of the business.

In the second care the guest collects whatever he likes from the counter and pays at the end. If the cashier is not vigilant enough he can make mistakes in totaling, which may result into a loss of the business. But from the customers point of view this is a better arrangement.