Food and Beverage Operations: Full-Service Hotels Chapter 11 Food and Beverage Operations: Full-Service Hotels

Learning Objectives To show the organizational structure used in smaller hotels’ food and beverage operations. To show the organizational structure used in larger full-service hotels’ food and beverage operations. To examine how hoteliers assess guest needs when planning food and beverage offerings.

Learning Objectives To review important operating procedures related to purchasing, receiving, storing, issuing, and producing food and beverage products. To present management concerns related to serving à la carte meals, room-service and banquets in a hotel.

Hotel Food and Beverage Offerings Full service hotels typically offer guests one or more of the following F&B options: A la carte dining Banquets Room service Bars/ lounges

Organization of Hotel Food and Beverage Operations In the U.S., the average full-service hotel can generate 25% or more of its total revenue from food and beverage sales. Some properties, especially those with large-volume convention/meeting/ banquet business can generate food and beverage revenues approaching 50% of total hotel revenues.

Organization of Hotel Food and Beverage Operations Smaller Hotels General Manager Food and Beverage Manager Head Cook/Chef Restaurant and Banquet Manager Head Bartender

Organization of Hotel Food and Beverage Operations Larger Hotels Hotel General Manager Food and Beverage Manager Executive chef Sous chef Banquet chef Catering Manager Banquet Manager Restaurant Manager Room Service Manager Beverage Manager Head Bartender

Menu Planning Managers must use marketing principles to learn what guests will buy and the prices guests will pay if they are to effectively differentiate their businesses from their competitors.

Menu Planning Guest Concerns Purpose of Visit Guests want an experience in line with the purpose of their visit. They may just be hungry (for example, when travelers on an interstate highway stop at a roadside hotel) They may be discussing business They may be a couple or a family visiting an upscale hotel restaurant to celebrate a special occasion.

Menu Planning Guest Concerns Value Value (food service): The guest’s perception of the selling price of a menu item relative to the quality of the menu item, service, and dining experience received.

Menu Planning Guest Concerns Demographic Factors Demographic Factors: Characteristics such as age, marital status, gender, ethnicity, and occupation that help to describe or classify a person as a member of a group.

Menu Planning Guest Concerns Other Factors Social factors such as income, education, and wealth may influence what guests desire. Other factors, including guests’ lifestyles and even their personalities (for example, the extent to which they like to try “new” foods) can be relevant to menu-planning decisions.

Menu Planning Operating Concerns There are a variety of operating-related factors that must be considered when planning menus: Product Purchases Layout/Design Concerns Equipment Availability Production Volumes

Food Service Control Points Procurement After the menu is planned the ingredients needed to produce the items on it will be known.   All ingredients must be procured (obtained) using effective purchasing procedures.

Food Service Control Points Procurement Another purchasing factor relates to the quantity of items needed. The price is right when the cost of a food item or ingredient provides a good value.

Food Service Control Points Procurement The right time for product delivery must also be considered. The right supplier consistently delivers the right quality and quantities of product at the right price and at the right time.

Food Service Control Points Receiving, Storing and Issuing After products are purchased they must be received, stored, and issued to production areas. Storing is the process of holding products in a secure space with proper temperature, humidity, and product rotation until they are needed. Issuing involves moving products from the storage area to the place of production.

Food Service Control Points Production Production: All of the cooking and preparation processes used to ready products for consumption.

Food Service Control Points Production Standardized recipe: A written explanation about how a food or beverage item should be prepared. It lists the quantity of each ingredient, preparation techniques, portion size and other information production personnel need to ensure that the item is always prepared in the same way.

Food Service Control Points Serving and Service The process of moving products from production to service personnel is called serving. Service personnel deliver food and beverage products to guests in a process called service. Both serving and service procedures must be professionally planned and executed.

À la Carte Dining Serving and Service Some of the most import of these activities include: Getting ready for service Service procedures

À la Carte Dining Getting Ready for Service When food is prepared it can be served in a variety of styles including: American (Plated) Service Traditional French Service Russian (Platter) Service  English (Family) Service Buffet (Self-Service) Counter (Bar) Service

À la Carte Dining Service Procedures Preparing to serve food properly requires staff to undertake a variety of activities including: Ensuring tables, chairs, and booths are clean, safe, and steady Checking to assure that tablecloths, if used, are correctly placed and are clean and free of burns, holes, and tears

À la Carte Dining Service Procedures Ensuring place settings are positioned according to the hotel’s standards Confirming there are no water spots or fingerprints on glassware, flatware or other service ware

À la Carte Dining Service Procedures Preparing service staff is equally important. Items to discuss prior to service may include: Specific server station assignments Daily specials New menu items Estimates of business volume Targeted Training sessions

Room Service Service Procedures Room service is the hotel term that describes the entire process of delivering menu items to guests in their rooms.

Room Service Profitability It is a service to guests and some guests may select a property based on its availability. The offering of room service (especially on a 24/7 basis) can add significantly to guests’ perceptions of a hotel’s exclusiveness and attention toward guest needs.

Room Service Profitability Some hotel rating services (for example: the American Automobile Association: (AAA) only assign their highest ratings to hotels that offer room service.

Room Service Menu Planning Creative hoteliers know that room service menus can be used to sell other hotel products and services. For example: An invitation on the room service breakfast menu to call about daily dinner specials in the dining room can also interest guests in thinking ahead about their evening dinner plans.

Room Service Menu Planning Alternatives such as pictures and menu item descriptions written in the languages most used by the hotel’s international guests may be solutions.

Room Service Operating Issues It is difficult to correct errors in any food service operation, but especially in the area of room service. It is important to get room service orders right the first time to maintain high guest check averages.

Total Number of Guests Served Room Service Operating Issues Total Revenue Total Number of Guests Served Guest Check Average

Room Service Operating Issues Point of Sale (POS) system: A computer system that maintains a record of guests’ food and beverage purchases and payments. When orders are placed, these systems provide information about whether guests are permitted to charge meals purchases to their room folios or if the meals must be paid for at the time of delivery.

Room Service In Room Service Asking guests where the room service meal should be placed Explaining procedures for retrieval of room service items Presenting the guest check and securing signature or payment

Banquet Operations In Room Service The availability of a wide variety of types and sizes of banquet events sold by a hotel’s catering sales staff is an important factor separating hotel food and beverage departments from many of their counterparts in other segments of the food service industry.

Banquet Operations Profitability Banquets are frequently used to celebrate special events. This provides the opportunity to sell menu items that are more expensive and, therefore, higher in contribution margin. The number of meals to be served is known in advance; in fact, there is a formal guarantee.

Banquet Operations Profitability The event will have known starting and ending times making it easier to schedule production and service staff There is less likelihood of overproduction of food and subsequent waste.

Banquet Operations Menu Planning These include concerns about: guest preferences the ability to consistently produce items of the desired quality the availability of ingredients required to produce the menu items production/service staff with appropriate skills

Banquet Operations Menu Planning equipment, layout or facility design issues nutritional issues sanitation peak volume production capabilities the ability to generate required profit levels at the selling prices that are charged

Banquet Operations Banquet Event and Contracts A banquet contract should detail: Time of Guarantee Cancellation policies Guarantee-reduction policy Billing

Banquet Operations Other Banquet Concerns Special concerns banquet managers have about banquet rooms include: Banquet Room Set-Up Banquet Service Style Control of Beverage Functions

Banquet Operations Other Banquet Concerns Banquet Room Set-Up A hotel’s banquet rooms (also called function rooms) must be set up by the hotel’s staff to reflect the type and purpose of the event to be held.

Banquet Service Styles Banquet Operations Other Banquet Concerns Banquet Service Styles Banquet events can involve numerous ways to serve food and beverage products to guests, including Butler service.

Control of Beverage Functions Banquet Operations Other Banquet Concerns Control of Beverage Functions Many banquets include the offering of alcoholic beverages. There are several common ways that beverages sold at banquet events can be charged for and priced.

Control of Beverage Functions Banquet Operations Other Banquet Concerns Control of Beverage Functions Additional labor charges for the following types of labor may be assessed. bartenders and barbacks (bartender assistants) beverage servers cashiers security personnel valet (parking) staff coat room employees