Food and Beverage Operations - Assignment Example

Food and Beverage Operations Various Food and Beverage Systems There are various production systems. The traditional system involves purchasingraw foods. Facilities take care of receiving, storing, preparing, cooking, holding, serving, and washing (cleanup) of foods. Each day the work starts and stops and the cycle continues. The most daily work is right before the meal is served. This is not the most efficient way of doing things. The centralised production system separates the production of food from the service of food by place, time, or both place and time. The food is delivered to the area where it will be served in batches or pre-portioned. It may be ready to serve when it is delivered or it may need to be cooked and finalised (as it is still cold or frozen) in another kitchen, or a second kitchen. The sous vide is the most recently developed system of preparing food. Raw foods are prepared (such as by browning), then placed in vacuum sealed bags or pouches, and then steam-cooked at high temperatures that will pasteurize them. The food can then be served to the customers or chilled and stored. Food prepared this way can be stored for up to twenty-one days. The cook-freeze process means a catering system that requires fully cooking and then rapidly freezing the food. Then it is stored at temperature of -18 degrees or below. The food will be reheated before serving to customers. Care should be taken to prevent the food from being contaminated and to make sure that the stock is rotated and is fresh. The cook-chill process is also a catering process. The food is fully cooked and quickly chilled at just before the point of freezing-0 degrees Celsius to 3 degrees Celsius. Then it must be reheated before being served to customers. The shelf life of foods prepared by the cook-chill process is much shorter than foods prepared by the cook-freeze process as the shelf life is only five days (including the day of production, the time it takes to be distributed, and the time it takes for regeneration. There are various types of service. Table service requires a waiter delivering food to the customer's table. This is the most leisurely type of service. Various types of table service include: --American service: Each plate is proportioned and put on the plate in the kitchen and then presented to the customer. --French service: This elaborate method involves preparing food in the kitchen, arranging food on a silver salver and then delivered to the restaurant. Then the food is transferred to a gueridon and heated by a rechaud. Then the food is served from the silver salvers on to each customer's plate and presented. --Russian service: Also known as "silver service". Food is prepared and portioned in the kitchen, placed on silver salvers and then moved to the restaurant. Food is served on the customer's dinner plate. --English service: Usually only used for private functions. Food is prepared in the kitchen but it is delivered in whole or complete. For example, instead of proportioning a piece of meat, a whole turkey or ham will be presented before carving. The cutting of the meat and serving of the side dishes are performed in front of the guests. --Counter service: This is service is not suitable for large groups. Customers sit on stools at a counter and people arrive in streams-as individuals, couples, and groups comprising of four to six people. A la carte means have a variety of choices on the menu with a separate price for each item. Table d'hote is a complete with limited choices at a fixed price. Silver service is often performed by a waiter who serves guests at the table using forks and knives. The food is served with a salver on to the plate and then placed in front of customers. This is also known as the Russian service. Family service is similar to that of the American service. The gueridon service is when silver salvers of food is placed on a small cart called a gueridon which has a rechaud to heat the food before serving. French service uses this. Specialist food service systems comprise of the Russian service and the English service. They have both been explained in detail in this writing. The production and service system of the restaurant at the Brighton Beach Hotel employs the traditional method. Most foods on the menu are prepared fresh but a few are prepared the night before or placed in the microwave in order to save some time. The staff members who work the day shift from 7:30/8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. prepare the breakfast. The person doing the breakfast is not necessarily to be a qualified chef. However, he or she can be the receptionist/housekeeper depending on how many rooms the hotel was booked one day before. This person handles the preparation and starts half an hour early. Such preparation tasks include switching on the oven and grill, cutting the mushrooms and tomatoes, etc. Muffins and croissants are warmed in the oven. The bacon and sausages are precooked the day before and kept refrigerated. The housekeepers work in the dining room and do other preparations. After breakfast, the kitchen is cleaned, swept, and mopped. The dining room and washing room applies the same cleaning, sweeping, and & mopping. The dining room requires the setting of tables. Food and Beverage Operations The Importance of Financial Controls within Food and Beverage Operations Financial Statements/Cost and Selling Price of Food and Beverage Items Dish-costing sheets allow individuals to list and evaluate/grade the quantity, ingredients, unit cost, and total cost of a dish. Three major components are analysed in order to determine the cost of operating a catering department or unit. These components, or headings as shown on a cost statement, are material costs, labour costs, and overhead. Material costs include the price of food and beverage that is consumed. The cost of additional products and items should also be included. If staff consume any food or beverages for there meals, this cost should be taken out (deducted) from the cost of materials and added to the labour costs. Hence, the formula for calculating the food cost is: open stock + cost of purchase - closing cost - cost of staff meals = material costs. Labour costs include the cost of employee salaries and wages plus other expenses and contributions that are paid by the employer. These may include taxes that are paid to the government, staff meals, staff bonuses, retirement funds, pension funds, expenses, etc. Overhead costs consist of rent, insurance, rates, depreciation, dishes (China, glassware, stemware, etc.), and capital equipment. The element of cost and net profit is expressed as a percentage of sales. This is common practise as the volume of business changes frequently in the catering business or industry. A simple operating statement can identify the behaviour of the different types of cost and profit relative to a change in the volume of sales. The statement shows the sales costs and profit for a certain number of consecutive months. It shows the number of covers, average spend per customer, total sales, fixed costs, variable costs, semi-fixed costs, total cost, and net profit. The operating statement for a restaurant shows the behaviour of costs and profit within a given change in the volume of sales. As just stated, not only should the nature of costs be examined (such as the cost of materials, overhead, and labour) but the behaviour of costs in relation to changes in volume should also be reviewed. Costs may be categorised and identified as: 1) Fixed Costs-These remain the same regardless of changes in the volume of sales. For example, the rate of rent, insurance, and labour stays the same despite the volume of sales. 2) Semi-Fixed Costs-These costs do not increase proportionately to increases in sales. These costs contain a fixed and variable cost element. An example of a fixed cost is the phone bill service as the rent of the phone remains the same but the costs of phone calls changes depending on the number and location of the calls. 3) Variable Costs-These costs change and vary according to the changes in sales volume. In other words, variable costs change in proportion to the sales unit. I.e., the cost of food and beverage will change (increase or decrease) according to the changes of sales. If sales increase, then the cost of these items will also go up. If sales decrease, the cost of food and beverages will go down. 4) Total Cost-This is the sum of the fixed costs, semi-fixed costs, and variable costs. There are three major categories, or kinds, of profit. The main kinds of profit that are dealt with in the food and beverage industry are: 1) Gross Profit-Total sales minus total sales equals gross profit. 2) After-Wage Profit (Net Margin)-Total sales minus (material plus labour costs) equals after-wage profit (or net margin) 3) Net Profit-Total sales minus total costs (material plus labour plus overhead costs). The three major kinds of profits are normally used as measuring performance against past results and budgeted targets. Hence, by examining an operating system of a restaurant one can find the behaviour of costs and profit with a given change in the volume of sales. To achieve the volume of sales desired, there are three factors to consider when pricing. These factors are: 1) The nature of the demand for the product-Demand is considered to be "elastic" because it is sensitive of the sales volume to changes in price. For a product to have an elastic demand means that when there is a slight/small decrease in the price charged, there would be a large/significant in sales and a small increase would deliver a significant increase in sales. On the other hand, a product that has an elastic demand would not result in a significant increase or decrease in sales if there is a small increase or decrease in price. An example of this would be changing the price slightly on the cost of a hamburger or a menu item. 2) The level of the demand for the product-Demand in the food and beverage industry tends to change on a daily basis. Typically, fluctuating demands affect volume of sales and leads to facilities that are unused and staff without work. This is why it is crucial to be flexible in pricing. Although profitability is not the greatest with this approach, companies in this industry use this more commonly as they focus on increasing the volume of sales. An example of flexible pricing would be a weekend sale at a store. A uniform rate of gross profit is not usually applied to all items on a food menu. Although this is simple, it is not practical since factors such as capital investment and capital are not included. Along with the ignoring of factors that are important, the prices will be exaggerated. I.e., if an item is at a high price, it will be extremely high and if another item is priced low then it will be extremely low. This also does not give room for any flexibility when selling items. By employing different profit margins, the sales mix of items on the food menu or list of beverages. By being competitively balanced (regarding prices) businesses can more easily achieve their desired gross profit and revenue and appeal to customers. A menu should be designed to meet the needs of the customer. Large menus will offer a larger selection but it will also require more time for customers to make a decision. It is important to know that the larger a menu, the management's role will be. Short menus may not provide customers with enough selections. It is good to find a balance based on the needs and wants of the customer. Correct language, accuracy, and pricing should be used. An accurate menu is one that has the correct prices and the selections are available. Accurate pricing means all costs are included but that the price is still attractive. Customers are now more conscious of the nutritional content of dishes on the menu. However, nutritional content is of more concern in the welfare sector than the commercial sector. Factors such as fixed costs, semi-fixed costs, variable costs, total cost, profit (gross profit, wages profit, and net profit) are commonly used in calculating the cost and selling price of food and beverage. This will allow a food and beverage business, or a catering service, to determine a suitable sales mix and different margins. A breakdown of the costs of dishes on a menu is as follows: Tandoori Style Chicken (Four Servings) Ingredient __ Unit__________ Price per Amount______ Chicken 1.25 kg 1.25 Lemon Juice 3 tbsp 0.10 Salt 1 tbsp 0.10 Garam masala 2 tbsp 0.20 Yoghurt 450 ml 0.75 Chilies 1-2 0.10 Total Cost 2.50 Cost per Portion 0.63 Preparation Methods for Tandoori Style Chicken: Cut each chicken leg into two pieces and each breast into four pieces. Make two deep slits crossways on the meaty parts of each leg and breast piece. The slits should be slight and should not start at an edge and should be deep enough to reach the bone. Spread the chicken pieces on two large platters. Sprinkle and rub one side with half the salt and half the lemon juice. Turn them over and repeat on the second side. Set aside for 20 minutes. To make the marinade: combine the yoghurt, onion, garlic, ginger, chilies and garam masala in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Strain this paste through a coarse sieve into a large bowl, straining liquids out. Place the chicken and all its juices into the bowl containing the marinade. Rub the marinade into the slits within the meat. Cover and refrigerate for 8-24 hours. Preheat the oven to maximum temperature and set a shelf in the top third of the oven where it is hottest. Remove chicken pieces from the marinade and spread them (single layer) on a large, shallow baking tray. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Be sure that they are thoroughly cooked. Remove chicken pieces from juices and serve with lemon or lime wedges. Chicken Soup Ingredient __ Unit__________ Price per Amount______ Chicken 50g 0.50 Fennel 0.25g 0.05 Dried Tomato 25g 0.10 Onion 1 0.05 Chicken Stock 300ml 0.25 Soya Margarine 25g 0.15 Total Cost 1.10 Cost per Portion 0.55 Preparation Methods for Chicken Soup: Preheat a large saucepan. Melt the margarine and saut the onion. Add fennel, sun dried tomatoes, bacon and chicken and stir. Pour in the chicken stock. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 12-15 minutes. Add Soya crme and fresh herbs right before serving. Yoghurt with Strawberries Ingredient __ Unit__________ Price per Amount______ Strawberries 4-6 0.10 Yoghurt 450 ml 0.75 Preparation Methods for Yoghurt with Strawberries: Wash strawberries, remove leaves and stems, and slice. Stir strawberries into yoghurt. Place yoghurt and strawberries into glasses or custard cups and serve immediately. Food and Beverage Operations The Importance of Financial Controls within Food and Beverage Operations Purchasing Process Purchasing requires researching, selecting, purchasing, obtaining receipts, storing, and using (final use) of a commodity. Having a purchasing procedure will help assist for overall inspection of the goods purchased and received, documents being stored as they should, the commodities are stored and used properly, etc. This helps to keep the costs from increasing and it is a system of checks and accountability. The five steps of the purchasing procedure are listed below: 1) A requisition form from an authorized member of staff, for example, head chef, restaurant manager or form the storekeeper is prepared. This will be used to inform the purchasing manager of items that are running low in stock. 2) Choosing a source in which to order more commodities and supplies. 3) Via telephone or in writing, a contract is formed and submitted to the supplier. The contract should include negotiation of the price to be paid and it should include details regarding delivery performance and the time, place, and date of delivery. All must be satisfactory. 4) The acceptance of goods ordered and the adjustment of any discrepancies in quality or quantity of goods delivered is the next step in the purchasing procedure. (specific store, department, or area of storage). The purchasing of food requires that the true cost from the supplier's price list be acquired. The price on the invoice minus any discount claimed is the true cost that will be calculated. When purchasing by contract, the specific period contract helps to determine the sources where the supplies came from. This contract will also list the prices of the supplies and commodities and how long the prices are effective. This time frame is usually three to six months. A quality contract is used to make sure that the given quantity of supplies and commodities at the agreed-upon price during the particular trading, or exchange, period. Contracts should be written legally in order to prevent future issues. Receiving ordered supplies and commodities is often taken lightly in the food and beverage industry. People with little or no specialized knowledge work in the Receiving Departments and usually handle the receiving process without much experience, knowledge, and skill. Unless these departments operate efficiently, it is almost a waste of time for the purchasing manager to prepare purchase specifications and to negotiate price and trading terms with suppliers. The purchasing procedure is in vain. It is essential to realize that all goods being received into an establishment have a monetary value and that they cost the company money. It is also crucial to ensure that this exact monetary value in goods is properly accounted for and received. Another note is that these supplies and commodities will have a selling value several times their original price and the value fluctuates hourly. When the supplies and commodities are received, the quantity of goods delivered should be checked to make sure that it matches the quantity which has been ordered. This requires all goods being sorted, counted, and weighed. Skilled and honest staff members should handle the receipt of goods. Upon receipt the quantity of goods delivered should be examined in order to determine that all is in accordance with the specification stated on the purchase form. Those who are in charge of receiving the goods should determine if the prices stated on the delivery note are in accordance with the prices on the purchase order form. Accurate recordkeeping should be done. The delivery and receiving of commodities and supplies should be recorded in full detail. Upon acceptance at the receiving department, the foods are placed into two categories--perishable and non- perishable. Meats, fish, and vegetables are perishable items should be delivered directly to the kitchen. These are usually used within one or two days of delivery. Non-perishable items such as canned foods are transported to the food store. This is where the non-perishables are are unpacked, examined for damages, and placed on ranking. Supplies and commodities should be arranged in a logical order and grouped together. For example, all canned foods, dried foods etc, should be arranged into sections. A layout that allows for the least amount of walking is minimized. When this is determined a stock-taking list should be printed in the same order in which items appear in the stores. This is to insure that stock-taking is performed quickly and efficiently. Issuing food should take place at pre-arranged times during the daytime hours and only in accordance of a requisition note signed by an authorized person such as the head chef or restaurant manager. A large requisition should be turned in several hours before the items are required. This will allow the storekeeper to have plenty of time to collect all the food items. Products are issued by first-in-first-out or last-in-last-out procedures. In other words, foods received first are also issued first. Foods are stacked in similar manner. All new stock received are stacked behind the old one so that old stock are used first. This procedure should be followed whenever the new stocks arrive. The following is the suggest procedure of purchasing food and beverage items that will help keep the system under control: POLICY MENU VOLUME FORECAST REQUISITION PURCHASING RECEIVING STORING AND ISSUING PRODUCTION SELLING CONTROL Purchase Specification Order Form Date of Order: 11/15/06 Ordered By: S. Smith Department: Purchasing Contact Information: XYZ Catering 000 Hampshire Street No Name, Country 00000 000-000-0000 Item Description_______________________ Units/Quantity Vittel Bottled Water 75cle Bottled Water-contains Calcium (91mg/l), 10 cases Magnesium (19.9 mg/l), Sodium (7.3 mg/l), Potassium (4.9 mg/l), Bicarbonate (hydr. Carb.) (258 mg/l), Sulphate (105 mg/l), Nitrate (0.6 mg/l) Please deliver to: S. Smith, Purchasing Manager, to the address listed above. Please deliver by 11/22/06. Reception staff will assist the delivery driver with entrance, specific location, and any other instructions for delivery and drop off of product. If you have any questions, please contact S. Smith at 000-000-0000. Read More