Types Of Service Available Flashcards
What are the types of counter service?
Cafeteria service, Multi-point, Fast-food, Vended service, Seated counter service, Buffet service, Carvery service.
How does a Cafeteria counter service work?
1) Customers flow past a display of food and select the items they want. Some of the meal items may be served by staff from behind the counter.
2) Payment is made before the customer eats. It is easy for staff to display the menu and stock the displays.
3) Cutlery and condiments are placed after the tills to keep a steady flow.
4) The dining area is regularly cleaned.
5) Some areas of the dining room may be kept for customers eating meals rather than snacks at busy times.
How does a free-flow counter service work?
This is similar to the cafeteria system, except that customers go straight to the food or drink counter they want. It avoids unnecessary queuing but is not good for people who want a full range of items.
How does a multi-point counter service work?
This is like the free-flow system, but has separate trays, tills, cutlery and condiment areas. It’s not good for customers who want a full range of items.
How does a fast-food counter service work?
In fast-food outlets, the customer orders and collects the meal from one of a number of service points along the service counter.
At each service point there is a cash till and a member of staff who takes the order, receives the payment, collects the food and drinks ordered and assembles them on a tray, to be eaten in the restaurant or in a bag or container to be taken away.
The food is usually shown in photographs above the counter. The complex tills record all the orders, time, method of payment,etc and give a complete breakdown of sales and other information to head office. Speed is essential.
Fast-food outlets are very expensive to set up and need expensive equipment (fryers, griddles,etc.). A fast-food outlet will not survive unless it has a high turnover of customers.
How does a vended service work?
This is used widely in large buildings, such as hospitals, hotels and factories, where food and drinks are needed throughout the day and night.
Vending machines ‘sell’ a wide a range of products such as sweets, drinks, packaged snacks and even whole plated meals.
some are ‘coin operated’ some are operated by special discs or cards issued to staff, some are ‘free vend’, i.e. operated by the touch of a button.
Vending machines offer ideal portion control and good hygiene standards (food is always packaged)
They need careful maintenance and regular stocking.
High turnover is important. Vending machines are often placed next to microwaves so that customers can buy ‘chilled’ food and re-heat before eating, i.e. Buy - Reheat - Serve - Eat.
How does a seated counter service work?
Customers are seated at the counter, usually on stools, and are served by staff behind the counter. Often used in situations where customers are on their own (e.g. railway stations and airport terminals).
How does a buffet service work?
Customers select their meal items from an open counter or buffet table. The customers help themselves to everything, or the serving staff serve some or all of the items. Serving staff often serve the meat items as these are the most expensive, leaving customers to help themselves to salads, etc.
How does a carvery service work?
In this case, starters, drinks and sweets are served by the serving staff.
Customers collect their own main course items from the carving table where the joints of meat are displayed and kept hot by special lamps and hot plates.
Often, a chef from the kitchen carves the joints, but sometimes a member of the serving staff does the carving.
Customers help themselves to vegetables, gravy, sauces and other accompaniments like Yorkshire puddings.
Carveries are particularly popular for Sunday lunch.
Table service:
What do waiters/waitresses do?
This is used when a more personal service is needed.
It is more expensive than a counter service, because of the number of staff involved.
For large functions (e.g. wedding receptions and banquets) a waiter/waitress cans serve many more people than in the usual restaurant service.
When tables are laid up banquet style, one waiter/waitress would serve the people on the both sides of an ‘aisle’, i.e serve the left-hand side of one table and the right-hand side of the other table.
What are Transported meal systems?
The most well known type of transported meal is airline food. This is used most commonly on long-haul flights, where passengers choose hot food from a limited menu.
How does Transported meal systems work?
How the airline food system works:
- Airline representatives choose from a selection of prepared foods.
- Food is prepared in the kitchens away from the airport.
- Meals for special diets are ordered and prepared in the correct quantities by the kitchen.
- Meals are plated, covered and blast chilled.
- Meals are placed on trolleys covered with dry ice pellets to keep the food fresh.
- The trolleys are delivered to the correct flights and stored in the kitchen area of the plane.
- Before service the meals are re-heated and placed in the heated trolleys.
- Passengers then get a limited choice of meals on the plane.
What are the advantages of Transported meal systems?
Children and special diets are catered for.
The airline orders the right amount of dishes so there is less waste.
First and business class passengers can pre-order their meal in advance.
What are the disadvantages of Transported meal systems?
There are no ‘second helpings’.
The choice is limited to two dishes.
Passengers do not always like the choices available.
What is the Gueridon system?
This style of service is used with a la carte or table d’hote menus. The food is carved or ‘finished’ at a table or trolley placed next to the customer’s table. A spirit lamp is used to finish cooking portions of poultry, meat or fish. Some dishes are completed in this way, with a flambe technique or sauce. Two popular dishes are Steak Diane and Crepes Suzette. This form of service requires highly skilled staff who can cook and present the food attractively and can work confidently with a little bit of ‘showmanship’.
