FOOD AND BEVERAGE SERVICE
1. The Food Service industry
1.6. Food and beverage service methods
The service of food and beverages may be carried out in many ways depending on the following
factors:
l type of establishment
l time available for the meal
l type of menu presented
l site of the establishment
l type of customer to be served
l turnover of custom expected
l cost of the meal served.
A foodservice operation was traditionally only seen as comprising the three operating
systems of:
l food production
l beverage provision
l food and beverage service
Within this view, food and beverage service was primarily designed and managed as a delivery
process, with the customer being considered a passive recipient of the service. Only the
requirements of the operation itself would determine how the service was designed, planned
and controlled. This view has now changed, with the customer being seen as being central
to the process and also as an active participant within it. Consequently, understanding the
customer’s involvement in the process, and identifying the experience they are likely to have
and should expect, have become critical to the business success of foodservice operations.
It is also now recognised that food and beverage service itself actually consists of two separate
sub-systems, operating at the same time. These are:
l the service sequence which is primarily concerned with the delivery of the food and beverages
to the customer
l the customer process which is concerned with the experience the customer undertakes to be
able to order, be served, consume and have the area cleared.
This modern view of a foodservice operation can be summarised in a simple model as shown
in Figure 1.5.
Food and beverage service sequence
1 Preparation for service
2 Taking bookings
3 Greeting and seating/directing
4 Taking food and beverage orders
5 Serving of food
6 Serving beverages
7 Clearing during service
8 Billing
9 Dealing with payments
10 Dishwashing
11 Clearing following service
Each of these stages of the service sequence may be carried out by a variety of methods and
these different methods are described throughout the book. The choice of method for the
individual stage depends on the factors listed at the start of this section and the process that
the customer is to experience.
The customer process
The customer receiving the food and beverage product is required to undertake or observe
certain requirements: this is the customer process. Essentially, a customer enters a food service
area, orders or selects his or her choice and then is served (the customer may pay either at this
point or later). Food and beverages are then consumed, following which the area is cleared.
Bringing these approaches together, it is possible to summarise the relationship between the
various systems within a foodservice operation, as shown in Figure 1.6. This model identifies
the key stages of a foodservice operation: for the customer, for the food and beverage service
staff and for those involved in food production and beverage provision. It also reinforces the
existence of the two sub-systems within food and beverage service that must be managed at
the same time.
Categorising the different service methods
When considering food and beverage service from a customer process perspective, rather than
considering it purely as a set of delivery methods, five basic types of customer process can be
identified (see Table 1.9).
All modern food and beverage service methods can then be grouped under the five customer
processes that are summarised in Table 1.9 as follows.
A Table service: the customer is served at a laid table. This type of service, which includes
plated service or silver service, is found in many types of restaurant, cafés and in banqueting.
B Assisted service: the customer is served part of the meal at a table and is required to obtain
part through self-service from some form of display or buffet. This type of service is found
in carvery type operations and is often used for meals such as breakfast in hotels. It may
also be used for functions.
C Self-service: the customer is required to help him or herself from a buffet or counter. This
type of service can be found in cafeterias and canteens.
D Single point service: the customer orders, pays and receives the food and beverages, for instance
at a counter, at a bar in licensed premises, in a fast-food operation or at a vending machine.
E Specialised service (or service in situ): the food and drink is taken to where the customer
is. This includes tray service in hospitals or aircraft, trolley service, home delivery, lounge
and room service.
A detailed listing of all the modern food and beverage service methods is given in Table 1.10
(below) and listed under each of the groups A to E.
In customer processes A–E, the customer comes to where the food and beverage service is
offered and the service is provided in areas primarily designed for that purpose, such as a
restaurant or takeaway. In customer process E, the service is provided in another location,
where the area is not primarily designed for the purpose, for example, in a guest room, lounge
or hospital ward. Additionally, the level of complexity of food and beverage service in terms
of staff skills, tasks and duties reduces from Group A (the most complex) to Group D. Group E
contains specialised forms of service and these are further considered in Chapter 9.
Table 1.10 Food and beverage service methods
Group A: Table service
Service to customers at a laid cover
Waiter
Silver/English
Presentation and service of food by waiting staff, using a spoon and fork,
onto a customer’s plate, from food flats or dishes
Family
Main courses plated (but may be silver served) with vegetables placed in
multi-portion dishes on tables for customers to help themselves; sauces
offered separately
Plate/American
Service of pre-plated foods to customers. Now also widely used for
banqueting
Butler/French
Presentation of food individually to customers by food service staff for
customers to serve themselves
Guéridon
Food served onto customer’s plate at a side table or trolley; may also
include carving, jointing and fish filleting, the preparation of foods such as
salads and dressings and flambage
Bar counter
Service to customers seated at a bar counter (often U-shaped) on stools;
also found in sushi operations with conveyor belt delivering the food
Group B: Assisted service
Combination of table service and self-service
Carvery
Some parts of the meal are served to seated customers; other parts
are collected by the customers. Also used for breakfast service and for
banqueting
Note: With the exception of fast-food operations, there is no particular link between a
specific service method and a specific food production method. It is also possible that the
production and service may be separated by distance or time, or both, as for example in
off-premises catering.
