Food and Beverage Department

FOOD AND BEVERAGE DEPARTMENT

Food and Beverage Department is responsible for maintaining the high quality of food and service, the food cost. The food and beverage services sector contributes a great deal to the profits in the hospitality industry. With the increase in the importance of business meetings, a range of personal and social events, a large number of customers visit catering establishments frequently. The food and beverage professionals tirelessly work to intensify customers’ experience through their service. 

Food and Beverage Services can be broadly defined as the process of preparing, presenting and serving food and beverages to the customers.

F&B Services can be of the following two types:

• On-Premise − Food is delivered where it is prepared. It is from the kitchen to the customer's table. The customer visits the premise to avail of the foodservice. The premises are kept well-equipped and well-finished to attract customers to avail of F&B service.
  For example, restaurants, pubs, bars, etc.
• Off-Premise or Outdoor Catering − This kind of service includes partial cooking, preparation, and service at the customer’s premises. It is provided away from the F&B Services provider’s base on the occasion of major events that call for a large number of customers.

Types of F&B Services Operations

There are two broad types of F&B Services operations:

• Commercial − In this case, F&B Services is the primary business. The most known commercial catering establishments are- hotels, all kinds of restaurants, lounges, cafeterias, pubs, clubs, and bars.
• Non-Commercial- are which operations are secondary businesses in alliance with the main business. These F&B services mainly cater to their consumers with a limited choice of food and beverages. These establishments often run under contracts. For example, food and beverage services provided at hospitals, hostels, and prisons.

What is Catering?

Catering is the business of providing food and beverage service to the people at a remote location. It is a part of the food and beverage service sector. For example, arranging food services at a wedding location.

Most food and beverage service businesses operate in the following cycle:

Food and Bev. Service Operation

The upper half depicts food preparation related functions, whereas the lower half depicts food and beverage service to customers.

The following terms are some of the frequently used in F&B service.

S. No.	Term & Meaning
1	Back bar A range of shelves displaying glassware and bottles.
2	Banquet A sit-down meal served on the occasion of a formal or informal event such as a wedding party or a conference.
3	Binge Drinking Drinking too much in a single session.
4	Buffet A dining system where the guests serve themselves. Popular with a large number of guests and a small number of workforce.
5	Cocktail Any mixed drink prepared using alcohol.
6	Condiments Spices, sauce or other food preparations used to enhance the flavor or to complement the dish.
7	Crockery Plates, dishes, cups, and other similar items, especially ones made of glass, earthenware, or china clay.
8	Cross-Contamination It is a process of unintentional transfer microorganisms from one substance or object to another, with harmful effects.
9	Croutons Crispy cubes of bread
10	Cutlery Knives, forks, and spoons used for eating or serving food.
11	Deli A store that sells pre-cooked fine food.
12	Dram Shop American term for ‘Alcohol Bar’.
13	Gueridon Trolley A trolley used in the F&B Services business on which the food can be cooked, finished or presented to the guest at the table.
14	High Ball (Long Drink) Alcoholic beverage mixed with a large volume of soft drinks and served in a tall glass with a straw.
15	Mocktail A non-alcoholic drink prepared using fruit juices or other soft drinks.
16	Pathogen It is a biological agent that causes the disease to its host.
17	Platter A large flat dish or plate for serving food.
18	Pub British name for ‘Public House’, an establishment licensed to serve alcoholic drinks.
19	Shot Ball (Short Drink) Alcoholic drinks consumed in a gulp. It is served in a shot glass.
20	Situ On-site, locally.
21	Spot Checking Regular surprise checking conducted to review standardized recipes and food products to maintain quality.
22	Station A set of tables allocated to waiters in the F&B Services establishment.
23	Table Cover It is the area on the table for plates, glasses, and cutlery for a single person.
24	Tines Parallel or branching spikes of a fork.
25	Toque Cooks cap with multiple folds represents the many different ways a chef knows to prepare a dish.

Food and Beverage Services in Hotel

Most of the star-ranked hotels offer multiple F&B services in their hotels. They can be:

• Restaurant
• Lounge
• Coffee Shop
• Room Service
• Poolside Barbecue/Grill Service
• Banquet Service
• Bar
• Outside Catering Service

Structure of F&B Services Department

The F&B Services personnel are responsible to create unforgettable experiences for the customers. An organizational chart may vary depending on how large the company is and the number of partners.

F&B Org. Chart

Here are some of the Food and Beverage personnel. Please click HERE.