The Essentials of Food and Beverage Service

Food And Beverage Service April 09, 2021

Cynthia Vespia

Writer

What is Food and Beverage Service?

Food and beverage service are directly linked to the hospitality sector. The businesses are either part of a large hotel or tourism business or run independently. Increase in business and social events has helped food and beverage service continue to flourish.

Food preparation services are provided on location such as a hotel or business function. Or, they can be an off-premise event which would be the customer's intended location.

Food and Beverage Duties
The professionals within this industry work diligently while adhering to quality food and beverage standards to leave the customers with an enjoyable experience. They are responsible for maintaining quality of food, preparing and serving food and beverages to the customers.

Two types of Food and Beverage Service Operations-

Commercial hotels, restaurants, lounges, cafeterias, pubs, clubs, and bars.
Non-Commercial establishments that run under contract. For example, food and beverage services provided at hospitals, hostels, and prisons.

Types of Food and Beverage Service

There are many different types of food and beverage service popular throughout the world. Each area of food service comes with their own unique presentation and expectation from the consumer. Some of the options available for food and beverage services are as follows-

1- Table Service
Guests are served at the table by a wait staff. Different service styles can be found under the table service category including-

English Service- Food is brought on platters by the waiter and served by the host.
French Service- Personalized service where food is brought from the kitchen in dishes and salvers and placed directly on the table for the guests to help themselves.
Silver Service- Food is presented in silver dishes with elaborate dressing and served by the host.
American/Plate Service- Food is plated in the kitchen and then brought to the guest by the server.
Russian Service- An elaborate silver service where the food is portioned and carved by the waiter in full view of the guests. Display and presentation are a major part of this service.
Snackbar Service- Food is either displayed behind the counter or listed on a menu for the guests to choose from. Meals are usually eaten at the counter.

2- Assisted Service
Buffets are the most common type of assisted service. Guests are sat in the dining room and then help themselves to the food from a buffet stations. Service at the table consists of drink orders and any clearing of plates.

3- Self Service
Here guests enters in the dinning room, selects his own tray or from the food counter and carries food over to a table to eat.

4- Single Point Service
Guests order, pay and pick up at a single point. The different types are-

Take Away- Customer orders and pickup are done at a counter and the customer consumes the food at another location.
Vending- Provision of food service and beverage service is done through an electronic retail machine.
Food Court- Similar to take away but with more dining options. There is also seating available on premises.

5- Specialized Service
Guests are served in a place not designated for food and beverage service. For example-

Tray service- Used in hospitals or catering where meals are served on a tray to customer.
Trolley service- Food and beverages are on a trolley that is brought around for customers to choose their provisions. Used in offices most often.
Home Delivery- A popular form of specialized service where food is delivered directly to the home.
Room Service- Used in hotels, the guest places his order with the room service order taker. The waiter will then bring the food to the guest's room via trolley and serve it in the room.

A Final Word on Food and Beverage Service

Food and beverage service has many variations including table service, assisted service, and specialized service to name a few.
Commercial and non-commercial are two types of food and beverage service operations.
Table service can have many different distinctions such as French or American style.
Food preparation can be provided on location or be an off-premise event.