Food and Beverage Service and Management

Description

Food and beverage management as an activity resides in many roles and carries various labels across different sectors of the industry: a restaurateur, a banqueting manger, a ship's purser could be food and beverage managers of one type or another. If food and beverage management has a generic heart of its own then that must be “catering“ – at its simplest the cooking and serving of food. The concept of Hospitality Services, also known as “accommodation sharing“, “hospitality exchange“, and “home stay networks“, refers to centrally organized social networks of individuals who trade accommodation without monetary exchange. While this concept could also include house swapping or even time share plans, it has come to be associated mostly with travellers and tourists staying with one another free of charge. In a restaurant, a menu is a printed brochure or public display on a poster or chalkboard that shows the list of options for a diner to select. A menu may be a la carte – in which guests choose from a list of options – or table d'hôte, in which case a preestablished sequence of courses is served. In the 2000s, many fast food restaurants switched to digital menus which are displayed on flat-screen LCD televisions. Digital menus can have items or prices changed without having to reprint paper menus, and as well, the screens can be used to play video commercials advertising certain menu items. The food service industry encompasses those places, institutions and companies that provide meals eaten away from home. This industry includes restaurants, schools and hospital cafeterias, catering operations, and many other formats, including 'on-premises' and 'off-premises' caterings. Catering is a multifaceted segment of the food service industry. There is a niche for all types of catering businesses within the segment of catering.