ASST. FOOD & BEVERAGE MANAGER

The assistant food and beverage manager assists the food
and beverage manager in running the department by being more
involved in the actual day-to-day operations. This position exists only
in large organisations. An assistant food and beverage manager's
job includes:
i) Assisting section heads during busy periods.
ii) Taking charge of an outlet, when an outlet manager is on
leave.
iii) Setting duty schedules for all the outlet managers and
monitoring their performance.
iv) Running the department independently in the absence of
the food and beverage manager.

FOOD & BEVERAGE MANAGER

The food and beverage manager is the head of the food and
beverage service department, and is responsible for its
administrative and operational work. Food and Beverage Managers
direct, plan and control all aspects of food and beverage services.
Food and Beverage Managers require excellent sales and
customer service skills, proven human resource management skills,
and good communication and leadership skills. Desired knowledge
for this position includes knowledge of the products, services, sector,
industry and local area, and knowledge of relevant legislation and
regulations, as well. Hence it is said that food and beverage manager
is a Jack-of-all-trades, as the job covers a wide variety of
duties.
In general, food and beverage manager is responsible for:
i) Budgeting
The food and beverage manager is responsible for preparing
the budget for the department. He should ensure that each
outlet in the department achieves the estimated profit
margins.
ii) Compiling New Menus and Wine Lists
In consultation with the chef, and based on the availability of
ingredients and prevailing trends, the food and beverage
manager should update and if necessary, compile new
menus. New and updated wine lists should also be
introduced regularly.
iii) Quality Control
The food and beverage manager should ensure quality
control in terms of efficiency in all service areas, by
ascertaining that the staffs are adequately trained in keeping
with the standards of the unit.
iv) Manpower Development
The food and beverage manager is responsible for
recruitment, promotions, transfers and dismissals in the
department. He should hold regular meetings with section
heads, to ensure that both routine as well as projected
activities of the department go on as planned. He must also
give training, motivate and effectively control staff.

DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES OF RESTAURANT STAFF

All types of catering establishments require a variety of staff
positions in order to operate effectively and efficiently. The food and
beverage service department usually has the largest staff. Able
leadership and supervision is required to effectively direct the
department and guide the staff. The personnel in the food and
beverage service industry require practical knowledge of operations
as even a small error can cause displeasure to the guest.
Coordination of activities of all outlets is essential to provide the
guest with quality service at all times. Teamwork is the watchword in
any food and beverage service department. A dedicated and
committed team, with able leadership, under ideal working
conditions, helps in fulfilling the establishment's ultimate goal of
guest satisfaction
The important duties and responsibilities of the restaurant
staffs are discussed in this section.

STAFF ORGANISATION

Staff organization is basically concerned with matters such as
the decision of tasks within the restaurant, position of responsibility
and authority and the relationship between them. It helps in
introducing the conceps of span of control, level of management and
delegation of power and responsibilities.

TYPES OF RESTAURANTS

Restaurants often specialize in certain types of food or
present a certain unifying, and often entertaining, theme. For
example, there are seafood restaurants, vegetarian restaurants or
ethnic restaurants. Generally speaking, restaurants selling "local"
food are simply called restaurants, while restaurants selling food of
foreign origin are called accordingly, for example, a Chinese
restaurant and a French restaurant.
Depending on local customs and the policy of the
establishment, restaurants may or may not serve alcoholic
beverages. Restaurants are often prohibited from selling alcohol
without a meal by alcohol sale laws; such sale is considered to be
activity for bars, which are meant to have more severe restrictions.
Some restaurants are licensed to serve alcohol (‘fully licensed’), and
/ or permit customers to ‘bring your own’ alcohol.


Cafeterias
A cafeteria is a restaurant serving mostly cooked ready to
food arranged behind a food-serving counter. There is little or no
table service. Typically, a patron takes a tray and pushes it along a
track in front of the counter. Depending on the establishment,
servings may be ordered from attendants, selected as ready-made
portions already on plates, or self-serve of food of their own choice.
In some establishments, a few items such as steaks may be ordered
specially prepared rare, medium and well done from the attendants.
The patron waits for those items to be prepared or is given a number
and they are brought to the table. Beverages may be filled from selfservice
dispensers or ordered from the attendants. At the end of the
line a cashier rings up the purchases. At some self-service
cafeterias, purchases are priced by weight, rather than by individual
item.
The trays filled with selected items of food are taken to a
table to eat. Institutional cafeterias may have common tables, but
upscale cafeterias provide individual tables as in sit-down
restaurants. Upscale cafeterias have traditional cutlery and crockery,
and some have servers to carry the trays from the line to the patrons'
tables, and/ or bus the empty trays and used dishes.
Cafeterias have a wider variety of prepared foods. For
example, it may have a variety of roasts (beef, ham, turkey) ready for
carving by a server, as well as other cooked entrées, rather than
simply an offering of hamburgers or fried chicken.

Fast-Food Restaurants
Fast-food restaurants emphasize speed of service and low
cost over all other considerations. A common feature of newer fastfood
restaurants that distinguishes them from traditional cafeteria is
a lack of cutlery or crockery; the customer is expected to eat the food
directly from the disposable container it was served in using their
fingers.
There are various types of fast-food restaurant:
· one collects food from a counter and pays, then sits
down and starts eating (as in a self-service restaurant or
cafeteria); sub-varieties:
· one collects ready portions
· one serves oneself from containers
· one is served at the counter
· a special procedure is that one first pays at the cash
desk, collects a coupon and then goes to the food
counter, where one gets the food in exchange for the
coupon.
· one orders at the counter; after preparation the food is
brought to one's table; paying may be on ordering or
after eating.
· a drive-through is a type of fast-food restaurant without
seating; diners receive their food in their cars and drive
away to eat
Most fast-food restaurants offer take-out: ready-to-eat hot
food in disposable packaging for the customer to eat off-site.

Casual Restaurants
A casual dining restaurant is a restaurant that serves
moderately-priced food in a casual atmosphere. Except for buffetstyle
restaurants, casual dining restaurants typically provide table
service. Casual dining comprises of a market segment between fast
food establishments and fine dining restaurants.

Fast Casual-Dining Restaurants
A fast casual restaurant is similar to a fast-food restaurant in
that it does not offer full table service, but promises a somewhat
higher quality of food and atmosphere. Average prices charged are
higher than fast-food prices and non-disposable plates and cutlery
are usually offered. This category is a growing concept that fills the
space between fast food and casual dining.
Counter service accompanied by handmade food (often
visible via an open kitchen) is typical. Alcohol may be served. Dishes
like steak, which require experience on the part of the cook to get it
right, may be offered. The menu is usually limited to an extended
over-counter display, and options in the way the food is prepared are
emphasized.
Many fast casual-dining restaurants are marketed as healthconscious:
healthful items may have a larger number of items than
normal portion of the menu and high-quality ingredients such as freerange
chicken and freshly made salsas may be advertised. Overall,
the quality of the food is presented as a much higher class than
conventional factory-made fast food. An obvious ethnic theme may
or may not be present in the menu.

Other Restaurants
Most of these establishments can be considered subtypes of
fast casual-dining restaurants or casual-dining restaurants.
i) Café
Cafés and coffee shops are informal restaurants offering a
range of hot meals and made-to-order sandwiches. Cafés
offer table service. Many cafés are open for breakfast and
serve full hot breakfasts. In some areas, cafés offer outdoor
seating.
ii) Coffeehouse
Coffeehouses are casual restaurants without table service
that emphasize coffee and other beverages; typically a
limited selection of cold foods such as pastries and perhaps
sandwiches are offered as well. Their distinguishing feature is
that they allow patrons to relax and socialize on their
premises for long periods of time without pressure to leave
promptly after eating.
iii) Pub
A pub (short for public house) is a bar that serves simple food
fare. Traditionally, pubs were primarily drinking
establishments with food in a decidedly secondary position,
whereas the modern pub business relies on food as well, to
the point where gastropubs are known for their high-quality
pub food. A typical pub has a large selection of beers and
ales on tap.
iv) Bistros and Brasserie
A brasserie is a café doubling as a restaurant and serving
single dishes and other meals in a relaxed setting. A bistro is
a familiar name for a café serving moderately priced simple
meals in an unpretentious setting. Especially in Paris, bistros
have become increasingly popular with tourists. When used
in English, the term bistro usually indicates either a fast
casual-dining restaurant with a European-influenced menu or
a café with a larger menu of food.
v) Family Style
"Family style restaurants" are restaurants that have a fixed
menu and fixed price, usually with diners seated at a
communal table such as on bench seats. More common in
the 19th and early 20th century, they can still be found in
rural communities, or as theme restaurants, or in vacation
lodges. There is no menu to choose from; rather food is
brought out in courses, usually with communal serving
dishes, like at a family meal. Typical examples can include
crabhouses, German-style beer halls, BBQ restaurants,
hunting lodges, e tc. Some normal restaurants will mix
elements of family style, such as a table salad or bread bowl
that is included as part of the meal.
vi) BYO Restaurant
BYO Restaurant are restaurants and bistros which do not
have a liquor license.
vii) Delicatessens Restaurant
Restaurants offering foods intended for immediate
consumption. The main product line is normally luncheon
meats and cheeses. They may offer sandwiches, soups, and
salads as well. Most foods are precooked prior to delivery.
Preparation of food products is generally simple and only
involves one or two steps.
viii) Ethnic Restaurants
They range from quick-service to upscale. Their menus
usually include ethnic dishes and / or authentic ethnic foods.
Specialize in a particular multicultural cuisine not specifically
accommodated by any other listed categories. Example:
Asian Cuisine, Chinese cuisine, Indian Cuisine, American
Cuisine etc.
ix) Destination Restaurants
A destination restaurant is one that has a strong enough
appeal to draw customers from beyond its community.
Example: Michelin Guide 3-star restaurant in Europe, which
according to the restaurant guides is "worthy of a journey”.

CLASSIFICATION OF RESTAURANTS

Restaurants can be classified by whether they provide places
to sit, whether they are served by wait-staff and the quality of the
service, the formal atmosphere, and the price range. Restaurants
are generally classified into three groups:

1. Quick Service - Also known as fast-food restaurants. They
offer limited menus that are prepared quickly. They usually
have drive-thru windows and take-out. They may also be selfservice
outfits.
2. Mid scale - They offer full meals at a medium price that
customers perceive as "good value." They can be o f full
service, buffets or limited service with customers ordering at
the counter and having their food brought to them or self
service.
3. Upscale - Offer high quality cuisine at a high end price. They
offer full service and have a high quality of ambience.

RESTAURANT

Eating is one of life’s pleasure and pride – so is cooking and
serving good food to others. A restaurant is a commercial outfit
which specializes in the preparation of quality food and to serve
them to satisy the customer’s demands. Their motto is “Customers
are our assets and satisfied customers are our source of wealth”.
Restaurants do have state of the art kitchens in their premises,where food items are prepared, following a fixed menu to serve the
customers. Most restaurants are also equipped with infrastructure
facilities, table settings, dining halls of various sizes to cater to needs
of small gatherings to grandiose banquets to suit customer demands
and above all, trained personnel to provide a satisfactory service.
The term restaurant (from the French word restaurer, to
restore) first appeared in the 16th century, meaning "a food which
restores", and referred specifically to a rich, highly flavoured soup.
The modern sense of the word was born around 1765 when a
Parisian soup-seller named Boulanger opened his establishment.
Whilst inns and taverns were known from antiquity, these were
establishments aimed at travellers, and in general locals would rarely
eat there. The modern formal style of dining, where customers are
given a plate with the food already arranged on it, is known as
service à la russe, as it is said to have been introduced to France by
the Russian Prince Kurakin in the 1810s, from where it spread
rapidly to England and beyond.

A restaurant is a retail establishment that serves prepared
food to customers. Service is generally for eating on premises,
though the term has been used to include take-out establishments
and food delivery services. The term covers many types of venues
and a diversity of styles of cuisine and service.
Restaurants are sometimes a feature of a larger complex,
typically a hotel, where the dining amenities are provided for the
convenience of the residents and, of course, for the hotel with a
singular objective to maximise their potential revenue. Such
restaurants are often also open to non-residents.
Restaurants range from unpretentious lunching or dining
places catering to people working nearby, with simple food and fixed
menu served in simple settings at low prices, to expensive
establishments serving expensive speciality food and wines in a
formal setting. In the former case, customers usually wear casual
clothing. In the latter case, depending on culture and local traditions,
customers might wear semi-casual, semi-formal, or even in rare
cases formal wear. Typically, customers sit at tables, their orders are
taken by a waiter, who brings the food when it is ready, and the
customers pay the bill before leaving. In class or porche restaurants
there will be a host or hostess or even a maître d'hôtel to welcome
customers and to seat them. Other staff’s waiting on customers
include busboys and sommeliers.