nature of the demands they meet. The following are some of the
catering establishments.
Restaurant
A restaurant is an establishment that serves the customers
with prepared food and beverages to order, to be consumed on the
premises. The term covers a multiplicity of venues and a diversity of
styles of cuisine. Restaurants are sometimes also a feature of a
larger complex, typically a hotel, where the dining amenities are
provided for the convenience of the residents and for the hotel to
maximize their potential revenue. Such restaurants are often open to
non-residents also.
Transport Catering
The provision of food and beverages to passengers, before,
during and after a journey on trains, aircraft and ships and in buses
or private vehicles is termed as transport catering. These services
may also be utilised by the general public, who are in the vicinity of a
transport catering unit. The major forms of modern day transport
catering are airline-catering, railways catering, ship catering and
surface catering in coaches or buses which operate on long distance
routes.
Airline Catering
Catering to airline passengers on board the air craft,
as well as at restaurants situated at airport terminals is
termed as airline catering. Modern airports have a variety of
food and beverage outlets to cater to the increasing number
of air passengers. Catering to passengers en route i s
normally contracted out to a flight catering unit of a reputed
hotel or to a catering contractor or to the catering unit
operated by the airline itself as an independent entity.
Railway Catering
Catering to railway passengers both during the
journey as well as during halts at different railway stations is
called railway catering. Travelling by train for long distances
can be very tiring; hence a constant supply of a variety of
refreshment choices helps to make the journey less tedious.
On-board meal services are also provided on long distance
trains.
Ship Catering
Ship catering is catering to cargo crew and passenger
ship passengers. Ships have kitchens and restaurants on
board. The quality of service and facilities offered depends on
the class of the ship and the price the passengers are willing
to pay. There are cruises to suit every pocket. They range
from room service and cocktail bars to speciality dining
restaurants.
Surface Catering
Catering to passengers traveling by surface transport
such as buses and private vehicles is called surface catering.
These eating establishments are normally located around a
bus terminus or on highways. They may be either
government run restaurants, or privately owned
establishments. Of late there has been a growing popularity
of Punjabi style eateries called dhabas on the highways.
Outdoor Catering
This catering includes the provision of food and drink away
from home base and suppliers. The venue is left to the peoples’
choice. Hotels, restaurants and catering contractors meet this
growing demand. The type of food and set up depends entirely on
the price agreed upon. Outdoor catering includes catering for
functions such as marriages, parties and conventions.
Retail Store Catering
Some retail stores, apart from carrying on their primary
activity of retailing their own wares, provide catering as an additional
facility. This type of catering evolved when large departmental stores
wished to provide food and beverages to their customers as a part of
their retailing concept. It is inconvenient and time consuming for
customers to take a break from shopping, to have some
refreshments at a different location. Thus arouse the need for some
sort of a dining facility in the retail store itself. This style of catering is
becoming more popular and varied nowadays.
Club Catering
Club catering refers to the provision of food and beverages to
a restricted member clientele. Some examples of clubs for people
with similar interests are turf clubs, golf clubs, cricket clubs etc. The
service and food in these clubs tend to be of a fairly good standard
and are economically priced.
Night clubs are usually situated in large cities that have an
affluent urban population. They offer entertainment with good food
and expensive drinks.
Welfare Catering
The provision of food and beverages to people to fulfil a
social obligation, determined by a recognised authority, is known as
welfare catering. This grew out of the welfare state concept,
prevalent in western countries. It includes catering in hospitals,
schools, colleges, the armed forces and prisons.
Industrial Catering
The provision of food and beverages to ‘people at work,’ in
industries and factories at highly subsidised rates is called industrial
catering. It is based on the assumption that better fed employees at
concessional rates are happy and more productive. Catering for a
large workforce may be undertaken by the management itself, or
may be contracted out to professional caterers. Depending on the
choice of the menu suggested by the management, catering
contractors undertake to feed the workforce for a fixed period of time
at a predetermined price.
Leisure-Linked Catering
This type of catering refers to the provision of food and
beverages to people engaged in ‘rest and recreation’ activities. This
includes sale of food and beverages through different stalls and
kiosks at exhibitions, theme parks, galleries and theatres. The
increase in the availability of leisure time and a large disposable
income for leisure activities has made it a very profitable form of
catering.
