Chapter Summary

Chapter four focuses on food and beverage operations. Describes the duties and responsibilities of a food and beverage director and other key department heads. Some of the departments explained within the food and beverage division in this chapter are: Kitchen, restaurant, bars, stewarding, catering, and room service. It teaches how to do calculations using key food and beverage operating scales.

Key Words and Concepts

1. Banquet. My example: As a holiday tradition, the general manager arranged a Christmas banquet for the entire staff as a form of appreciation for their hard work.
2. Banquet Event Order (BEO). My example: The hotel catering manager prepared a banquet event order for the event manager who was organizing a fundraising gala in the main ballroom.
3.  Brigade. My example: The Brigade helps facilitate communication between staff and members. This is an organized system with the kitchen chef is in charge of supervising the rest of the line cooks.
4.  Capture Rate. My example: Capture Rate gives the general manager a predictable number on how many guests is to be expected.
5.  Catering. My example: The hotel was preparing a catering fundraiser gala for children with lupus.
6.  Catering Coordinator. My example: The catering coordinator showed the president of the fundraiser a list of foods and desserts he can choose for the fundraising gala.
7.  Catering Event Order (CEO). My example: The catering event order hired additional photographers and videographers for the gala. To insure the guest traveled home safely she hired additional transportation.
8. Catering Service Manager (CSM). My example: Overall the president of the fundraising was pleased with the hard work of the all the individuals which made the gala an absolute success. He gave a special thanks to the catering service manager for hiring such talented individuals.
9. Chef Tournant. My example: The chef tournant rotation through the stations was a major help to the station chef.
10. Chief Steward. My example: The chief steward had to call a meeting with the kitchen staff to discuss complaints being received about the waiting time for guests to receive their orders.
11. Classroom-Style Seating. My example: Classroom-style seating is optimal for the host, because it directs all the attention towards him/her.
12. Contribution Margin. My example: The general manager used the restaurant’s high contribution margin as proof to show that business was improving.
13. Dinner-Style Room Seating. My example: The chef used dinner-style room seating for his event, to ensure that everyone in attendance was being social.
14. Director Of Catering (DOC). My example: The Marriot Hotel manager searched desperately for a new director of catering. Only a good DOC knows how to prepare for an event ahead of time, so he/she is not scrambling last minute.
15. Director of Food and Beverage. My Example: As director of food and beverage, Helen always makes sure she designs a new menu for the holiday season.
16. Executive Chef. My Example: Being the new executive chef, John felt a lot of pressure on him to make sure everyone in the kitchen was performing.
17. Food Cost Percentage. My Example: Ben purchases water bottles for the hotel at $1.00 each, and then sells them for $2.00. This means his food cost percentage is 50%.
18. Food Sales Percentage. My example: The percentage of revenue generated through sale of food or drinks
19. Horseshoe-Style Room Seating. My Example: The customer service trainer requested a horseshoe-styled room seating to help the staff interact during the workshop.
20. Kitchen Manager. My Example: The kitchen manager at Sea Shore, makes sure all kitchen staff take safety procedures seriously to prevent any injuries.
21. Labor Cost Percentage. My Example: The Labor Cost Percentage for the new restaurant is 42%. This was calculated by dividing the employee labor cost ($15,000.00), by the total cost of doing business which is $35,000.00.
22. Perpetual Inventory. My Example: All modern kitchen managers use perpetual inventory software to know the exact amount of stock available.
23. Pilferage. My Example: Safes were introduced into the hotel industry to help prevent accusations of pilferage towards the room service staff.
24. Pour/Cost Percentage. My Example: Similar to food cost percentage, except used in beverage control.
25. Responsible Alcoholic Beverage Service. My Example: A bar’s failure to comply and uphold the standards of the responsible alcoholic beverage service can result in a lawsuit.
26. Restaurant Manager. My Example: To secure an effective establishment, sometimes restaurant managers have to make difficult decisions like firing an inefficient employee.
27. Room Service. My Example: One element that aided the success of the hotel industry was the offering of room service. Room service allows guests at a hotel to get up and get their day started, without having to worry about the upkeep of the room.
28. Shopper. My Example: People who are paid to use a bar as a regular guest would, except that they observe the operation closely.
29. Sous Chef. My Example: In stressful situations the head chef relies on the sous chef to aide in finding the solution.
30. Station Chef. My Example: To avoid chaos, the restaurant manager appointed several station chefs. These station chefs will each manage their own part of the kitchen, and share the responsibility.
31. Theater-Style Room Seating. My Example: Theater-style room seating is usually used for the gathering of larger groups or people.