Food and Beverage (F&B) in Hotel Industry
Food and beverage (F&B) services have been a part
of the hotel industry since long when centuries ago inns started offering food
to long-distance travellers, mostly pilgrims. However, until the recent past
F&B services provided by hotels were not known to be of very good quality. Except
for a few leading players, none of the hotels operated a standard F&B
service department. However, rising competition from freestanding food-joints
that served good-quality food resulted in reduced demand for hotel restaurants.
This competition forced hotels to consider F&B service as an additional
marketing tactic and a revenue stream resulting in a dramatic increase in the quality
and type of F&B services found in hotels today.
Food and Beverage (F&B) Service Areas
The operations of F&B department in a leading
hotel are classified into different service areas. While some of these service
areas are mandatory for any hotels, others are generally restricted to large
city hotels. A few of these service areas are discussed below.
Restaurant
Hotel restaurants may be a part of the hotel building
or a stand-alone one, but all of them are cuisine-based. There may be
speciality restaurants serving specific cuisine such as Indian, Chinese,
Spanish, Mexican, Thai, French or even Greek. Some of them offer more than one cuisine,
in which case, they are called multi-cuisine restaurants. Usually, these
restaurants operate during specific times such as lunch and dinner, and have
elaborate a la carte menus, comfortable seating, appropriate lighting,
interiors and formal table service. Items are priced higher as the turnover of
guests is low. Nowadays, in order to improve the business and cater to quicker
mealtime, many of them offer buffet lunches. There may be more than one
restaurant in large hotels.
Coffee Shops
Coffee shops are generally found in leading hotels and are somewhat
similar to a hotel restaurant, the difference being that they are open 24 hours
in city hotels and sometimes for 18 hours in resorts or seasonal hotels. They
offer breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks including midnight snacks. The
ambience is more functional with smooth flooring, bright lighting, less comfortable
seating, tabletops being designed for quick turnover of guests and speedy
plated service.
Banquets
Banquets and conference facilities are major sources
of revenue for hotel. Many hotels have more than one conference centre on their
premises. It may consist of a grand ballroom, conference halls, meeting rooms,
etc., with audiovisual, buffet and even management facilities to cater to
various numbers and styles of gathering.
Banquets are arranged by the F&B department to
cater to a large number of guests gathered for a common event at a given point
of time. Depending on the nature of event banquets may be of formal,
semi-formal or informal type. The banquet section in a hotel provides various
banquet services, including banquet hall and audio-visual equipment for various
events such as conference, meeting and other social events.
Room Service
Room service, also called in-room dining, is a round
the clock facility offered by leading hotels that enables hotel guests to enjoy
food and drinks in the privacy and comfort of their room. The guests are spared
of the need go down to the restaurant or dress-up to appear in public. For long
distance travellers, room service is all the more a relaxing experience after a
tedious journey.
Some of the most important components of an efficient hotel room service
include:
·
Prompt and polite call answering when orders are being
telephoned in
·
Close attention to all details of guests’ orders
·
Fast and efficient execution of orders
·
Courteous and tactful dealing with guests at the time
of receiving and/or delivering orders.
·
Strict adherence to safety norms while handling
equipment
·
Prompt removal of trays and other equipment when
guests have finished their meal.
Hotel Bars
Hotel bars offer alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks
with limited food to guests. They have comfortable seating and lighting. It is
a kind of place where guests could unwind after a busy day, have a leisurely
drink before heading out to dinner or enjoy a quiet nightcap before retiring.
Night Club / Discotheques
Night club or discotheques is a drinking, dancing, and entertainment
venue that may or may not be part of the hotel building. The main emphasis is
on music whether taped, live or remixed. These establishments serve limited
food to customers.
Lounges
Lounges in hotels are public waiting area provided
with seating arrangement. The term may also refer to the bar section of a
restaurant, typically with unreserved seating. In some hotels, there may be
limited F&B service in specific lounges, foyers or in the lobby for guests
who like to relax in less formal surroundings and also for those waiting for a
table in the restaurant.
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