HOTEL MANAGEMENT

Lecturer: Mr.Damalo.
INTRODUCTION OF FOOD AND BEVERAGE MANAGEMENT
Introducing food and beverage management
The provision of food and beverages away from home forms a substantial part of the
activities of the hotel and catering industry like the industry of which it is a part. Food
and beverage operations are characterized by their diversity. Outlets include private and
public sector establishments and range from small private owned to large international
organizations and from prison catering to catering in the most luxurious hotels. Food and
beverage provision is simply one element of a broader hotel and catering industry.
A classification of food and beverage operations
It is possible to make a number of distinctions between the many different types of food
and beverage outlets.
There is a distinction between those outlets that operate on a strictly
commercial basis and those that are subsidized.

The type of market served. In some cases, the market is confined to

restricted groups, as for example in a hospital or prison, while in other
cases the outlet is open to the public at large.

Outlets where catering is the main activity of the undertaking as for

example in a privately owned commercial restaurant and those where it is
a secondary activity, as is the case with travel catering or school catering.
Outlets that are in public ownership and those in private ownership.

The main sectors of food and beverage outlets

1. The commercial sector
Commercial food and beverage outlets may be defined as those operations
in which profit is a primary concern.
Such outlets exist not only in private ownership but also in the publicly
owned sector of the economy.
Also in commercial sector, catering may be the main activity of the
organization or it may be a secondary or additional service to customers
e.g. catering in department stores or theatres.
A broad distinction can be made between catering for a restricted market
can be restricted in a number of ways. By way of membership criteria as
in the case of catering in clubs or by the fact that the catering is only
available to those engaged in a specific activity as in the case of travel
catering or employee catering.
However, there will be some overlap in some cases e.g. catering at a
railway station bus or airport terminal is normally open to the traveler as
well as to the general public, while catering on the train, bus or plane itself
is limited to those traveling.
Commercial catering for a general market
1. Hotels
The provision of food and beverage facilities in hotels ranges from a self-service
style often used for breakfast service to full service used at the luxury end of the
market.

 In resort hotels, the food and beverage facilities are often presented as one of the
more important features of the hotel because the guests may be staying at the
hotel for some time rather than just a night or so as may be the case in a transient
hotel.
The types of food and beverages outlets found in hotels include self-service
restaurants, licenced bars, coffee shops and snack bars, buffet restaurants, and
banqueting facilities some of these facilities are only available to hotel residents,
or in house trade e.g. Room service, while the others e.g. Coffee shops and other
restaurants are advertised externally by the hotel to attract outside custom.
2. Restaurants and snack bars.
The primary function of commercial restaurants is the provision of food and
beverages. The various types of restaurants include snack bars, cafes, coffee
shops, take-away, theme restaurants, ethnic restaurants, cuisine restaurants etc.
These diverse types of restaurants have a equally wide range of service styles,
ranging from the self service cafeterias through to the more elaborate methods of
table of service (e.g. French, Russian, English) found in luxury restaurants and
those particular service techniques specific to specialist techniques specific to
specialty restaurants such as Chinese, Indian Japan.
A separate bar area may be provided for before or after-meal, drinks, providing
the double advantage of offering the customer a place to sit and relax away from
the dining area and allowing a faster turnover in the restaurant.
3. Public houses.
Public houses consist of a varied group of establishments, which mainly offer the
general public alcoholic liquor for sale for consumption on and off the premises.

The supply of food at one time ancillary to liquor is an increasingly dominant

element in the product mix for the consumer.
The characteristics of public houses are:
-

They require a magistrates licence to operate

Many public houses are owned by a brewery company, providing an

integration of their production with the retail distribution of alcohol
beverages.

To become more competitive and to need customers demands, the catering

premises in most pubs have improved considerably in recent year. The range
of food items offered is mainly of the extents to the total fresh food items.
Several brewery companies market specific pubs by the type of catering
offered with a brand image.

4. Fast food and take-away.

This sector of the industry is concerned with the preparation and service of food
and beverages quickly for immediate sale to the customer for consumption either
on or off the premises.
At the fast food end of the market, there are a number of characteristics common
to many of the outlets.

Unit are usually themed around a product (e.g. hamburgers) a

range of products (e.g. fish or pizza or products of a country
(e.g. Chinese, Italian). This product is very well marketed e.g.
from a themed product to dcor and atmosphere, to the high
and consistent standard of the product, to advertising on
television, local radio and newspapers, to the container boxes
take-away items.

The method of food production is often partially or full

automated, often using commodities of the convenience type.
(E.g. frozen chips, concentrated beverage syrups) thereby

skilling the job and restricting the product range variables. The
pricing of the items per customer lies within a fairly distinct
known price band. Eg $3.50 - $4.50.

The units are often owned by large chains or are franchised.

Commercial catering for a restricted market

1. Travel catering.
Travel catering (i.e. road, rail, air and sea) has a number of characteristics not
commonly associated with other food ad beverage outlets. It frequently involve
the feeding of a large number of customers arriving together at a catering facility,
and who need to be catered for in a specific time e.g. on board a plane. The plane
only carries sufficient food and beverage suppliers for a specific number of meal
periods. Travel catering often has to cater for mixed markets.
2. Clubs
Clubs, as a sector of the hotel and catering industry, are establishments offering
food and drinks occasionally with accommodation, to members and their bona
fide guests. The types of clubs ranges from working mens clubs, to political party
clubs, social clubs, sporting clubs, restaurants clubs, to the private exclusive
clubs.
Clubs are of two main types:

Proprietor night clubs: are licenced clubs, owned by an individual or

company and operated by them for profit and as such require a justices
licence to operate. Many such clubs resemble licenced restaurants, with a
substantial part of their turnover obtained from the sales of food. Another
growing sector comprises sports or health clubs that offer their members
sporting fitness and leisure facilities but where food is an ancillary service.
Their turnover obtains from of food sales.

Registered clubs; the management appoint an elected committee for

operation. The members own all the property including the food & drink
and pay their subscriptions to a common fund as a non-making profit club
that belongs to all members and provides services to the members; it does
not require a justices licence to operate, simply to be registered. The
turnover to operate, simply to be registered. The turnover of members
clubs is mainly obtained from the sale of drinks

3. Institutional and employee catering contract caterers.

Institutional and employee catering will be dealt with in detail under the heading
of subsidized and welfare catering, as indeed most of these types of operations are
run on some form of a subsidized basis. It is worth considering, however, that in
parts of the private sector such catering activities may be operated on a
commercial basis e.g. in many private hospitals and private schools the catering
function is operated very much with commercial objectives in mind.
Increasingly, contract caterers are providing catering services to the general public
on behalf of their clients, for example in leisure centers, theatres or shops.
4. Functions and event catering
Function and event catering may be described as the service of food and
beverages at a specific time and place, for a given number of people, to an agreed
menu and price e.g. include social functions, such as conferences, meetings and
social ceremonies and those functions that are organized for both social and
business reasons such as outdoor catering at a sports event, show or exhibition.
Function catering is found in both the commercial and non-commercial
sectors of the catering industry.
The subsidized or welfare sector
Subsidized or welfare food and beverage establishments may be defined as those
operations in which making a profit from the catering facility is not the outlets

primary concern. Since the operations are either completely or partially

subsidized by a parent body, such establishments primary obligation is the well
being and care of their customers or patients. Unlike customers frequenting
commercial sector operations, these customers often do not have a choice of
catering facilities eg in hospitals and schools.
Some non-commercial operations are subsidized by government bodies
that dictate an allowance per head, or by parent companies that may have a
similar arrangement.
Non-commercial operations embrace catering in institutions such as
prisons, schools and hospitals. The market is not only usually restricted to the
residents of the institutions but also in most cases it is captive. In addition,
institutional catering may be completely sub sized.
Employee catering can be in public private ownership and covers the
provision of food and beverage services to the employees. The degree of subsidy
in this type of operation varies considerably and in many cases the market is not
entirely captive. In other words, the catering outlet may be competing with the
catering facilities provided at nearby restaurants, pubs and take away or with food
bought in by the workers from their homes.
1.3.1

Institutional catering.
Institutional catering establishments include schools, universities, colleges
hospitals, the services and prisons. In some of these establishments no charge is
made to certain groups of customers to pay for the provision of the food and
beverage services as they are completely or partially subsidized by various
governments funds. This is the part of the catering industry also referred to as the
institutional sector.
The school meals catering service was formerly structured on a dietary
basis with a daily or weekly per capital allowance to ensure that the children
obtained adequate nutritional levels from their meals. Most of the schools used to
operate their dining rooms on a family type service or a self-service basis with

traditional food. Some areas have drastically cut their food meal service and are
simply providing dinging room space for the children to bring in their own
lunches from home. Many local education authorities contract out this service to
specialist contract caterers.
1.3.1.2 Universities and colleges.
All institutions of further and higher education provide some form of catering
facilities for the academic, administrative, technical and secretarial staff ass well as for
full and part time students and visitors. The catering service in this sector of the industry
suffers from an under-utilization of its facilities during the vacation periods and in many
instances at the weekends.
University catering units have traditionally been of two basic kinds: residential
facilities attached to halls that may serve breakfast and evening meals within an inclusive
price per term and staff and usually serve lunches and snacks throughout the day with
beverages. These catering facilities have to compete openly with the students union
services and independently staffed senior common rooms.
Residential students pay in advance for their board and lodgings. This method has
been abandoned by many universities in recent yeas who have provided reasonable
kitchen facilities in the residences to enable students to prepare and cook their own meals
if they with to, others have introduced a pay-as-you eat system for residential students.
Non residential students are provided with an on site catering provision that
has to compete against all other forms of locally provided catering, with ease of
accessibility and some level of subsidy being the main attractions. Increasingly, caterers
are turning to ideas from the high street operations to attract and keep their predominantly
young adult clientele.
To offset the losses incurred and to achieve a position of break-even in catering,
universities have seen the advantages of making their residential and catering facilities
available at commercial rates to outside bodies for meetings conferences and for holidays
during the vacation periods.
1.3.1.3 Hospitals.

Hospitality catering is a specialized form of catering as the patient is normally

unable to move else where and choose alternative facilities and therefore special attention
must be given to the food and beverages so that encouragements is given to eat the meal
provided.
The hospital catering service is normally structured on a per capital allowance for
patients but with staff paying for all of their meals. A decentralized approach was used in
many hospitals where the patients food and beverages were portioned at the point of
delivery in the wards. This often resulted however, in patients actually receiving it. This
method of food serve is commonly replaced by a centralized approach that involves the
preparation of the patients trays or close to the main production area. From here trucks or
mechanical conveyors to the various floors and from there directly to the patients
transport them so that there should be little delay between the food being plated and
served to the patient.
Another trend has seen hospital catering open to tender by contract caterers where
in many instances a centralized production, system for several nearby hospitals may have
to be operated to be viable.
1.3.1.4 The services.
The services include the armed forces police forces and some government departments.
The armed forces their own specialist catering branches.
The levels of food and beverage facilities within the services vary from the large
self-service cafeterias for the majority of personnel to high-class traditional restaurants
for serious members of staff.
1.3.1.5 Prisons.
The population of detainees in all panel institutions continues to grow. Working
on a very limited budget with much of the actual cooking and service being done by the
inmates themselves.
1.3.1.6. Employee catering.

This is the provision of catering services to employees. The activity way be

performed either directly by the employer or subcontracted out to contract caterers. In
providing a catering service for their employees, the parent company may decide at one
extreme to subsidize the facility or at the other to pas all the costs to the customer.

COST AND MARKET ORIENTATION

Example of cost orientation are identified in the industry particularly in the welfare sector
such as catering in prisons, for patients in hospitals and often for in-house employee
restaurants while market orientation examples are found in the hotels, restaurants,
popular and fast food sectors. It is arguable that all sectors of the industry would be
better to employ a market-oriented approach.
A market oriented business displays the following characteristics.
1. A high percentage of fixed costs eg rent, rates, management salaries, depreciation
of buildings and equipments. A hotel restaurant is an example of an operation
with high fixed costs.
2. A greater reliance on increases in revenue rather than decreases in costs to
contribute to the profit levels of the establishment.
3. An unstable market demand for the product. Thereby requiring greater emphasis
on all forms of selling and merchandizing of the product to eliminate shortfalls in
sales.
4. More likely to have a more flexible pricing policy
A cost oriented business displays the following characteristics.
1. A lower percentage of fixed costs but a higher percentage of unpredictable costs
such as food and beverage costs.
2. A greater reliance on decreases in costs rather than increases in sales to contribute
to the budgeted profit levels of the establishment.
3. A relatively stable market for the product

4. More likely to have a more traditional fixed pricing policy.

NB
There are those areas of the hotel and catering industry that can not be precisely defined
as either cost or market oriented in that they display characteristics of both orientations.

FOOD AND BEVERAGE MANAGEMENT

The functions of food and beverage managers are planning, organizing, motivating and
controlling.
In a food and beverage department, the planning process involves the setting of several
basic policies i.e. financial policy (profitability and cost constraints) marketing policy,
and a catering policy (main objectives of the operation of food and beverage) and the
methods of by which such objectives are to be achieved.
The tasks needed to achieve these objectives would then be assigned to individuals who
should receive job descriptions detailing the purpose of their tasks and responsibilities of
the individuals, who they are responsible to. Here food and beverage managers work in
conjunction with the personnel department in producing job descriptions and appointing
on the jobs trainers to help train new staff.
The motivation of the staff of the food and beverage department is an important function.
This may be undertaken in several ways eg. by helping individuals who are undertaking
common tasks to form into groups so that a team spirit may develop, by encouraging
staff-management committee meetings or at a more basic level to see that full training is
given so that job anxieties are reduced for employees from the beginning.
Finally, there is the element of control in the food and beverage department. This
involves the checking of actual performance against expectations or forecasts.

RESPONSIBILITIES OF FOOD AND BEVERAGE MANAGEMENT

The main responsibilities and objectives of the food and beverage department may be
summarized as follows:
1. The provision of food and beverage products and service catering for
clearly defined markets to satisfy or exceed these customers expectations
2. The purchasing, receiving, storing, issuing and preparation of food and
beverages within the establishment for final provision and service to the
customer.
3. The formulation of an efficient control system within the food and
beverage department with the purpose of:

Monitoring food and beverage prices and achieving competitive

rates while still ensuring quality standards.

Pricing restaurant and special function menus to achieve desired

profit margins.

Compiling on a daily, weekly and monthly basis, all relevant

food and beverage information on costs and sales that may be
used by management for forecasting, planning, and budgeting
etc.

4. Reconciling actual and forecast costs and sales and initiating corrective
action if discrepancies occur and finding out and eliminating the causes,
e.g. bad portion control or incorrect pricing.
5. Training, directing, motivating and monitoring of all food and beverage
department staff.
6. Co-operating with other departments to become a significant contributor
to the organizations short and long-term profitability.
7. Obtaining in a regular, structured and systematic way, feedback from
customers, so that their comments, complaints and compliments may be
taken into account to improve the overall standard of service.

CONSTRAINTS ON FOOD AND BEVERAGE MANAGEMENT

The management of food and beverage departments has been described as the most
technical and complex in the hotel ad catering trade. The specific factors that make food
and beverage management relatively more complex are due to particular external and
internal pressures.
1. External factors
The external factors are often seen as the major problems of the food and
beverage function. They originate outside the organization and for this reason
internal action can rarely solve the problem adequately, although proactive
management may help to reduce their impact. Some of the major external
pressures affecting the food and beverage function are listed below:
Government/political

Government legislation e.g. fire regulations, health and safety acts.

Changes in the financial structure of the country e.g. regulations affecting

business expense allowances.

Specific government taxes e.g. VAT

Government policy on training and employment, economic development,

regional development.

Economic

Rising costs food and beverage, labour, fuel, rates and insurance.

Sales instability peaks and troughs of activity occur on a daily, weekly and
seasonal basis

Changes in the expenditure patterns and peoples disposable incomes.

Expansion and withdrawal of credit facilities

Interest rates on borrowed capital.

Social

Changes in population distribution e.g. population drifting away from certain

area or demographic such age structure.

Changes in the socio-economic groupings of an area.

Growth of ethnic minorities leading to a demand for more varied foods.

Changes in food fashion, e.g. current popularity of take-away foods, home

delivery of fast foods, trends in healthy eating.

Technical

Mechanization e.g. food production and food service equipments

Information technologies e.g. date processing in hotel and catering

establishments.

Product development e.g. natural vegetables, increased shelf life of foods

through irradiation, meat and dairy produce alternatives.

2. Internal factors
Along with external factors, the food and beverage function also has many other
day-to-day internal pressures. Internal problems are those originating within the
organization and for this reason such problems can usually be solved adequately
within the establishments if they can be identified and the root cause removed.
These include:
Food and beverage

Perish ability of food and the need for adequate stock turnover.

Wastage and bad portion control.

Pilferage from kitchens, restaurants, bars and stores.

General staff shortages and skill shortage, within the industry.

Staff

Staff shortages often coinciding with peaks of sales activity.

Staff surpluses coinciding with troughs in sales activity.

Absenteeism, illness etc.

Use of part-time or casual staff in some food and beverage departments.

Control

Cash and credit control and collection

Maintenance of all costs in line with budget guidelines and current volumes of
business for example, food, beverages, payroll

Control of stocks.

Costing and pricing of all menu items.

Analyze statistical data of all business done.

NB;
Being a food and beverage manager is a challenging and demanding job but with the
clear understanding and systematic approach, it can be a rewarding and satisfying one.

TOPIC 2
THE MEAL EXPERIENCE
INTRODUCTION;
The meal experience may be defined as a series of events both tangible and intangible
that a customer experiences when eating out. The main part of the experience begins
when customers enter a restaurant and ends when they leave. The series of events and
experiences customers undergo when eating out may be divided into those tangible
aspects of he product i.e. the food and drink and those intangible aspects such as service,
atmosphere, mood etc.
The general factors affecting a customers choice of meal experience include the
following:
1. Social: A social occasion is one of the most common reasons for eating out. Such
family events as birthdays and anniversaries, special dates (Christmas, New Year,
and Valentines Day), a special event (passing examinations) are all reasons for
celebration and dining out. Equally, people decide to go to restaurant for no other
reason than to dine with friends. Sometimes restaurants offer a different style of
meal experience e.g. foreign specialties, entertainment during the meal etc.
2. Business: Meals may also be taken away from home for business reasons.
Business lunches and dinners are still the most common, although working
breakfasts and teas are also offered by some catering outlets, particularly hotels.
3. Convenience and time: A food service facility may be convenient because of its
location or because of its speed of service e.g. a working couple arriving home
may decide to eat out rather than prepare something at home; they do not wish to
travel far, nor do they want an elaborate meal.

4. Atmosphere and service: the atmosphere, cleanliness, and hygiene of certain types
of catering facilities and the social skills of the service staff can be particularly
attractive to certain groups of customers.
5. Price: The price level of an operation will significantly affect the restaurant choice
of customers particularly impulse buying decisions. The highest the disposable
income, the higher the trade off level.
6. The menu: a restaurants menu may appear particularly interesting or adventurous
to a customer.
7. All of these factors will at some stage affect the buying decision of customers and
hence their choice of meal experience.

ATMOSPHERE OF A RESTAURANT
The atmosphere or mood of a restaurant of tern described as described as an intangible
feel inside a restaurant.
The atmosphere of a restaurant is affected by many different aspects of the operation.
They include;
The decor and interior design of the restaurant,
The table and seating arrangements,
The service accompaniments,
The dress and attitude of the staff,
The tempo (pace) of service,
The age,
Dress and sex of the other customers,
The sound levels in the restaurant, whether music is played,
The temperature of the restaurant,
Cleanliness &
Professionalism
The harmony between the product itself, the service and the environment

Factors that affect (shape, influence, concern) meal experience also include:
Variety in menu choice

At a lower level of market the choice of menu items in a restaurant is usually

fairly limited-affected by the economic level of customers.

At a higher level of market menu selection is much greater.

The price the customer willing to pay

Time available for the meal experience

Level of service

The higher the cost of the meal to the customer, the more service the customer
expects to receive.

The status of the customer

Food and drink

The type of food and drink that people choice to consume away form home
depends on a number of factors, which are of particular concern to customers.
They include:
1. The choice of food and drink available; whether the menu is limited or
extensive.
2. The quality of the product offered e.g. fresh or convenience foods.
3. The quantity of product offered. i.e. the portion sizes e.g. does the
restaurant offer children meal?
4. The consistent standard of the product: customers returning to the
restaurant and repeating their order of an item would expect the product to
be the same as they had eaten or drunk before.

5. The range of tastes, textures, aromas and colors of offered by a food dish
or the taste colors and aroma offered by a drink.
6. The food and drink are served at the correct temperatures e.g. the hot food
is hot when it reaches the customer.
7. The presentation of the food and drink enhances the product offered.
8. The price and perceived value of money are both in line with customers
pre-meal experience anticipations.
9. The quality of the total meal experience matches or even enhances the
expectations of the guests.
Eating out

Age,

Socio-economic class,

Number of members in the house,

Region or area in the country

Price and value for money

Service match the price-package (inclusive),

The level of service offered,

Degree of comfort

Anterior design

The impression of the look of the restaurant count a lot

Size and shape of the room

The furniture and settings

The color scheme

Lighting

Air conditioning

Atmosphere and mood

Intangible feel

Depend upon the types of the establishment and its design

Expectation and identification

Varied and many expectations and identification of customers upon services

Harmony to customers is paramount

Expectation will depend upon identification

Identification will depend upon past experience

Location and accessibility

Establishments should be in target market/customers.

Take away for example should be near residence

Food and beverage service employees.

Should complement the meal experience-social skills, age and sex, uniforms, the
tempo of the service

Attitude of staff to customers

Price charged for services should match the number of staff

TOPIC 4
AN OVERALL VIEW OF FOOD AND BEVERAGE CONTROL
Introduction
Food and beverage control may be defined as the guidance and regulation of the costs
and revenue of operating the catering activity in hotels, restaurants, hospitals, schools,
employee restaurants and other establishments. In hotels, food and beverage sales often
account for up to half of the total revenue, while in restaurants, food and beverages sales
are the main or the only source of revenue. The cost of food and beverages in the
commercial sector is usually in the region of 25-45 per cent of the total operating costs.
In hospitals, schools, employee restaurants and similar operations, food and beverages are
the main day to day expenditure, which is controlled by budgets and/or a level of subsidy

either on a total company or on a per unit basis. The amount of control is related to the
size of the operation. A large group operation obviously requires much precise, detailed,
up-to-date information and its provision is often aided by the use of computers.
Limitations of a control system

A control system in itself will not cure or prevent problems occurring. An

effective system is dependent upon correct up-to-date policies and operational
procedures. But the system should identify problems and trends in the business.

A control system will require constant management supervision to ensure that it

functions efficiently.

A control system will need management action to evaluate the information

produced and to act upon it.

The objectives of food and beverage control.

Analysis of income and expenditure
This point is concerned with income and expenditure. The revenue analysis is usually by
each selling outlet, of such aspects as the volume of food and beverage sales, the sales
mix, the average spending power of customers at times of the day and the number of
customer saved. The analysis of costs includes departmental food and beverage costs,
portion costs and labour costs. The performance of each outlet can then be expressed
interims of the gross profit and the net margin (i.e. gross profit minus wages) and the net
profit (i.e. gross profit minus wages and all overhead expense such as rent, rates,
insurance etc).

Establishment and maintenance of standards

The basis for the operation of any food and beverage outlet is the establishment of a set
of standards which would be particular to an operation. Unless standards are set no
employee would know in detail the standards to be effectively measured by management.
An effectively measured by management. An efficient unit would have the set standards
laid down in manuals often known as SOPs (standard operational procedures) which
should be readily available to all staff for reference. The difficulty here is to maintain
these standards. This can be aided by regularly checking on the standards achieved by
observation and analysis and by comments made by customers and when necessary,
conducting training courses to re-establish the standards.
Pricing
An important objective of food and beverage control is to provide a sound basis for menu
pricing including quotations for special functions. It is important therefore to determine
food menu and beverage list prices in the light of accurate food and beverage costs and
other main establishment costs as well as general market considerations. Such as the
average customer spending power, the price charged by competitors and the prices that
the market will accept.
Prevention of waste
In order to achieve performance standards for an establishment, targets are set for
revenue, cost levels and profit margins. To achieve these levels of performance, it is
necessary to prevent wastage of materials caused by such things as poor preparation,
over-production, failure to use standard recipes etc. this can only be done with an
efficient method of control, which covers the complete cycle of food and beverage
control, from the basic policies of the organization to the management control after the
event.
Prevention of fraud

It is necessary for a control system to prevent or at least restrict the possible areas of
fraud by customers and staff. Typical areas of fraud by customers are such things as
deliberately walking out without paying, unjustifiably claiming that the food or drink that
they had partly or totally consumed was unpalatable and indicating that they will not pay
for it. Disputing the number of drinks served making payments by stolen, cheques or
credit cards. Typical areas of fraud by staff are overcharging or under charging for items
served and stealing of food, drink or cash.
Management information
A control system has an important task to fulfill in providing accurate up-to-date
information for the preparation of periodical reports for management.
Special problems of food and beverage control.
Food and beverage control tends to be more difficult than the control of materials in
many other industries. The main reasons for this are:
The perish ability of the produce: Food, whether raw or cooked, is a perishable
commodity and has a limited life. The caterer therefore, has to ensure that he buys
produce in the correct quality and quantity in relation to estimated demand. And that it is
correctly stored and processed. (Beverages are normally not as perishable as food and this
contribute to their easier control).
The changeability of the volume of business
Sales instability is typical of most catering establishments. There is often a change in the
volume of business from day to day, and in many outlets from hour to hour. This causes
basic problems with regard to the quantities of commodities to be purchased and prepared
as well as to the staffing required.
The changeability of the menu mix
To be competitive and satisfy a particular market, it is often necessary to offer a wide
choice of menu items to the customer. It is therefore necessary to be able to predict not

only the number of customers who will be using the facility at a particular period in time,
but as to what the customers selection will be from the alternatives offered on a menu.
The short cycle of catering operations
It is not uncommon that items ordered one day are received, processed and sold at the
same time or next day. Costing is done daily or at least weekly. Particularly with
perishable foods are that with a short life for produce, items connote be bought very
much in advance of their needs, and the problem of availability at times of produce
relative to the price that can be affordable in relation to the selling prize.
Departmentalization
Many catering establishments have several production and service departments, offering
different products and operating under different polices. It is, therefore, necessary to be
able to produce separate trading results for each of the production and selling activities.
The fundamentals of control
Effective control systems and procedures consist of three broad phases: planning,
operational and management control after the event.
The planning stage
It is difficult to run an effective catering operation without having firstly defined the basic
policies. Policies are predetermined guide lines, laid down by the senior management of
an organization, which outline such matters as the market or segment of the market that is
being aimed at, how it is to be catered for and the level of profitability/subsidy t be
achieved.
There are three basic policies which need to be considered.
The financial policy will determine the level of profitability, subsidy or cost limits to be
expected from the business as a whole and the contribution to the total profit, subsidy or

cost limit that is to be expected from each unit, and then from the departments within
them.
The marketing policy will identify the broad market the operation is intended to serve
and the particular segment(s) of the market upon which it intends to concentrates.
The catering policy which is normally evolved from the financial and marketing
policies, will define the main objectives of operating the food and beverage facilities and
described the methods by which such objectives are to be achieved. It will usually
include the following: the type of customer type of menu, beverage provision etc.
The operational stage
Having defined the policies (that is, predetermined guidelines), it is then necessary to
outline how they are to be interpreted into the day to day control activities of the catering
operation. The operational control is in five main stages of the control cycle: these are:
1. Purchasing e.g. method of buying by contract, cost etc.
2. Receiving e.g. quantity inspection.
3. Storing and issuing stocktaking.
4. Preparing e.g. pre-costing
5. Selling e.g. the control of cash.

The management control after the event stage e.g. food & beverage cost reporting,
assessment, correction etc.
The reality of control
In reality, no control system will be 100% efficient for such basic reasons as:
1. The material product is very unlikely to be 100% consistent as to quality or
the final field obtainable from it.
2. The staff employed is unlikely to work to a level of 100% efficiency.
3. The equipments used is also unlikely to work 100%

4. The customers choice of dishes can to well be different at times to some of

the budgeted sales mix

FOOD AND BEVERAGE PRODUCTION METHODS

Introduction:
Food production may be defined as that stage of the food flow (i.e. from the purchasing
of the foods to service to the customer mainly concerned with the processing of raw,
semi-prepared, or prepared food stuffs. The resulting product may be in a ready-to-serve
state e.g. in the conventional method (cool serve). Or it may undergo some form of
preservation to the customer.
Beverage production may be defined as the processing of the raw, semi-prepared or
prepared beverage product, so that it is in a ready to-serve state before being served to the
customer e.g. raw-tea, semi-prepared and cordial prepared bottled fruit juice.
The decision as to which food and beverage production methods to use in a particular
catering operation is taken at the initial planning stage-at this point the market to be
catered for & hence the type of catering facility to be offered

The planning of food service facilities

It is more complex than many other types of planning projects. This is due to some of its
unique characteristics, including the following:
1. The wide variety, choice and grades of raw materials available.
2. The high portability of some raw materials.

3. The wide variety of semi-prepared and prepared products available.

4. The perish ability of the end product.
5. The fast turnover of some foods e.g. items delivered fresh in the
morning may be prepared and served to the customer at lunchtime and
the revenue banked by the afternoon.
6. The product is rarely taken to the customer, the customer has to go to
the product to purchase it and consume it, usually on the premises.
7. The product cannot be stored for any length of time.
8. A wide variety of customers may be catered for within the same
establishment.
9. There may be a variety of production and service methods in operation
in any one outlet.
Objectives
The first step in the planning of a catering facility is a written statement of the operations
objectives. The primary objective of a food service operation must be the provision of a
catering outlet aimed at satisfying a particular market segment of the population.
General planning objectives can, however, be identified for all type of catering facilities
and these may be listed as follows:
1. Customer appeal: the main objective of a catering facility is to
provide a catering service for a clearly defined sector of the marketmeet expectations.
2. Cost control: include the initial planning and building costs, daily
running costs, such as food, labour & fuel. Whatever the type of
catering facility costs must be controlled.
3. Facilitate production and service: this involves designing the plan of
production and service areas and equipment, both in the kitchen,
restaurant and bars. Workplace design is particularly important: which
equipment should be mounted, storage facilities, lightings etc. all of
these attributes of a food service facility, if carefully planned result in

a safety designed working area and a smooth flow of employees and

materials.
4. Materials handling: the movement of materials in a catering
operation should be planned so that minimal handling is involved.
Where possible the materials flow should be as direct as possible e.g.
from the storage area to the work bench for preparation. Cross-flows
of traffic and back-tracking should be avoided as they are not only
time consuming, but they are also potential accident hazards.
Mechanical aids should be used where they will alleviate the human
handling of materials e.g. convey or belts, trolleys, carts etc.
5. Labour utilization: the planning of efficient labour utilization is very
dependent on the use of management tools such as work study, motion
economy etc. The tasks that are to be performed in the production and
service areas of the catering operation must be identified and the most
efficient method of performing those task analyzed, so that detailed job
descriptions and work schedules may be produced greater employee
productivity because of increasing labour costs.
6. Supervision and management: at the planning stage consideration
must also be given to the task of supervising and managing the
catering operation, particularly the production and service employees.
This involves allocating adequate time and facilities for meetings
between the management and staff, training and demonstrations etc.
7. Hygiene and safety standards: this is essential for the well being of
both the customer and the employees. The acts governing the hygiene
control of premises and the current fire regulations also have to be
taken into account and strictly observed by all catering establishments.
Environmental health officers have powers to inspect and, if necessary,
close premises whose hygiene standards are not high enough.
8. Cleaning and maintenance: Here a number of factors need to be
taken into account: the construction and finishes of floors, walls and

ceilings; the design of the equipment, sufficient space under the

equipment so that the floor can be washed off.
9. Flexibility: Most catering facilities undergo some form of change
during their life cycle and advance planning for this can help the
transition or change-over period considerably. Most changes in a food
service operation occur in the materials being used and/or in the
production techniques.
Category 1; Food production methods
The following represents a study of the main food and beverage production methods
currently in operation.
1. Conventional methods
(a) Traditional partie method: The majority of food is purchased raw,
very little falling in convenience foods. It is an expensive way of
running a kitchen, because of the manpower needed to operate it, and
its space, equipment and energy requirements.
(b) Conventional production with convenience foods may be introduced
into a traditional kitchen with all fresh produce as a whole. There must
be a consideration of labor, equipments, space and more important the
customer. Conventional production using convenience foods may
range from a partial to a virtually complete reliance on the use of the
wide variety of convenience foods now available.
2. Centralized production method
Involve the separation of the production and service components of the food flow system
either by place, time or both. There some advantages of centralized production;
3. Cook-freeze production

Refers to a catering system based on the full cooking of food followed by fast freezing,
with storage at a controlled low temperature of 18c or below, followed by subsequent
complete reheating close to the consumer, prior to prompt consumption.
4. Cook Chill production:
Refers to a catering system based on the full cooking of food followed by fast chilling,
with storage in controlled low storage temperature condition just above freezing point
and between OC to + 3C, followed by subsequent complete reheating close to the
consumer prior to prompt consumption.

5. Sous vide production method

Is a more recent food processing technique developed in the late 1970s which lends itself
readily to adaptation as a cook-chill variant. The system involves the preparation of
quality raw foods, pre-cooking when necessary, putting the raw foods into special plastic
bags or pouches. The food product can be served direct to the customers at this stage or
rapidly chilled to +1C to + 3c and stored at between OC to + 3C for a maximum of
twenty one days.
Category 2; Beverage production method
The term beverages in this context is used to describe both alcoholic and non -alcoholic
drinks. The degree of preparation necessary before these different beverages can be
served to the customer varies, but in the majority of cases it is the non-alcoholic
beverages that fall into the categories of raw and semi-prepared products, and the
alcoholic beverages that are in the main already fully prepared.
1. Raw beverages
These are beverage products that require a higher degree of preparations in comparison to
the other categories, before being served to the customer. Examples of such beverages are
tea, coffee, cocoa, which may require up to fifteen minutes before reaching a ready to
serve state.

2. Semi-prepared beverages
These are beverage products that do not need to be prepared from the raw product state,
but neither are they ready to serve. Examples of semi-prepared beverages are fruit
cordials which only require the addition of water; iced coffee and cocktail may also be
included in this category. The preparation of these semi-prepared beverages may also
form part of the service, e.g. the showmanship of mixing cocktails in a cocktail bar.

3. Fully prepared beverages:

These are beverage products requiring virtually no preparation before being served to the
customer e.g bottled fruit juices, spirits, wines etc. In the majority of cases fully prepared
beverages are dispensed in front of the customer, whether, for example, spirits at a bar or
wines at a table.
The necessary requirements for good beverage production include the following:
-

Good quality raw materials e.g. a good blend of tea or coffee.

The right equipment necessary for performing the job

correctly.

Employees must be trained for the tasks they are to perform.

TOPIC 6
MANAGING QUALITY IN FOOD AND BEVERAGE OPERATIONS

The food and beverage managers face increasingly knowledgeable and sophisticated
customers with broader tastes and experiences than ever before. These customers demand
satisfaction but are increasingly difficult to satisfy.
What is quality?
The British standards definition of quality (BS 4778, 1987) is the totality of features and
characteristics of a product or service that bear on its ability to satisfy a stated or implied
need. It is these stated or implied needs that the operation must satisfy.
The customer translates these needs into a series of expectations of the service or product
they will experience. If the restaurant meets or exceeds these expectations then the
customer will feel satisfied and will feel that they have received quality.
If the restaurant does not meet their expectations, then there is a gap between customer
expectations and the perceived characteristics of the service or product delivered to them.
The totality of features and characteristics that go to make up the meal experience are
many and varied. They consist partly of the food, service received and partly the
environment created by the decor, furniture, lighting, and music. One way of looking at
these characteristics is to categorize them as relating to either the product or the service
and as either tangible or intangible.
The tangible elements of the product are made up of the food on the plate and the items
used to serve the food on or with. The designs of the crockery, cutlery and glassware as
well as the table lay-up are all part of the meal experience.
The intangible elements of the product include the atmosphere of the operation and the
artistic appeal of the decor, furniture and fittings. Every restaurant and bar has its own
feel. Some are designed to be warm and friendly while others can be cold or clinical.
These intangible elements provide the feelings of comfort, of being at ease or at home
that is such an important part of hospitality. The intangible elements of service are very

hard to the down but are easily experienced. A genuine smile brings with it warmth and
friendliness.
Although service is thought of as intangible, there are elements that are tangible. Actions
that service staffs carry out during service are tangible.
It is easiest for the food and beverage manager to control the tangible elements of the
product and there is evidence that they are more important to the customer than the
intangible elements of the product. On the other hand the intangible elements of the
service are probably more important to the customer than the tangible elements of the
service but they are much more difficult for any manager to influence.
Quality in food and beverage operations means reliably providing the food, service and
environment that meets with our customers expectations and where possible finding
ways of adding value to exceed expectations and result in delight.
Why is quality important?
There are three main sources of pressure on business to pay attention to quality (Levis
1989)
o First, customers are more demanding of every thing they buy, as well
as the way in which those products and services are delivered.
o Second, the development of more sophisticated hard and soft
technologies allows managers, to offer many possible additional and
conveniences services, although interpersonal contact is still seen as
highly valued.
o Lastly, in an increasingly competitive and international market place,
quality is seen as providing an edge of competitive advantage.

Many Managers, however, feel that providing quality is too expensive or too much
trouble to be of any real value. Zeithaml, Parasuraman and Berry (1990) propose that an
emphasis on quality brings three areas of benefit.
The positive impact, of quality or profit has been shown by the profit impact of Market
strategy study (Buzzell and Gale, 1987). In this study, the single most important factor
affecting a business units performance is the quality of its products and services, in
comparison to its competitors. A food and beverage operation that customers think has
the quality edge over its competitors is able to boost profitability through charging
premium prices. (Walker and Salameh 1990)
Providing high perceived value will lead to loyal customers, who will use the
operation to loyal customers, who will use the operation consistently over a long period
and will recommend the unit to their friends so you have repeat customers.
Quality improvement, without increasing the costs of an operation results in
operational efficiencies which more than recoup the investment. Quality costs are divided
into two:

The costs of conformance.

The costs of non-conformance.

The costs of conformance are the costs of assuring that everything comes out right and
includes all efforts for prevention and quality education. The costs of non-conformance
can be divided into appraisal/inspection costs and failure costs.
-

Appraisal costs are the costs of inspection to make sure that mistakes are kept
down and to ensure that any mistakes that are made are identified before
reaching the customer.

Failure costs are the costs of having made mistakes. They are splint into
internal and external failure costs.

Internal costs are those incurred where mistakes are found before they reach
the customer or cross the line of visibility. They include scrap, rework,
downgrading and excess inventory.

External failure costs are those incurred when mistakes are not found before
they reach the customer. They include things as repair and warranty claims,

providing replacement goods or services and the potential loss of future

business.

The real danger of poor quality for a food and beverage operation lies in those
errors that are not discovered until they reach the customer.

Approaches to quality management

The development of approaches to managing quality is shown in the figure below. The
diagram shows a movement from early approaches to quality relying on inspection of the
finished product through quality control and quality assurance to total quality
management.
Quality inspection
The earliest and probably the easiest approach to quality is the inspection approach. This
simple approach is based on finding defects in a product or service before it reaches the
customer by introducing an inspection stage or stages. There needs to be some
specifications of what the product should be like against which the product can be
checked once it has been produced. The checking would probably be carried out by staff
employed mainly for that purpose. If any problems are found, that product will be sent
back for rework to put the defects right or for scrup. The focus here is firmly on
identifying defects. The emphasis is on putting things right rather than on identifying the
cause of the problem and dealing with it at source.
Quality control
The quality control approach still centers on inspection but recognizes the need for a
detailed specification and that quality checks should be made throughout the production
process. Using sophisticated inspection methods at appropriate points in the production
process, the approach is more likely to find errors and will correct them earlier. The
emphasis is still on a find and fix mentality. Quality control will not improve product or
service quality, it will only highlight when it has gone wrong. The whole focus of quality
control is on mistakes.

Quality assurance
Quality assurance recognizes the inefficiencies of waiting for mistakes to happen and
strives to design quality into the process so that things cannot go wrong or if they do they
are identified and corrected as they happen. Lasting and continuous improvement in
quality can best be achieved through planning and preventing problems from arising at
source. Moving the emphasis from inspection to prevention is helped by the introduction
of a number of quality assurance tools and techniques such as statistical process control
(SPC), quality costing etc.
In quality assurance, however, the focus is not just on systems. Effective quality
assurance must involve the development of a new operating philosophy and approach:
one that is proactive rather than reactive, that includes involving employees in the process
form across normal departmental burners.
Total quality management.
In any TQM approach, the driving force is the focus on the satisfaction of customer
needs. The whole system must be directed at customer satisfaction and any thing that
could get in the way of delivering this satisfaction must be removed. This involves the
whole organization, including suppliers, cooking for ways to improve continually the
products or services delivered. TQM places the emphasis on the people in the
organization and their roles, through a broadening of their outlook and skills, through
encouragement of creativity, through training and empowerment in measuring their
performance and finding ways to improve it. The emphasis is on a management led move
towards team work and participation.

TOPIC 7
FOOD MENUS AND BEVERAGE LISTS
Introduction
A primary objective of food and beverage establishments is the selling in its widest sense
of the product: food and /or beverages. The common and major aid is the menu, in all of
its many forms. Once customers are on the premises of a catering establishment one of
the main sales tools is some form of a menu. The other aspects, which are also sales tools,
are the facilities provided, the degree of comfort and decor, the quality of the staff and the
standard of the food and beverages available. The menu should be an extension of the
three policies marketing, financial and catering.
The marketing policy is reflected in the menu by such things as the requirements
of the sector of the market that is being aimed at and the interpretation by the
establishment of the needs of that market.
The financial policy is reflected in the menu by the pricing and cost structure.

 The catering policy is reflected in the menu by the size and type of the menu, and
by the quality of the food and beverages offered.
The main aim of a food menu or beverage list is to inform customers in a clear way of
what is available to them. As a sales tool it often will, by the use of well-planned and
presented advertising, techniques, direct the customer as to what to buy. With the careful
yet effective application of design, layout, typography and graphics, a menu can
complement the atmosphere and type of service and with the correct use of language and
location of items, will result in a reliable and useful sales medium. The most powerful
deterrents to sales are ignorance and fear by the customer. A good menu sets out
consciously to assist customers by gaining their confidence and setting them at ease.
Basic menu criteria
There are a number of basic factors to be considered to ensure that a menu is to be an
effective sales tool:
1. General Presentation
General presentation is very important as it identifies the image and personality of that
particular unit or department whether it is a steak house or a cocktail bar. The following
points should be taken into consideration.
(c) The menu should be attractive: should look interesting and inviting.
(d) It should be clean: considering having them either plastic coated so
that they can be regularly wiped clean or printed on in expensive paper
or card and regularly replaced or contained within a presentable and
durable cover.
(e) It should be easy to read: It is usual to use different sizes of typeface
for such things as headings and the items appearing under them. How
typeface style is used can help customers to make their choice of food
and beverage items more easily. The use of attractive graphics, colour
and blank space can also help with aiding customers to make their
selection by directing and attracting their eye.

(f) It should complement the occasion: When there is a different occasion

then the menu is supposed to portray different styles and presentation
of e.g. wedding, at a restaurant within a holiday camp.
(g) It should reflect current awareness: The menu should take into
consideration the current trends in eating habits, so as to be fully aware
of customer requirements.
(h) Design: By the careful use of graphics, typography and colour the
menu can not only be interesting but can direct the customers eye to
specific items that the caterer wishes to sell.
2. Menu content: The content can be examined under the following headings:
(a) Language: The language used must be in keeping with the type of
operation. If a foreign language is being used it must be used
accurately. It is necessary to provide a simple but accurate translation
of the menu items to aid sales. A descriptive flamboyant type language
is also often used on menus for themed establishments. It is necessary
that customers should clearly understand what the items are and not be
left guessing.
(b) Accuracy: A very basic requirement for all menus is that when seen by
customers they are accurate as for as pricing and availability are
concerned, with the correct spelling and description of dishes and
drinks. In addition, it is not uncommon to find that the actual dishes
when presented to customers do not match up to the name of the dish
as on the menu may because the caterer is not all that concerned with
accuracy. However, the knowledgeable customer is not likely to return
to this type of restaurant again.
(c) Pricing: The correct pricing of all food menus and restaurant lists is
very important to the success of an operation. It is essential that in total
all necessary costs are covered, that the prices are attractive to the
particular segment of the market that the operation is in and that the
prices are competitive in relation to the level of quality of food and
drink and service offered. There are various factor which can affect the

pricing strategy operated such things as the size and type of operation,
the location the profit required the level of competitions etc.
(d) Sales mix: The tem sales mix refers to the composition of the total
sales as between the main components such as food and beverages,
and also within a component such as food to items such as appetizers
and soups, fish and meat etc. it is very important that the caterer when
designing a menu or beverage list considers the importance of the
actual or potential sales mix of items that the customers will choose.
3. Size and form: The size and shape of a menu can add to and complement the
uniqueness of the facility. A food or beverage menu must be easy for the
customer to handle and in no way confusing to read. The various forms that
the menu can take are unlimited. From a menu chalked up on a blackboard, to
a large illuminated display board with photographs, menus printed in the
shape of a fan or even hand printed onto silk handkerchiefs etc.
4. Layout of the menu: - The larger the menu the more time consuming it is for
customers to make their selection of food or wine. However if it is too short
customers may not be entirely satisfied by what is offered.
5. Nutritional content: - The nutritional content of a menu is considered more
important in the welfare sector of the industry than in the commercial sector.
In the welfare sector, establishments such as hospitals, residential schools,
homes for the elderly etc. provide meals for long-stay residents whereas in the
commercial sector the vast majority of the customers will take meals at home
as well as eat out in various types of restaurant.
Types of food menu
Although there are many types of eating establishment offering many types of meal
experiences, there are basically only two types of food menus: The table dhote and the a
la carte.
1. Table dhote menus is identified by:
- Being a restricted menu, offering a small number of courses usually three
or four, a limited choice within each course, a fixed selling price, all the

dishes being ready at a set time. Table dhote menus can be offered for
breakfast, lunch and dinner.
2. A la carte menu is identified by:
- Being usually a larger menu than a table dhote menu and offering
greater choices, listing under the course headings all of the dishes that may
be prepared by the establishment, all dishes being prepared to order, each
dish being separately priced, usually being more expensive than table
dhote menu.

Beverage menus/lists
The criteria used to prepare a wine menu or drinks list are the same as those used where
preparing a food menu.
Types of beverage menus/lists
The various types of beverage menus are numerous, but for simplicity they may be
grouped as being of four kinds: wine menus, bar menus, room service beverage menus
and special promotion beverage menus.
(a) Wine menus or wine lists: Within this general heading wine menus
may be subdivided as follows:
(i)

Full wine menus or lists: This kind of menu would be used in an

up-market hotel restaurant where the customers average spend
would be high and where the time available to consume their meal
would be likely to be in excess of one and a half hours. A full wine
menu is difficult to design. A full wine between may resemble
small books, often being of 15 to 40 pages in length. It is also the
practice of many restaurants to give a brief description of the major
types of wine as well as provide a map to show the origin of the

wine. The price range of this type of menu is high because of the
quality of the products.
(ii)

Restricted wine menus or lists: This kind of menu would be used in

a middle type market operation where the demand for a full wine
menu is very limited. It is also likely to be used when a
highly/skilled wine waiter is not required and where the waiting
staff serves all food and beverages. The price range of this type of
menu would be lower than that of a full wine menu.

(iii)

Banquet/function menus: - This type of menu is of he restricted

type in that it will offer fever wines than a full menu. Banqueting
wine menus will usually list some well known branded wines. A
point which must not be forgotten with branded wines is that
customers frequently will know the prices charged for the in the
local super-market or wine store and therefore the cater must be
very careful as to the mark up on these wines so as not to create
customer annoyance.

(b) Bar menus and lists: - these are basically of two types: the large
display of beverages and their prices which is often located at the back
of or to the side of a bar or the small printed menu/lists which are
available on the bar and on the tables in the bar area.
(c) Room service beverage menus/lists: The size and type of room service
menus will depend on the standard of the hotel and the level of room
service offered. For a luxury type unit the menu will be quite
extensive. Because of the high labour costs for room service staff, a
practice today in many hotels is to provide a small refrigerator in each
bedroom stocked with a limited quantity of basic of drinks. There are
many types of beverage units available specifically for use in
bedrooms, some of which include a computer based control system,
which automatically records the removal of any item from the unit and
records it as a charge to the customer.

(d) Special promotion beverage menus.

This may take many forms from a free pre function reception to
promote a particular beverage, to the promotion of after lunch and
after dinner liqueurs by the use of attractive tent cards or to the
promotion of the cocktails of the month or to be offered at a special
purchase price.

The general rules for the serving of wines

1. The progression of wines in a menu would be that light and
delicate wines are served before the higher quality wines and
that young wines are served before the older wines.
2. When several wines are to be served with a menu the order of
serving is normally accepted as being first a dry white wine
followed by a red wine and finishing with a sweet white wine.
3. Wines from several countries may be served with a meal
providing that there is an affinity between the different wines
and that they are accepted partners with the food.
4. Champagne may be served throughout a meal with dry
champagne being served with all courses other than with the
sweet course when semi-sweet champagne would be better
suited.
5. Rose wines may also be served throughout a menu although it
would be unusual for a formal occasion.
6. Dry white wines are normally served with fish, shellfish and
white meats such as poultry, pork.

7. Red wines are normally served with red meats for example a
beef etc.
8. Sweet white wines are normally served with the sweet course.
9. Port is accepted as being ideal for serving with cheese and
dessert.