3RD TERM NOTE
Food and beverage service can be broadly defined as the process of preparing, presenting and serving of food and beverages to the customer.
The food and beverage industry has unlimited opportunities where individuals interested in catering can fit into and graduate into with more experience in meeting the demands and expertise in the area.
The food and beverage service department usually has the largest staff. 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.
Staff organization plays a major role in the success of any establishment. It is also important to have well-disciplined operation in an outlet. It helps the management to allocate the right persons in the right positions.
Food and beverage Personnel can be categorize into three levels.
They are: 1. Managerial Staff.
2. Supervisory Staff.
3. Operational Staff.
1. Managerial Staff- This category of staff is on the top in an organizational chart. They are also known as ‘Top management.’ They are responsible for the overall performance of an establishment.
2. Supervisory Staff- This category of staff takes the middle part of an organizational chart. They are also called the ‘Middle Management’. This category fills about 15percent of the total number of staff working in an organization. Their main responsibility is to supervise the lower staff and communicate them the decisions, made by the top-level management.
3. Operational Staff – This category of staff is at the bottom of an organization chart, they are the one who actually have hands on the job. Most of the physical work is performed by this category of staff; they make about 80 percent of the total staff in an organization.
ORGANIZATION CHART
An organization chart is a diagram or format in which the job positions are arranged in an order of their level of hierarchy.
Below is the typical Organization Chart
LARGE ORGANIZATION CHART
FOOD AND BEVERAGE SERVICE PERSONNEL AND THEIR FUNCTIONS:
This is a learner on industrial attachment wishing to take up food service as a career.
ATTRIBUTES OF FOOD AND BEVERAGE SERVICE PERSONNEL:
The product of food and beverages is not just food and drink. Any member of staff in contact with customer is also a part of the product. No matter how good and attractive your environment, food, drinks and staffs may be the quality of the staff matters a lot.
Some principal attributes necessary in food and beverage service personnel are as follows:
The staff should show interest by being punctual and avoid giving excuses to be absent from duty.
A staff should have sufficient knowledge on the menu, wine and drink to be able to give suggestion to guest. The staff will have basic knowledge of everything in the establishment.
The staff must have a pleasing personality and ability to smile, means friendship to every guest.
Staff should be honesty and also transparent. This will make the customer and follow staff to trust and respect the staff and once the trust is built, the customer and management relationship will be cordial. A good working atmosphere and good team spirit among the food and beverage staff will be enhanced.
Being able to attend to customers fast and accurate help staff cope with busy period and customers are assured of attention immediately the step into the hotel without fear of consuming their precious time.
The staff should be loyal to the management in order to move the establishment forward and profit is minimized.