Hospitality Food and Beverage - Assignment Example

Hospitality Food and Beverage Table of Contents Terms of Reference 3 Introduction 3 Methodology 4 Findings 5 Task 5: Influence of Menu Design on the Operational Activities of the Business 7 Task 6: Economical Consideration in Designing the Menu 8 Conclusion 11 Recommendations 11 References 12 Terms of Reference The hospitality industry is one of the leading service sectors in the world economy. The industry encompasses a wide variety of service segments that comprise of food services, event planning, tourism and hotels. Nevertheless, the industry often experiences fluctuations within an economic year. The food and beverage industry has flourished basically due to collected effort of the huge international corporations with delicious dishes and luscious drinks served to the customers in elegant designs and fashions (Chon & Maier, 2009). Introduction This is a brief report which aims to highlight the theoretical and practical aspects of designing a menu of a midscale food and beverage establishment and its influences among the operational activities of the business. It also includes the economical features which should be kept into consideration while conniving the menu for a food and beverage outlet. Methodology In order to answer the questions provided in the assignment, information from secondary sources are used. The sources include various journals, websites and books related with the food and beverage industry. The sources offered many vital aspects regarding the menu designing as well as its influence on the business operations. Moreover, numerous online links provided important information regarding the economical characteristics of menu designing as well. Thus, it can be stated that journals, websites and books provided copious vital information, which helped to complete this report. Findings Task 4: The Theoretical and Practical Principles of Menu Design In A Mid-Scale Food and Beverage Establishment Midscale food and beverage establishments are also known as casual service restaurants and are usually small in size, with the limited range of menu. These can occasionally be coffee shops and can present low priced breakfasts and lunch with a menu which can attract local clients as well as travellers irrespective of age throughout 24/7. Midscale restaurants mainly highlight on three factors such as food-service quality, family price-value, and time convenience. These factors help in enhancing the image of mid-scale food and beverage industries (Chon & Maier, 2009). The menu designing is one of the vital attributes of a mid-scale food and beverage establishment as it helps to attract the customers and enhance the business. A la carte menu signifies that the food can be prepared according to the choice of the customer. The prepared A la carte menu will comprise food items such as Gravadlax of Salmon for £5.00, Confit of Duck and Ham Hock Terrine at £6.00, Yorkshire Tapas for £8.00 and Chicken Supreme at £20.00 among others (Legacy Hotels & Resorts Ltd, 2011; Chon & Maier, 2009). Whereas Table d’hôte menu, on the other side, refers to host's table. These types of menu include multi-course meals which are already prepared for the customers to place their orders. It is just opposite to A la carte. Food and beverage establishments following table d’ hote menu types consist of restricted food items with fixed prices whereas the A la carte menus offer numerous choices with high prices and require long time to prepare. The message which the mid-scale food and beverage establishment tries to communicate to its customers is the fact that best quality service is provided at affordable price and at a convenient time span (Dahmer & Kahl, 2008). The principles which should be kept in mind while designing a menu are stated as under: Menu Fonts The menu front should be stylish and eye catching. It should not contain more than three or four different fonts as specified by rule. Thus, the menu card should include a single front for the menu section heading, another for subheadings and different fonts for prices and item descriptions (Jones, 2002). Menu Copy Menu Copy is also the other important aspect which is considered while designing a menu for a food and beverage establishment. The dishes as well beverages in the menu card should be arranged in such a way that it grasps the customer attentions. The menu card should not look like poetry; rather it should be precise and trendy. It should not contain any spelling mistakes as it affects negatively to the customers (Jones, 2002). No Fancy Graphics The menu card should contain descriptions in an attractive colour and art instead of any fancy designs or pictures. It makes the menu card look very awkward (Jones, 2002). Pricing The prices should be placed right after the description so that the individual cannot search for lowest cost items as well as it should be affordable for all (Jones, 2002). Menu Design Should Follow Desktop Publishing The menu should be simple and easy to read and understand. This helps to attract more customers. Apart from the above stated factors, certain other aspects are also essential while designing menu for a mid-scale food and beverage establishment. The menu should include food stuffs that can fulfil the nutritional requirements of the family or individual. Along with these the food items of the menu should be designed keeping in mind the age groups, gender, physical activity, religion, cultural patterns, traditions and customs prevailing in the area (Jones, 2002). Thus, it can be stated that the profitability of the food and beverage establishment depends mainly on the types of food and the design of the menus which can attract the customers. Task 5: Influence of Menu Design on the Operational Activities of the Business A midscale restaurant attracts businesspersons, married couples, singles, and families who wish for value-priced food, good service, cleanliness, and atmosphere which in total, symbolizes the complete dining experience. The food of an establishment can be appreciated only when the dinning atmosphere is proper and hygienic. The front of house and back of house operations affect the operational activities of the business. The basics which should be kept in mind while designing the food and beverage establishment are the aspects such as comfort, colour, style, lights and the seating capacities for the customers. It should also include a dining room, bar area, private dining rooms and entry and waiting areas. Along with these, intimacy and a right musical tone is essential in creating an elegant internal atmosphere. Similarly, operational activities are also exaggerated by the back of house operations. Back of house operations help to meet the health and safety and pleasure of the guests at every aspect of their hang about. It also includes proper maintenance of the guests, housekeeping and engineering. In order to establish a benchmark in customer satisfaction every individual of the establishment is responsible, from a general manager to a waiter (Workforce-Velocity, 2011; Foodservice Warehouse, 2011). Thus, it can be stated that both the front of house operations as well as back of house operations offer significant influences on the operational activities of the business. In order to provide the stipulated menu to the consumers, the front and the back office operations have to be coordinated with each other efficiently to serve the items at exact time with adequate quality. Task 6: Economical Consideration in Designing the Menu A clean and regimented menu design of a food and beverage establishment can enhance its image thereby serving customers a feeling of satisfaction, delight and happiness. Every establishment is different in its food types, the location, the atmosphere, the staff, the interior and exterior design, the equipments and the utensils. But this feature of each individual food establishments is revealed in the menu, which makes it ideal for customers. The menu design for a mid-scale food and beverage establishment is one of the vital components to enhance the profitability of the hospitality business. The menu should be nutritious, affordable and economical. The menu card should be designed keeping in consideration the economic standard of the area as well as the living standard of the people. This is because it helps to analyse the availability of money among the individuals as well as their capacity to spend on food staffs (Butlersguild, n.d.). At the same time, the food should be healthy as well as it should be satisfactory for the customers. Moreover, it should be planned at a reasonable price which can be within reach for the individuals. It should provide quality as well as desirable food items to the customers in order to enhance the intensity of customer visit which can increase the profitability as well as image of the food and beverage establishments. In addition, on special religious occasions, special diets can also be prepared for different religious segments in order to increase the sales. There are also many types of restrictions which are present in different religions such as Muslims obey their own dietary laws. Furthermore, the menus should be prepared keeping in mind that many types of food allergies such as rashes, severe responses can be caused due to intake of diverse food products like tree nuts (walnuts and pecans among others), peanuts, eggs, milk and fish. The other ingredients include shellfish, soy, corn and wheat. Thus, if a guest provides the information of getting food allergies by ingesting certain specific ingredients then those items should be removed from that particular customised dish. This can augment customer satisfaction and intentions of behaviour (Albright & et. al., 1990; ICHRIE, 2011; Butlersguild, n.d.). Thus, it can be stated that the above mentioned factors are crucial and should be kept in mind while preparing the menu of a midscale food and beverage establishment. Conclusion Hence, it can be stated that the menu design of a midscale food and beverage establishment should be prepared keeping in mind the taste and the preferences along with affordability, quality and nutrition. In addition, it should also be designed on the basis of the culture, traditions, age group, religious occasions, issues as well as the economic aspects. These factors can augment the consumers to become happy and satisfied with the served foods and the services of the food and beverage establishment and thus, they can share its excellent hospitality services and atmosphere with others. Recommendations It can be recommended that the midscale food and beverage establishment should intend to incorporate varied ranges of food items along with deserts. Attractive starters menu and juice items should also be included in the menu at an affordable price according to consumers’ preferences and likings. This can enhance the customer reach as well as the profitability of the food and beverage establishment. References Albright, C. L. & et. al., 1990. Restaurant Menu Labeling: Impact of Nutrition Information on Entree Sales and Patron Attitudes. Health Education & Behaviour. Butlersguild, No Date. Food Restrictions and Allergies - "Let Them All Eat Cake!”. Food and Drinks Issues. [Online] Available at: http://www.butlersguild.com/index.php?subject=103 [Accessed December 26, 2011]. Chon, K. S. Maier, T., 2009. Welcome to Hospitality: An Introduction. Cengage Learning. Dahmer, S. J. & Kahl, K. W., 2008. Restaurant Service Basics. John Wiley and Sons. Foodservice Warehouse, 2011. Designing a Restaurant: Front of the House. The Basics of FOH Design. [Online] Available at: http://www.foodservicewarehouse.com/education/how-start-restaurant/designing-restaurant-front-of-house.aspx [Accessed December 26, 2011]. ICHRIE, 2011. Does Food Quality Really Matter in Restaurants? Its Impact On Customer Satisfaction and Behavioral Intentions. Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Research. Jones, P., 2002. Introduction to Hospitality Operations: An Indispensable Guide to the Industry. Cengage Learning. Legacy Hotels & Resorts Ltd, 2011. Example A La Carte Menu. To Start. [Online] Available at: http://www.legacy-hotels.co.uk/legacy-grinkle/downloads/alacarte.pdf [Accessed December 26, 2011]. Workforce-Velocity, 2011. Back of House Operations. Maintaining Guest Relations behind the Scenes. [Online] Available at: http://workforce-velocity.com/Industries/Hospitality/BackofHouseOperations.aspx [Accessed December 26, 2011]. Read More