28 Types of Service

S. Deena

1. INTRODUCTION

In food service operations, production as well as service of food assumes great importance. Food is produced in the commercial kitchen and served in the restaurant. The restaurant may operate independently or it may be a licensed component of a hotel. Food may be pre-plated and served to guests at the table; food may be served by the waiter on the guest’s plate; food may be served by the guests themselves from the dish on the table or food may be served from gueridon trolley which will be located beside the guest table in the restaurant. The layout, menu, inventory, price of food and interior décor of the restaurant will be determined by the type of service to be offered.

The three major types of food and beverage service are:

1. Waiter Service

2. Assisted Service

3. Self Service

2. OBJECTIVES

the major types of food and beverage service
the features of each type of service
the advantages and disadvantages of each type of service

3. FACTORS THAT INFLUENCE THE TYPE OF SERVICE

The food and beverage service industry includes restaurants, hotels, industrial and hospital canteens and food service in railways and airways. The basic function of this industry is to satisfy the various types of needs of customers by serving food and drink. Achieving customer satisfaction is the main aim of the food and beverage service industry. The customer needs that have to be satisfied are:

Physiological needs which includes the need for unique food items
Economic needs which includes the need for worth of the price of the meal
Social needs which includes the need for sociable ambience
Psychological needs which includes the need for augmentation of self‐esteem
Convenience needs which includes the wish for someone else to do work

These various needs play a significant role in deciding the different type of service food and beverage service industry.

The method or type of service of food to guest varies with the factors listed below:

Type of food service establishment- The type of service in a luxury restaurant which offers expensive dishes to business class customers will be different from the type of service offered to customers in a fast food restaurant.
Location of establishment- If the restaurant is located in a busy area where the rate of customer flow is very high and quick service is required plated service, cafeteria service or buffet service will be ideal. In such situations silver service or gueridon service will not be possible.
Type of customer- Factors such as age, income level, status and occupation of the customers influence the type of service. For example a restaurant which is frequented by customers from middle-income group cannot afford to provide full silver service which costs more.
Time available for meal- If the time available for meal is restricted, for example one hour, as in industrial canteens, buffet service will be ideal to serve a large number of workers at the same time.
Turnover of customer expected- A high turnover will be possible when the service is quick. But this depends on the pricing policy of the establishment. When the price is higher, the standard of service will be better and the seat turnover will be slower.
Type of menu offered- The items offered in the menu should be considered in deciding whether the service is going to be pre-plated or full silver service and so on.
Service Skill Available- The type of service offered will also depend on the level of service skills of the staff. For example if gueridon service or carvery service is to be offered, the service staff should be highly skilled.
Service area and equipment available- The type of service is also determined by the food service area available and the appropriate service equipment available. For example gueridon service can be done only if gueridon trolley is available and the service area is more compared to other forms of table service.

4. TYPES OF SERVICE

The following are the types of service that are internationally recognized:

WAITER SERVICE

English Service
French Service
American Service
Russian Service
Gueridon Service
Tray Service

SELF SERVICE

Counter Service
Cafeteria Service
Vending

ASSISTED SERVICE

Buffet Service
Carvery

4.1. WAITER SERVICE

In this type of service the guest enters the restaurant and is seated. The menu card is presented to the guest for order. The order of the guest is taken by waiter and the service is done by him on the guest table where the cover is already laid out. The styles of service that come under this category are as follows: English Service, French Service, American Service, Russian Service, Gueridon Service and Tray Service. Each style of service has its own advantages and disadvantages which will be discussed in the subsequent chapter. As the standard of service of the waiter assumes great importance we shall see the essential attributes to be possessed by him.

4.1.1. Attributes of a Waiter

Two kinds of attributes should be possessed by a waiter namely Personal Attributes and Professional Attributes. Both the attributes are equally important as they directly influence the work of a waiter. Some of the professional attributes are discussed below:

Good Conduct – All the waiters should be well mannered towards senior staff as well as the guests. They should exhibit utmost professional behavior at all times. Even at stressful situations they should be calm and pleasant. They should be tactful and honest at all times.
Salesmanship – Waiting staff should know all the technicalities of the job as they are considered to be technical sales persons. They should know the method of preparation of the food and beverages in the menu, presentation of food with appropriate accompaniments and the correct method of service.
Good memory – A waiter can draw the attention of the guests and the senior staff if he has a good memory power. If the waiter has a good memory he will be able to remember the favorite dishes or drinks of a particular guest, which will definitely be an added advantage to him. The ability to remember names and faces will distinguish the highly skilled waiter from the others.
Job skill – is an important skill to be possessed by a waiter. A waiter who is highly skilled will definitely attract the attention of the guests around.
Concentration – A waiter will be able to perform his job better if he has good concentration power. Guests will be dissatisfied if a waiter forgets the order or time of pickup of dishes due to lack of concentration. This may lead to loss of repeat/regular customers.
Responsibility – This is another important attribute to be possessed by a waiter as he has to deal with alcoholic beverages and also with lot of money. If the waiter is not responsible it may lead to pilferage and theft.

4.1.2. Basic principles to be followed by a waiter

Similar to the attributes to be possessed by waiters, there are some basic principles in food and beverage service that a waiter should know. The basic principles are:

Service should be done by the waiter from the left hand side of the guest when food is served by him at the table from a platter onto the guest plate.
Service should be done by the waiter from the right hand side of the guest when food is pre-plated though in modern styles he can serve from the left also.
Service of all the beverages should be done by the waiter from the right hand side of the guest.
Service of soup should be done by the waiter from the right hand side of the guest. In case the soup is poured from a large tureen into a soup cup by the waiter then the service should be done from the left of the guest.
Service should be done to ladies first and then to the other guests in clockwise order.
Clearance of soiled plates should be done from the right hand side of the guest.
Service of empty crockery and fresh cutlery should always be done from the right hand side of the guest.
A waiter should never reach across a customer

The quality of food service establishments depend on the quality of their service staff. The role of service staff in making a guest’s meal experience is really very important. Interior decoration, posh ambience will have no impact on the guest if the performance of service staff is poor. Hence the skills possessed by service staff are very important for the success of the food service establishment.

4.2. SELF SERVICE

In this type of service, the guest enters the dining area, selects food from the counter and carries food by himself to his seating place. This is the simplest form of service methods. The type of service that comes under this category is as follows:

4.2.1. Counter Service

This type of service is seen commonly in institutions, industrial canteens, hospitals and hotel cafeterias. The menu is fixed and is displayed on large boards in order to facilitate quick service. The customer is required to buy coupons in advance and present them to the waiter behind the counter in order to receive the desired item. Food may be displayed behind the counter and the guests may indicate their choice to the counter attendant. The food is served pre‐plated and the cutlery is handed directly to the guest. Guests may then sit at tables and chairs provided by the establishment. Sometimes high tables are provided where guests can stand and eat. In some types of counter service tall stools are placed along the counter so that guests may eat the food at the counter itself. Food is either displayed behind the counter for the guests to choose from, or is listed on a menu card or common black board. The guest may also get the food packed as take away. This type of service is followed in cafeterias, canteens, food courts, fast food outlets, kiosks and so on.

Advantages

The service is quick
Service skill is not required
The service staff required is less
Low labour cost
The seat turnover is high Disadvantages
There is no personalized service
Waiters do not have scope to exhibit service skill

4.2.2. Cafeteria Service–

This type of service is seen mostly in institutional and industrial catering establishments. This consists of a straight line of counters containing a variety of hot and cold dishes displayed in order. The customers start from one end of the line, picks up a tray and moves along the length of the counter selecting the dishes of his choice as he is passing along the line. The cashier who is seated at the end of the counter makes the bill and collects payment. If the meals are pre-paid, there will not be a cashier at the end of the counter. The service counter will generally be separated from the dining area. The customers may then sit at the chairs and tables provided by the catering establishment. In some establishments high tables will be provided so that customers can stand and eat..

The visual appeal is good
Service skill required is less
The service staff required is less
Low labour cost
More number of people can be served

Disadvantages

Food may become cold as guests wait in long queue
The dishes should be quickly replenished
The cashier should be very efficient

In this style of service, guests get the dishes from machines. They buy tokens or coins and insert them into the vending machine and get the dish of their choice by selecting appropriate option. Vending machines are installed at busy areas such as airports, railway stations, bus stands, schools and hospitals. Examples of products dispensed in vending machine are

soups
confectioneries
hot and cold meals
hot and cold beverages
sandwiches, biscuits, cookies and snacks Advantages
Labour is reduced
Portion control is effective
Food cost control is effective
There is no wastage of food
Cost of operation is low
Food served is hygienic
Service of food is available throughout the day Disadvantages
There is no interaction with guest
There is limited selection of dishes
Dependant on power.
This will not be suitable for large-scale operations
Regular servicing required
During servicing period, service of food is not available

4.3 ASSISTED SERVICE

This type of service is a combination of waiter and self service. In this type of service, the guest enters the dining area and helps himself to the food from a buffet counter. Alternatively the guest may be served partly at table by the waiter and he may collect any extras from the counter. The guest may eat seated at the table or standing in the banquet hall. This type of service is used extensively in hotels and restaurants. The type of service that comes under this category is as follows:

4.3.1. Buffet Service

This is also known as “self service”. In this type of service, food is arranged on a long table in an attractive manner with garnishes according to proper sequence, from appetizers to desserts. Soup tureens are used to keep soup hot and chaffing dishes are used to keep hot entrees warm. Cold dishes are placed in glass/metal/wood containers. Dinner plates, saucers, crockery and cutlery required are placed on the buffet table. If disposable napkins are used, they are placed between plates. The guests go to the buffet table, pick up plates, cutlery and napkin and all other items and serve themselves dishes of their choice or may request the waiter behind the buffet counter to serve them. Dishes at the buffet are kept ready for service at a set time and are available at a set price.

There are three types of buffet- sit-down buffet, fork-buffet and finger-buffet.

In sit‐down buffet service, the guest will pick up the food from the buffet table and then return to eat at the table which is laid out with crockery and cutlery similar to a restaurant. The waiter helps the guest in the service of water, soup, sweet and coffee and also clears the table.
In a fork-buffet, guests usually stand and eat the food with only a fork. The food served should be of bite-size and should be easily manageable with a fork.
In a finger-buffet, guests collect the food from the buffet counter and eat with their fingers. In this type of buffet, washing facility with hand drier and napkin dispenser is essential. Examples of dishes served in finger buffet are sandwiches, burgers etc.,

Advantages

More number of guests can be served within a short period of time
Staff required for service is less
Service skill required for staff is less
Labour cost is less

Disadvantages

There is no personalized service
The dishes may lose eye appeal after repeated servings
There may be congestion at buffet counter
There may be shortage of food if early guests serve themselves more
Service staff has no scope to demonstrate service skills

In this style of service the roast joint is carved by the trancheur (carver) at the carvery counter and the guests help themselves. Carvery will generally be open for luncheon and dinner. The menu in carvery will be table d hote with three courses including a selection of starters, three or four roast meats and a selection of sweets. The first and third course will be served by the waiter at the table and the guest will help themselves for roasts (second course) at the carvery counter. Accompanying sauces and vegetables may be served by the waiter at the table or collected by the guest from the carvery. Bread and butter will also be placed at the table.

This will serve as an effective marketing tool
There is less wastage as guest takes what he wants
The guests choose portion size so they get more value for money
Staff required for service is less
The kitchen staff required is also less as menu is limited
Labour cost is less

Disadvantages

There is requirement of highly skilled carver that costs money
There is difficulty in portion control and pricing
There will be difficulty in retaining appearance of pre-cooked joints 4.3.3. Breakfast Service
Two types of breakfast are offered in hotels and restaurants- Continental Breakfast and English Breakfast.
Continental Breakfast is a light meal and originated in Europe. Europeans generally have a heavy mid-day meal, so the breakfast is light.
English Breakfast is a major meal of the day and so it is heavy. An English Breakfast has six or seven courses.
This consists of bread rolls or toast with jam, honey or marmalade and finished with coffee or tea. Some hotels may serve brioches and croissants. The cover layout of Continental Breakfast consists of:
Side plate and side knife
Butter dish and butter knife on a quarter plate
Tea cup and saucer with teaspoon
Sugar pot (with tongs if there are sugar cubes)
Bread basket or toast rack
Serviette
Jam, marmalade and honey pots

There are two variations of Continental Breakfast:

Café Complet refers to Continental Breakfast with coffee or tea
Café Simple refers to just coffee or tea with nothing to eat. English Breakfast

This is a more elaborate type of breakfast and consists of a choice of juices/fresh or stewed fruits, cereals, fish course, choice of eggs, meat course, toast with jam, marmalade or honey and finally coffee or tea. The cover layout of English Breakfast consists of:

Side plate and side knife
Butter dish and butter knife on a quarter plate
Tea cup and saucer with teaspoon
Sugar pot (with tongs if there are sugar cubes)
Cruet set
Fish knife and fish fork
Joint knife and fork
Jam, marmalade and honey
Dessert spoon and fork
Serviette
Chilled fruit juices: Orange, pineapple. tomato, grapefruit
Stewed fruit : Prune, pear, apple, fig
Cereals: Porridge, cornflakes
Fish: Grilled herring, fried sole
Eggs: Poached, boiled, scrambled, fried, omelet
Meat: Sausage, bacon, salami
Breads: Toast, roll, brioche, croissant
Preserves: Jam, marmalade, honey
Beverage: Tea, coffee, hot chocolate

CONCLUSION

Food Service establishments will not be able to strictly adhere to any one type of food service. They will follow a combination of services depending on the type of dish served. The service staff should be given clear cut instructions on what type of service should be followed for what type of dish so that service will be quick and efficient.

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Bibliography

R.Singaravelavan (2011). Food and Beverage Service, Oxford University Press; New Delhi.
Vijay Dhawan (2007). Food and Beverage Service, Frank Bros. & Co, New Delhi.
Sondra J. Dahmer, Kurt W. Kahl (2002), Restaurant Service Basics, John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Lendal H. Kotschevar, Valentino Luciani (2006), Presenting Service: The Ultimate Guide for the Foodservice Professional, John Wiley & Sons Inc.

Web link

https://chaucertech-public.sharepoint.com/pdf
www.usaid.gov/pdf_docs/Pnadw328.pdf
www.hospitalityinfocentre.co.uk/…/F&B%20Service%20Types.pdf
hotel-industry.learnhub.com/lesson/9045-food-and-beverage-industry
www.hospitality-school.com/food-beverage-service-types-restaurant