Types of Food and Beverage Providers

Food and Beverage is a connection between the Guest and your menu and other facilities that are on offer. There are mostly three types of Food and Beverage facilities that every serviceman must know. This will help everything can be provided to the Customer, in a proper way, with accurate plating, temperature, and Quantity.

1. Waiter Services

In Waiter Services, the Waiter/ Waitress has the duty to welcome the Guest, take their order, communicate with them properly, and serve the Customer their Food. All this can be done in a hotel room, restaurant, hospital, flight, or somewhere else as well. 
Moreover, the Waiter Services also include:

i) French Service

French Service is well known as Silver Service as well. In this form of service, the Customer gets personalized treatment from the restaurant staff while serving the Food or Beverages. While sitting at the table, the Guest selects their menu, then Food is prepared in the Kitchen and served to the individual's plate using two silver spoons. The rest of the Food is present at the table on the right-hand side of the Guest. 

The French Services give personalized attention to each of the Guests and make them feel important. It offers the Customer with Royal treatment with multiple entertainment facilities as well.

However, this Service comes with a few cons as well. For example, the service is a bit slow and costly when compared to any other type of Waiter service. It also requires more dining area space for better convenience of the services. 

ii) English or Family Services

The English or Family-type services originated from traditional English families. In this type of Service, the waiter brings Food in a platter form and presents it to the host first for their approval; then, they place this platter on the table for the Guest. This is the reason why it is also called Host Services. 
Once the platter is placed on the table, the host will now divide the portions among the guests or ask the waiter to serve. It is a faster process that saves a lot of time.

Moreover, it is also budget-friendly. Thus comfortable for numerous people. But it has low Showmanship, and it has very less personalized attention to any of the Guests.
 
iii) American or Plate Services

Now, coming to the American or Plate Services, see these are pre-plated services. This means that the Foodservices is plated properly in the Kitchen itself, and then the waiter places it at the Guest’s table. It is considered an informal form of service. It is again a quick and inexpensive service, as a single waiter can serve on multiple tables. 

But again, it reduces the personalized attention from individual guests.

iv) Tray Services

In Tray Services, the ordered dishes by the guests are prepared and placed on a tray with all the required Cutleries and taken to the specific room/ table or seats by the waiters. Furthermore, to maintain the temperature of Food, at times, special heating tables are also provided. It is again a budget-friendly option and used mostly for in-room service. But the Guest doesn’t receive any Personalized feature with this service. If the pepper tray is not provided, Food might get cold as well.

v) Gueridon Service

It is a service in which the Cooking or dressing of the Food is done by the waiter on a trolley. It is done in front of the Guest using a spoon or fork. There are different designs of Gueridon trolleys dispensing on the purpose and type of Food. It is very Luxurious and expensive and has slow service. 

However, the Trolly service is Highly personalized and provides 100% customer satisfaction. 

Note: There might be chances of an Accident while preparing the Food.

2. Self Service 

Self-service is the most basic form of service one can opt for. Here, the staff doesn’t serve anything to the Customer. The Customer helps themselves with the dishes or services they want. From placing the dinner, paying for it, and picking up the order, everything is done by the Customer only.
This is further divided into three types:

i) Counter Service

In Counter Service, the Customer decides their order from the menu available at the display, buys tokens, and collects dishes from the Counter. This Food can be in-dining or takeaways. There are multiple examples of Counter services like Kiosks, Canteen, fast food Outlets, etc.
It is a Quick Service that is budget friendly as well. 

ii) Vending Service

In vending Style of service, the Customer gets the Food from the Machine. The customers get Tokens and put them in the vending Machine to get the Food they want. This technology is used to make Soups, Sandwiches, cookies, biscuits, etc.
Food vending machines are present in almost all busy areas like airports, railway stations, schools, etc.

iii) Cafeteria Service 

The cafeteria service is particularly divided into two practices. The first one is the Traditional one, and the other is Free flow Cafeteria service.
Traditional Cafeteria service is mainly present in Industries or institutes. It is a straight-line type of service, where a person can order different hot & cold dishes available on the Counter.

In traditional service, a guest enters the Cafeteria, picks up the tray, joins the Line for the Counter, hereafter selects the dishes they want to have, pays the cashier, picks the required cutlery, and has the Food. 

Whereas in the Free flow type, the Counters are separated according to the dish you choose. The cold and hot Food have different counters. In this, the Guest enters the cafe, Guest picks the tray, goes to the Counter from which they want to order, decides their dish, pays the bill, grabs the cutlery and napkins if needed, and goes to the dining room to eat the Food. 

3. Assisted Services

Finally, the assisted service, it is a combination of both Self and Waiter Services. Most of the hotels and restaurants use the Assist service only to help the Guest. 
It is mainly classified into Buffet Services and Carvery Services.

 i) Buffet Services

In this type of service, a guest picks the plate from the stack present at the end of the table, or they might request the waiter to help them. Now, the Guest has the option to serve Food for themselves, or they can also ask the waiter to do it for them. In this Style of F&B services, a large number of people have Food with minimal help from the waiters. 
Buffet services have many variations, but sometimes they might face a shortage of Food as well. 

ii) Carvery Services

The Carvery Style is followed by big hotels and restaurants all around the world. This type of service ensures that the Food is hot as it is carved in front of customers only. If some customers can’t eat the overall Food, they can pack the rest, thus minimizing the wastage.
However, to offer this service, the restaurant needs talented Carvers, due to which this service is a bit expensive.

Binding Up!

Hopefully, this article provided you with enough information regarding different types of Food and Beverage Providers. Although if you think that we missed mentioning some point, then you can mail us at info@hidedot.com. Have a Good Day!