SERVICE
Methods of
Assembly, Delivery and Service
1.
Centralized delivery-service system
Prepared foods are portioned and assembled for
individual meals at a central area in or adjacent to the main kitchen.
2.
Decentralized delivery-service systems
Bulk quantities of hot and/or cold prepared
foods are sent to serving galleys or ward kitchen located throughout the
facility, where reheating, portioning and meal assembly take place.
The types of foodservice that use this system
include large hospitals and medical centers, and school.
Costs and values of centralized versus
decentralized methods should be studied and carefully considered before
deciding on which one to adopt.
Assembly
ü
The piecing together of prepared menu items to
complete an entire meal.
ü
Assembly can occur at a number of points along
the sequence of process steps depending on type of foodservice operation.
ü
Tray assembly
Ø
Two major systems are used to assemble meal
trays.
Ø
Food is assembled at a central location usually
the production kitchen; using a tray line and then various distribution methods
are used to deliver the trays to units.
Factors Affecting Choice of Distribution Systems
1)
Type of Foodservice System
o
Used to determine to some extent its own needs
for delivery and service.
o
Menu items processed in the commissary are
either held in bulk or portioned.
o
3 alternatives for this holding are frozen,
chilled or hot-held.
2)
Kind of Foodservice Organization
o
The type of organization determines to a large
extent the delivery and service system requirements.
o
Large numbers of people must be served quickly.
o
Large hotels may have several types of service
within the facility, including a counter or coffee shop for fast meals and
table service dining rooms.
3)
Size and Physical Layout of Facilities
o
The size and building arrangement of the
facility are additional factors to consider when selecting delivery systems.
o
The distance and the routing from production to
service areas are points for consideration.
4)
Style of Service
Ø
Self-service à
cafeteria, buffet, vended
Ø
Tray service à
centralized or decentralized
Ø
Wait service à
for table, counter, or drive-up facilities
Ø
Portable service à
meals delivered to home or office throughout an industrial plant
5)
Skill Level of Available Personnel
Ø
Labor needs and required skills vary for
different types of delivery systems and for the equipment used in each type of
system.
Ø
A training program should be designed to give
the employees a well trained in the use, care and safety features of equipment
and delivery procedures.
6)
Economic Factors
Ø
Labor and equipment required for the various
delivery-service systems must be calculated and evaluated in relation to budget
allocations.
Ø
Economic factors play a part in deciding where
and how frozen or chilled foods should be reheated, assembled and served.
7)
Quality Standard for Food and Microbial Safety
Ø
Management establishes standard for food quality
and safety, then selects equipment for heating, holding, and transporting food
to achieve those standard.
Ø
Microbial quality of menu items is dependent on
the type of food, quality of raw ingredients, batch size, and type of equipment
used for cooking and position of menu items in foodservice equipment.
Ø
Time and temperature relationship are also
important in nutrient retention and for sensory qualities of food products.
8)
Timing Required for Meal Service
Ø
The time of day desired or established for meals
is another factor influencing the choice of a delivery-service system.
Ø
Many serving stations and adequate personnel for
each station are prerequisites for achieving the time objective.
9)
Space Requirements or Space Available
v
The delivery-service system preferred should be
stated early in the facility planning process so adequate space will be
available for those foodservice activities.
v
Decentralized systems require less space in the
main kitchen
10)
Energy Usage
v
A concern for energy use and its conservation
plays a role in deciding on a delivery-service system.
v
Energy awareness is on the increase again
v
Energy savings are an important consideration in
delivery system and equipment selection.
Equipment Needs
ü In
general : fixed or built in, mobile and
portable
ü For
a specific use: reheating, assembling, temperature maintenance, transporting
and serving
ü For
each of the 4 foodservice system:
i.
Conventional
ii.
Commissary
iii.
Ready-prepared
iv.
Assembly/serve
1) General
Classification of Delivery-Service Equipment
a)
Fixed or Built-in Equipment
Equipment that is fixed or built in should be
planned as an integral part of the structure at the time a facility is being
built.
The automated cart transport or monorail.
Other fixed equipment includes elevators, manual
or power-driven conveyors for horizontal movement.
b)
Mobile Equipment
The equipment that is moved on wheels or
casters.
Includes delivery trucks for off-premise use to
transport food from a commissary or central kitchen to the meal sites.
Movable carts and trucks,
Some movable carts are designed to accommodate
the plates of hot food for banquet service.
c)
Portable Equipment
Items that can be carried, as opposed to mobile
equipment that is moved on wheels or casters.
d)
Pellet Disc
Preheated and at mealtime is placed in a metal
base.
This hot metal pellet radiates heat and keeps
the meal at serving temperature for approximately 40 to 45 minutes.
e)
Insulated Trays with Insulated Covers
Designed with a variety of configurations for
the different types of dishes used for the menu of the day.
2) Equipment
for Specific Uses
i.
Reheating Frozen or Chilled Foods
v
All food must be reheated at serving time if it
have frozen or chilled before.
v
The equipment that uses for reheated included
convection ovens, conduction (conventional) ovens, microwave ovens and infrared
ovens.
ii.
Meal Assembly
v
An important step in the delivery-service
system.
v
Different types of establishment and the
activities involved must be suited to the specific needs of each.
v
Required that the various menu items that make
up a meal be collected and put in one place.
v
The most complex type of assembly is that of
tray service for many patients and consumer.
iii.
Temperature Maintenance and Holding
v
Foods prepared and ready for service often must
be held for short periods until needed.
v
The heated storage cabinets will not heat the
food but will maintain the temperature of the food for short periods.
iv.
Transportation and Delivery
v
Roll-in refrigerator units serve as transport
equipment
v
The manager must identify the specific needs of
the organization when choosing the transportation and delivery.
v.
Serving
v
The service is different according to the types
of foodservice.
Styles of Service
1) Self-service
: cafeteria-traditional, free flow, or scramble, machine vended, buffet,
smorgasbord, salad bar an drive-up
2) Tray
service : centralized or decentralized
3) Wait
service : counter, table-American , French, Russian, family, banquet
4) Portable
meals : off-premise or on-premise delivery
Customer Service
ü Refers
to the interactions between customers and service staff.
ü A
sampling of some standard for guest relations program:
§
Anticipate needs
§
Be observant of customers’ behavior and
environment
§
Never say “I don’t know” to a customer.
§
Be positive
§
Be specific
§
Admit mistakes and take action to satisfy the
customer.
