THE FOOD SERVICE SYSTEM

Socio – economic conditions

Demographic shifts

Changing food habits and desires of people

Increasing number of single person households

FACTORS THAT AFFECT THEGROWTH OF FOOD SERVICE INDUSTRY

Where the food is prepared in relation to where it is served

The time span between preparation and service

The forms of foods purchased

The methods of handling prepared foods

The amount and kind of labor and equipment required

Differences Between Food Service Systems

A. Conventional - menu items are prepared in a kitchen on

place where meals are served and are held a short time, either hot or cold, until they are served. It is used by small food service operators

Advantages:1. Quality is of primary importance.2. Individuality of food service and better quality

standard could be achieved easily.

Types of Food Service Systems

3. Greater flexibility in making menu changes could be employed as soon as there is a good market buy or during off season.4. This system is highly economical.

Disadvantages:1. It produces an uneven, stressful workday because of the period demands.2. The workloads vary according to available ingredients making it difficult for workers to master a recipe and achieve higher productivity.

B. Comissary (Central Production Kitchen)- is characterized by a large, central

production kitchen separate from service units.

- is a result of technological innovations. - employs people who are highly trained in technological aspects of food production in big quantities.

- is employ by airlines, chain restaurants and large school districts.

C. Ready Prepared

foods are prepared in premises after which they arechilled or frozen and stored for used at some latertime. is used primarily in hospitals and restaurant chains, schools

and colleges.

Two Ways of Handling Foods cook/chilled method – prepared foods are chilled immediately

and packed individually or in bulk which will be portioned later. They are prepare in refrigerated storage for a day or two until they are ready for used.

cook/freezer method – a blast freezer or cryogenic freezing system must be available to freeze foods quickly to prevent food cell damage. Foods may be individually packed or stored in bulk which require less freezer storage space.

Advantages

reduces the uneven and stressful workloads that may be found in conventional systems.

produces lower costs and requires only a few skilled

workers.

workers are able to work more efficiently and productively.

management can also closely monitor the selection of menus, the quantity and portion size.

menus prepared and stored for future use are more varied

and they are readily available and delivered upon order.

Disadvantages

needs a large storage/freezer unit which is space consuming and requires a high cost of energy.

the cook/ freeze method specifically needs a blast freezer which is expensive to purchase and operate.

the foods require extensive modifications in the recipe and ingredients to offset cell damage and to ensure high quality products

service units need microwave/ convection ovens for a high quality delivery.

D. Assembly/Serve- food production is not done on the premises.- fully prepared foods are purchased, stored, assembled, heated and served.- is used by hospitals and health care institutions.

Advantages requires only a minimal investment for

equipment and the bulk of spending is for gas, electricity and water.

managers can exercise absolute portion control and few or no waiters are needed.

Disadvantages offers only limited choices on desired menu

items especially those which are preferred regionally.

high cost of pre-prepared foods might not be offset by the savings that could be derived from labor

meal proportions may not be sufficient to provide for nutritional requirements.