Hospitality Operations: Food Production Systems, Service Methods, Menu Engineering, Sustainable Menu Planning

This report provides a critical analysis of different types of food production systems, food and beverage service methods, menu engineering, and sustainable menu planning in the hospitality industry. It includes an examination of various food production systems such as frying, harvesting, baking, fermenting, and thawing. Additionally, it explores different service methods like table service, English service, and French service. The report also discusses the analysis of menu engineering matrix to enhance restaurant profitability and the importance of sustainable menu planning for competitive advantage in the market.

Hospitality Operations

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
MAIN BODY...................................................................................................................................3
Critical analysis of different types of Food production systems............................................3
Different types of Food and Beverage Service methods in restaurants..................................4
Analysis of Menu Engineering matrix to enhance restaurant profitability............................6
Critical analysis of sustainable menu planning consideration to be competitive in the market..8
Summary and Conclusion................................................................................................................9
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................10

INTRODUCTION
Operations Management in hospitality includes various processes as well as methods that
are associated with the production, productivity as well as efficiency of the products as well as
services that are offered to the guests (Patiar and et. al., 2017). The hospitality industry in a
country significantly contributes to its overall economy. It includes lodging, accommodation,
transportation, tourism, food and beverage etc. This report is based on the case study of Alfredo's
Italian Restaurant, which is being started by Joe Armani, Amanda's grandfather in Convent
Garden, London. Amanda has the responsibility of managing the different aspects in the
restaurant. The report includes a critical analysis of different types of food production systems as
well as different types of Food and Beverage Service methods in restaurants. An analysis of
Menu Engineering Matrix to enhance the restaurant's overall profitability along with a
sustainable menu planning consideration is also included in the report.
MAIN BODY
Critical analysis of different types of Food production systems
Food production can be defined as the process of preparing food, wherein raw materials
are converted to ready-made food products that can be used either in the food processing
industries or at home. The process of food production today allows to produce maximum
products with the minimum amount of raw materials involved. There are different food
production systems, some of which are explained below.
Frying – It can be defined as a type of food production system that involves cooking of
food in oil or other type of fat (Tigchelaar and et. al., 2018). There are different types of frying,
namely deep frying, pan frying, stir frying etc. It is usually done in a pan over fire, wherein the
food is completely immersed in oil.
Harvesting – Harvesting can be defined as the process of gathering the ripe crop from
the fields. There are two methods that are generally adopted for harvesting, manual reaping and
reaping that is done by machine threshing.
Hot Holding – It is defined as the process wherein cooked food is kept at a safe
temperature while it is ready to be served. The hot holding equipment that is used within the food
production process in restaurants must be clean. Thermometers can be used in order to control

the temperature. Hot holding equipment includes using food warmers, meal delivery carts, cook
and hold ovens etc.
Baking – As per the view point of Samuel A Matz., baking can be defined as the process
of cooking with the help of dry heat in an oven (Baking, 2020). It is one of oldest methods of
cooking that is used till date. Some ingredients that are used in most bakery products include
eggs, flour, water, leavening agents etc. Baking is an important process for nutrition and the
person who prepares baked food products is referred to as a baker.
Fermenting – It can be defined as the process of converting carbohydrates to organic
acids under anaerobic conditions. Some examples of fermented food products include cheese,
olives and vinegar (Obosu-Mensah, 2018). The process of fermenting makes the food easier to
digest and also retains vitamins, enzymes as well as other nutrients that might get destroyed
during the processing of food.
Thawing – Thawing is a food process that involves warming food which has been frozen
so that it can be prepared to be served. Microwaves can be used for defrosting but the food
should be cooked immediately after the same. Other methods include thawing under running
water and thawing in the refrigerator. When the frozen foods are thawed, the parts of the outer
surface get warmed up and avoid harmful microorganisms from growing on them.
Different types of Food and Beverage Service methods in restaurants
There are several types of serving food and beverages that are adopted in restaurants to
serve to their customers. Some of the famous methods are described below:
 Table service
This is a wide category which consist various other forms like English service, American
service, pre-plated service, etc. Under this method, guest is seated on its table and menu is
provided to him/her. Afterwards, he selects items from that menu and orders the same. The main
feature of this service is eye contact of staff members with their guests and also the warm
welcome that guest receive in restaurant. The addressing method is generally sir or madam for
guests. The seating arrangement is made in accordance of number of members in a set of guests
or as per the requirements specified by guests (Appelhans and et.al., 2019). Very basic manners
like menu has to be presented first to woman and then to host and afterwards clockwise are
mandatory followed. Special attention is provided to kids or children so that they feel familiar to
the place and does not create any hurdle in serving. A proper understanding should be developed

so as to know that who ordered what in set of guests. This will help in establishing good
relationship and value with guests.
 English service
The main feature of this service method is that food is placed in large bowls or platters.
Afterwards, food is delivered to guest on their tables by waiters. The process is yet not
completed yet, after delivery, first host checks and approves that it is same as that they ordered,
than the food is placed on the table. Serving in this method is done by guests themselves, they
pass on the platters in between other members on table and take the portion accordingly. In some
cases, food is also served by waiters in case, when asked by the host himself, herself. This style
eases the service and work of waiters, therefore, this makes the service most used. Waiters hired
under this method are not required to be highly skilled (Dopson and Hayes, 2015). Under this
style, there is a high table turnover rate, that means guests come and go on a rapid rate.
Therefore, it do not require a large area or space to operate. One of the very big limitation
associated with this system is that to manage family size guests becomes difficult.
 French service
This service is a highly skilled service and is maintained in a very detailed note. It is
known for its elaborative and expensiveness that is clearly visible in its service. One of the
significant features of this style is that, under this, chefs are preparing meal in front of the guests
to show off their culinary skills (Han and Hyun, 2017). Almost every premium restaurant is
following this style so as to attract more guests of elite society. Targeted audience of these
restaurants are usually the elite class of society who are known for their high standards. Premium
skills like serving of plated entress from right and all other from left are followed. As explained
above, this style involve high level skills, therefore hiring for waiters are also in a way that only
professionals are hired and not laymen. In addition to plated entrees, beverages are also served
from right. The ambience and internal environment created within the place is also very
luxurious. Unlike other methods, individual attention is given to each and every individual in this
style.
 In addition to above explained services, there are many more in the list like, silver
service, American service, Russian service, Cart service, Snack bar service, self service,
Buffet service, Cafeteria service, Single point service, Room service, take away service,

mobile pantries, blue plate service, Conveyer belt service and Robotic service. These all
services mentioned above are being adopted by various restaurants around the globe and
they all have their own distinct features.
Analysis of Menu Engineering matrix to enhance restaurant profitability
It is known as art and science of designing a menu of a restaurant. This process is just not
concerned with designing but also perform the task of positioning, pricing and maintaining the
menu in order to improve profitability of restaurant. Food and labor cost are two major areas that
are under the control of restaurant operator with them he can perform manipulations in order to
do cost cutting (Nyanjom and Wilkins, 2016). A very wrong approach to improve profitability
that is adopted by restaurants is that they cut on labor costs and compromise on food quality
which ultimately results in failure of venture. Right approach in this direction will be menu
engineering, which means unintentionally lowering the labour cost without compromising with
food quality. This done through bringing innovative and creative changes to menu of restaurant.
Menu engineering is basically digging deep in the minds of customers and making
suitable changes accordingly. This digging task helps the restaurant in making informed
decisions so that suitable menu can be designed and further improving its performance. This
process starts with analysis the present matrix by applying menu engineering matrix, which
requires very simple inputs such as cost of a food item, total sales by quantity, sales price of one
unit, etc. These all inputs can easily be gathered from back office. With this information, all
items that is in the menu are categorised under four categories that are explained in below
diagram:
Illustration 1: Menu Engineering
Source: Menu Engineering, 2020.

Star: This quadrant refers to those items which have high popularity and high price as well. Due
to these two benefits, these items are considered as winners and thus, become mandatory to be
kept in menu. A price increase for these items may also be considered due to the fact that they
are so popular and profitable. These are the first ones to cross the line of finalised products in
menu after this engineering process.
Plow horse: These items are high in popularity but they do not generate high profits. Therefore,
it is the need of the hour that management formulate effective strategies so that they can make
the products reach to the public in more profitable manner. Some of the example of effective
strategies can be increase in price, change in ingredients, variation in portions that are served,
etc. These strategies can be adopted in single or in combinations as well. All of them may also be
adopted together.
Puzzle: These products are featured by low popularity but high profits. These products requires
repositioning on the menu. Modern promotional methods can be adopted in order to increase
sales volume. This can be a profitable tool for the restaurant as people are liking that product,
therefore, it can generate profits. Issue is just with the less popularity among target market which
can be increased by promoting them (O'Sullivan, 2016).
Dog: These are characterized by low popularity and low profitability as well. A perfect statement
to explain this category is that if these items are included in the menu, than profits are left on
table only and not coming to the restaurant. They must be identified and removed with
immediate effect from the menu in order to maker menu look more profitable. Removal of these
items do not require any consent from chef also.
Analysis of sustainable menu planning consideration to be competitive in the market
Sustainable menu planning refers to the type of decisions in which organisers make
decisions regarding selection of food and beverages which will be served at a conference or
event. This choice will be made in a manner that it do not put any harmful impact on
environment (Lahti, Wincent and Parida, 2018). The objective of this process is to make
organisers aware of various sustainable options so that they are motivated to opt for only those
options which are environmental friendly. This is identified as an opportunity educate people
attending the event about different benefits that these options generate in order to make healthy
impact on environment.

This strategy is very helpful in gaining competitive advantage in market as majority of
customers are willing to pay extra money, if a sustainable menu is prepared. This will give a nice
boost in revenues and profits.
A sustainable restaurant will mean establishment of a food service chain that has
negligible impact on the environment. This can be made possible through waste reduction,
energy conservation and more. Various benefits of sustainable restaurant menu that helps in
gaining competitive advantage are listed below:
 Reduced operating cost: Sustainable practice would means efficient cooking of food, its
holding and also good store equipment. These all techniques will result in energy
conservation and reduced waste management. This whole process will result in reduction
in day to day operating cost, hence, will give a nice boost to profitability. Higher the
profitability, higher the upper hand on competitors in market.
 Reduced employee turnover: Customers are not just attracted to the brand name, but they
are fascinated by the values and ambience of the area also. As employees are not leaving
the organisation on a frequent basis, this will means that they are satisfied with their job
and thus, they will work with full dedication. This will result in establishment of good
environment at restaurant and hence, customers will be satisfied. This customer
satisfaction will lead to competitive advantage (Zimmerer and De Haan, 2017).
 Market opportunities: “Sustainable venue”, will form a strong message for branding the
restaurant in between target market. This message will attract customers as it has created
a strong goodwill and image. This marketing method will help in setting the restaurant far
away from the competition and will set a separate fan base. This will provide a upper
hand in competition.
Summary and Conclusion
To summarize, food production is an important process that involves the preparation of
food. There are different food production systems that are used in restaurants and include baking,
fermenting, harvesting, frying etc. Different food production systems involve the preparation of
food in different ways. There are different service methods that can be adopted by restaurants in
order to serve foods and beverages to their customers. This choice is in accordance of their type
of restaurant. A restaurant should adopt menu engineering systems in order to identify profitable
and non profitable items in menu and accordingly makes the changes.

From the above report, it can be concluded that the process of preparation of food can be
defined as the process of food production. There are different systems that are used for food
production like harvesting, hot holding, baking, frying etc. Also, different restaurants offer
different types of food and beverage services like plate service, plater service, cart service, buffet
service etc. In all these types, the guests get a chance to experience different services. Menu
Engineering matrix is a process that involves the analysis of the menu and requires inputs such as
sales by quantity, sales price per item in the restaurant etc. The matrix helps the owner of a
restaurant to identify the products that are good for their business and can help in increasing the
overall profitability. Lastly, the process of sustainable menu planning can help a restaurant in
being competitive by deciding foods as well as beverages that will be served to the customers.

REFERENCES
Books & Journals
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Han, H. and Hyun, S.S., 2017. Impact of hotel-restaurant image and quality of physical-
environment, service, and food on satisfaction and intention. International Journal of
Hospitality Management. 63. pp.82-92.
Lahti, T., Wincent, J. and Parida, V., 2018. A definition and theoretical review of the circular
economy, value creation, and sustainable business models: where are we now and where
should research move in the future?. Sustainability. 10(8). p.2799.
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beverage practical training. Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Education. 28(4). pp.178-
188.
O'Sullivan, E., 2016. Practical Research Methods for Nonprofit and Public Administrators,
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Zimmerer, K.S. and De Haan, S., 2017. Agrobiodiversity and a sustainable food future. Nature
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Online
Baking. 2020. [Online]. Available through:<https://www.britannica.com/topic/baking>.
Menu Engineering. 2020. [Online]. Available
through:<https://www.rewardsnetwork.com/blog/menu-control-restaurant-costs/>