AMFB700: Food and Beverage Management Trends, Strategies, and Analysis

This report provides a comprehensive analysis of the food and beverage industry, focusing on the emerging trend of grab-and-go services. It begins with an executive summary highlighting the key areas of discussion, including the popularity of grab-and-go food, its strengths, weaknesses, and the impact on customers. The report then delves into the introduction, discussing the three major issues faced by grab-and-go services such as inadequate supply, food quality, and limited variety. It evaluates current food and beverage trends, including the influence of technology, cashless transactions, and the rise of street food and home delivery services. The report further explores the influence of these trends on customer behavior, menu mechanics, and the relationship between menu concepts and customer expectations. Problems, strengths, opportunities, and competition within the industry are also examined, along with strategies and techniques for managing customer expectations, operational costs, and the return on investment. The conclusion summarizes the key findings, emphasizing the industry's adaptability to meet changing consumer needs. The report includes references to support its claims.

Running Head: Food and beverage management
Food and beverage management

Food and beverage management 1
Executive summary
The entire study is based on the recent trends of the food and beverage industry. Discussions are
provided on one of the most trending concepts like Grab-and-go food and beverage, a concept
that has attained immense popularity among the office-goers. Apart from that, explanations are
also provided regarding the strengths, weaknesses, problems, and opportunities of the following
trends. Furthermore, the impact of these trends in influencing the minds of the customers is also
provided in the following sections of the study.

Food and beverage management 2
Table of Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................4
Discussion........................................................................................................................................4
Three major issues of grab-and-go food and beverage services..................................................4
Evaluation of food and beverage trends......................................................................................5
Influence of the trends in the minds of the customers.................................................................5
Relation between menu mechanics and menu concept................................................................6
Four strategies and techniques.....................................................................................................7
Conclusion.......................................................................................................................................8
References........................................................................................................................................9

Food and beverage management 3
Introduction
The study involves a detailed discussion on the latest concept of grab-and-go food service that
has earned immense popularity in today's world. The analysis presents three major issues that are
faced by the grab and go food services. Besides that, evaluation is also done on the latest trends
in food and beverages. Apart from this, the influences of these trends in the minds of the
customers are stated in the study along with the problems, strengths, and competition in modern
markets. Furthermore, the role of four strategies for customer expectations and operational costs
are described in the analysis.

Food and beverage management 4
Discussion
Three major issues of grab-and-go food and beverage services
Inadequate supply
One of the biggest problems of grab-and-go food service is food stocking. The demand for grab-
and-go readymade sandwiches, noodles, hamburgers, and chocolate shakes has increased to such
an extent, that customers are willing to complete their major meals of their day through this
trend. As a result of this, shops are not being able to stock enough items due to increasing
demand and high competition (Davis et al. 2018).
Quality of food
Another major issue of grab-and-go food service is the standard quality of the food. Often, the
packed food items are not fresh creating problems for the consumers. Sometimes, after the food
is heated just before eating, it gets contaminated due to the reaction with the plastic or aluminum
container. Problems often arise regarding the freshness of the green salads meant for grab-and-
go.
Limited variation
The grab-and-go foods are not that much delicious like freshly prepared foods. Moreover, the
tastes of many of the recipes are similar to one another. Customers cannot further modify the
tastes of their food. People often get tired of having packed ready-to-go foods because of the lack
of variety in tastes (Wood, 2018).
Evaluation of food and beverage trends
The advancement of technology has made lives faster for human beings. In order to save their
time and make their day productive, working officials, businessmen, and entrepreneurs are
evolving their food habits. There are multiple types of food services that have arrived to make
meals convenient for working people. One of the best examples of food and beverage trends is
the notion of grab-and-go food services. This service has enabled the working people and

Food and beverage management 5
engineers to convert their lunch and dinner to instant healthy quick meals. Many of the current
food and beverage restaurants are going cashless in terms of their operations making it easier for
the customers to pay their bills through e-wallets (Renton, Daellenbach & Davenport, 2016).
Other than going cashless, the trend of street foods is also increasing day by day beside the
expensive hotels and restaurants. The people who work in corporate firms do not have the spare
time to enjoy their meals in a restaurant (Chen et al. 2015). Moreover, having food daily from
hotels and restaurants becomes expensive for many persons. In this scenario, street foods act as
saviors as they are very cheap and easy to have in between working hours to quench ones'
hunger. However, there is a drawback when it comes to street-side foods. The foods that are
made on the streets are often unhygienic. The frequent intake of these foods can affect the health
of individuals.
The practice of home delivery thereby becomes very popular for those who do not get time to
prepare their meals and are also allergic to packed and street foods. It is for them the notion of
home-made foods have become immensely popular in today's world. Many restaurants are also
coming up with a single specialized dish to increase their identity and demands among the
customers. For example, many startups focus on a single dish instead of creating a large menu.
This strategy helps in focusing on the ingredients of a particular dish rather than searching for
other raw materials. It thus becomes easy for the restaurant owners to track the growth of their
business and also check the feedback of their customers more efficiently (Bresciani, 2015).
Influence of the trends in the minds of the customers
In today's world, customers do not have that time to relax for a long time during their lunch and
dinner breaks. Globalization has impacted the world by introducing intriguing food trends to
save the duration of the meals. Online food services have greatly impacted people all over the
world as there exist no necessity to cook meals for hours and have them. In addition to that,
people do not have to go to visit the restaurants as well. Instead, they can receive freshly
prepared foods at their doorstep without wasting any time. Recent grab and go foods also come
up with lots of nutrition and green vegetables making it ideal for the people to have them without
any hesitation. Furthermore, consumers now have the liberty to have plant-based meat without
compromising on their tastes and food habits (Kshetri, 2019).

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Relation between menu mechanics and menu concept
In the case of grab-and-go foods, the menu concept is of meeting the appetites of busy
consumers along with fulfilling their daily requirements for micro and macronutrients. The
concept behind that is people do not have waste their time cooking for the preparation of their
meals. Rather, people can carry them during traveling from one destination to the other and have
their meals In between. On the other hand, the menu mechanism of grab-and-go food services is
such that it can be prepared instantly after the application of one or two simple steps. Dishes like
instant noodles can be instantly prepared by adding hot water into the container. Within a minute
or so, noodles can be prepared. Apart from noodles, there also exist club sandwiches that can be
instantly made by mixing salads and cheese provided on the menu.
Problems, strengths, opportunities and competition
One of the major problems in the menu concept of grab-and-go food services is a limited variety
of tastes. These kinds of instant food do not leave customers to improve or modify the tastes of
their dishes (Bayona-Saez et al. 2017). The main advantage that this foodservice provides to its
customers is that it saves time. Apart from this, there is no chance of varying tastes on different
days. This is because they are packed and need no further modification.
This notion of food and beverage service adds opportunity for the food industries and restaurants
to increase their sales and meet the demands of the customers.
Since this concept of grab-and-go food has become immensely popular, there stands a cut-throat
competition in the upcoming years as most of the food and beverage startups are focusing on
adopting this new trend to increase their sales and revenue.
Strategies and techniques
For managing external and internal customer expectations and ROI
There exist several marketing strategies that are responsible for influencing the growth of the
food and beverage industry. The first and foremost thing needed to manage the internal and
external expectations of the customer is to keep the pricing affordable and have pleasant

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packaging. Attractive packaging always draws the attention of the buyers and influences them to
purchase the product (Kearns & Bero, 2019)..
The second most important strategy is to revamp the brand image of a particular food item or
beverage. The change in the design and color of a logo provides a fresh look and feel. Creative
designs are also encouraged to uphold innovation and stand apart from other competitors (Chand
& Slath, 2018). The return of investment can also be done by giving special offers and discounts
so that the mass selling of products is witnessed within a short time. The final strategy to
promote the trends of food and beverage is by utilizing social media platforms to create
awareness among people.
Management of food and beverage operations.
In order to manage the operations of trending food and beverage, the owners of the restaurant are
relying on various delivery services to promote the growth of the food and beverage industry.
Apart from that, the owners are also availing the social, media platforms. With the help of social
media and online applications, the food and beverage industry can track the feedback of the
consumers and bring changes accordingly (Santoro, Vrontis & Pastore, 2017)..
Measures to control operational costs
In order to reduce the operational costs of the food and beverage companies, an online platform
and AI are coming to enhance the functionality and revenue of the industry. The introduction of
artificial intelligence has helped in replacing millions of man-power required in this domain,
thereby reducing the maintenance costs of the food and beverage industry (Miles & Siega-Riz,
2017).

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Conclusion
The entire analysis has provided a detailed insight into the latest trends of food and beverage
businesses. Special focus has been given on the concept of grab-and-go, several issues related to
it and its due share of advantages and disadvantages. After a thorough explanation, it can be
concluded that the food and beverage industry is coming up with intriguing menu mechanisms
and concepts to satisfy the needs of the customers in a rapidly changing world.

Food and beverage management 9
References
Davis, B., Lockwood, A., Alcott, P., & Pantelidis, I. S. (2018). Food and beverage management.
Routledge.
Wood, R. C. (2018). Strategic questions in food and beverage management. Routledge.
Renton, M., Daellenbach, U., & Davenport, S. (2016). Finding fit: An exploratory look at SME
brand orientation and brand management in the New Zealand food and beverage sector. Journal
of Brand Management, 23(3), 289-305.
Chen, E., Flint, S., Perry, P., Perry, M., & Lau, R. (2015). Implementation of non-regulatory
food safety management schemes in New Zealand: a survey of the food and beverage
industry. Food control, 47, 569-576.
Bresciani, S. (2017). Open, networked and dynamic innovation in the food and beverage
industry. British Food Journal, 119(11), 2290-2293.
Kshetri, N. (2019, July). Blockchain’s Roles in Facilitating Entrepreneurial Activities in the
Food and Beverage Industry. In Academy of Management Proceedings (Vol. 2019, No. 1, p.
16796). Briarcliff Manor, NY 10510: Academy of Management.
Bayona-Saez, C., Cruz-Cázares, C., García-Marco, T., & Sánchez García, M. (2017). Open
innovation in the food and beverage industry. Management Decision, 55(3), 526-546.
Kearns, C. E., & Bero, L. A. (2019). Conflicts of interest between the sugary food and beverage
industry and dental research organisations: time for reform. The Lancet, 394(10194), 194-196.
Santoro, G., Vrontis, D., & Pastore, A. (2017). External knowledge sourcing and new product
development: evidence from the Italian food and beverage industry. British Food
Journal, 119(11), 2373-2387.
Chand, M., & Slath, A. (2018). Impact of Food and Beverage Service Practices on Customer
Satisfaction in the Food Outlets, Chandigarh, India. International Journal of Hospitality &
Tourism Systems, 11(2).
Miles, G., & Siega-Riz, A. M. (2017). Trends in food and beverage consumption among infants
and toddlers: 2005–2012. Pediatrics, 139(6), e20163290.