Food Service Management: Business Operations and Ethical Practices

This report provides a comprehensive analysis of food service management, focusing on Pret a Manger as a case study. It identifies various food supply chain approaches, including pop-up food services and fine dining, and highlights key stakeholders such as food businesses and consumers. The report examines the principles of effective sourcing and procurement, emphasizing quality control, profit opportunities, value for money, and after-sales services. It also explores analytical tools like SWOT and Porter's Four Corners analysis to support effective management strategies. Furthermore, the report discusses management practices such as managing capital and human resources using the Belbin team role model and resource maintenance processes, along with defining ethical practices and their impact on food service organizations. The analysis aims to provide insights into enhancing business operations and maintaining ethical standards in the competitive food service industry. Desklib provides solved assignments for students.

Food Service
Management

INTRODUCTION
Food safety is one of the biggest issue need to be considered by each and every food
organisation operating its business function at the competitive marketplace. With the help of
ensuring all the elements of food safety organisation will be able to create awareness among
individuals. It is said that food safety is a major element which assist in attracting large number
of customers. In the present report, Pret a manger is chosen as the base company which is an
international sandwich shop located in UK. It is a restaurant founded in the year 1983 currently
have 450 shops in 9 countries across the world. This report includes different topics which
includes various kinds of approaches associated with supply chain. In addition to this, detail
discussion about the principles of sourcing and procurement process. Apart from this, an analysis
is going to be conducted on various management practices which will assist in performing
business functions in an appropriate manner.
TASK 1
P1 Identify different range of food supply chain approaches along with highlighting key
stakeholders in the process.
Food supply chain defines as the process which mainly used to identifies how food
products from the farms end up in the table of consumers. It is very essential for the owner and
manager of restaurant that they need to maintain the quality and standards of the food items
offered by them to their consumers in an effective manner. It has also been analysed that
managers need to provide food products to their user within stipulated time period as it will assist
them in order to create value among customer. With the assistance of this, it has been identified
that there are ample number of approaches which is related with food supply chain which are
discussed as follows:
Pop up Food Services- There are various restaurant where pop up generally happened
for a limited time period at an unpredicted place where individuals show their talent. They are
the one who shows there talent in front of people come at the restaurant. It is considered as one
of the most effective and appropriate approach used by owners of restaurant where they provide
a platform to individuals so that they show their talent to large number of people. In reference to
Pret a Manger, chef of the restaurant make live food items in front of people so that they can
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create value and ensure their customers that they use high quality of raw material in order to
produce food items.
Fine Dining- It is very important for the manager of Pret a Manger restaurant that they
should provide highly secure, comfortable and effective atmosphere to their customers in order
to retain them for a long period of time. There must be highly skilled and professional staff
members who can assist their customers in an effective manner.
It has been identified that there are large number of stakeholders associated with the
process of food supply which are as follows:
Food Business- In today's competitive world it has been analysed that food industry is
considered as one of the fastest growing industry in the whole world. In addition to this, it has
also been identified that there are almost 300000 food business across the whole wide world and
approximately 4.8 million individuals working. They are considered as one of the most important
stakeholder as they assist the whole business entity in order to enhance their profitability in an
effective & appropriate manner.
Consumers- Apart from this, consumers are identified as most essential stakeholder
within the food industry. They avail all the service which are being offered by the restaurant
owner and provide feedback to them so that they can retain them for a long period of time. In this
context, owner of Pret a Manger decides to provide high quality food items to consumers as well
as take feedbacks from them so that they can make necessary alterations in their offerings.
P2 Identify the principles of effective sourcing and procurement process.
Procurement define as the procedure of acquiring products, goods, services as well as
commodities with the main objective of conducting business functions in an effective manner.
Some of the main principles used by Pret a Manger for the process of procurement which are
going to be discussed as follows:
Maintaining Quality & Quantity Controls- It is define as one of the most essential
principle where managers of Pret a Manger is required to maintain the quantity as well as quality
of offered food items along with the food operation. All these things can be done by adopting
various tools which assist them in order to produce positive response.
Range of Profit Opportunities- It has been said that there are ample number of
opportunities available for the organisation which is generally associated with the procedure of
procurement. This as a result, assist in enhancing the overall growth rate, profitability, market
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share as well as success rate of the hotel or restaurant. It is define as one of the most essential
element as it assist in taking effective decisions so that they can perform their business functions
in an appropriate manner.
Apart from procurement process, there are some principles which are related with
sourcing process. Some of the most essential element which are used by the management team of
Pret a Manger are going to be discussed as follows:
Value for Money- According to this principle, it is required by the consumers to get food
items according to the money paid by them in order to get food products. Therefore, it is
considered as one of the most essential principles of sourcing generally used by the managers of
Pret a Manger. As a result, this will assist in enhancing the overall performance of the company
as well as provide them high quality services as per their requirement.
Aftersales Services- In reference to the food service operation, it has been analysed that
managers of the restaurant requires to take feedbacks and reviews on a continuous basis which
will assist them to enhance their overall performance. Along with this, management team of Pret
a Manger requires to provide them aftersales services in order to retain them for a longer period
of time.
TASK 2
P3 Examine various analytical tools application in order to support effective management
strategies.
It is said that there are ample number of techniques and tools used by the managers of
and techniques which is used by the management team of Pret a Manger. This will assist in
enhancing the overall performance of the company at the competitive marketplace. There are
some tools which are used by the owner of Pret a Manger which are going to be discussed as
follows:
SWOT analysis
It is one of the most essential as well as effective tool used by the companies in order to
identify their internal strength and weaknesses, along with external threats and opportunities
(Sample of a SWOT Analysis for a Restaurant, 2019). in the present context of Pret a Manger
restaurant, managers conduct SWOT analysis which are define as follows:
Strength Weakness
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 Biggest strength of the restaurant is that
they have highly skilled and trained
staff members.
 Apart from this, they provides high
quality products to their consumers
according to their requirements and
needs.
 Weakness of the restaurant is that there
are ample number of dishes available at
the marketplace which make them
confused.
 On the other hand, they provide
services in slow manner which
negatively affect the overall
performance of Pret a Manger.
Opportunity Threat
 Pret a Manger restaurant decides to
expand their business function by
innovating new and unique dishes
according to the requirements of health
conscious people.
 Pret a Manger use new and latest
technology in order to enhance their
overall performance of the market
place.
 One of the main threat for the company
is that there are large number of
competitor available at the marketplace.
Porters 4 Corner Analysis
This is define as the framework which consist of four main corners of Porter's which will
assist the business entity in order to develop effective strategies and policies, so that they can
perform their task in an effective manner. Some of these elements are as follows:
Drivers- In this context, management team of Pret a Manager analyse each and every
motivational factor which will assist them in order to gain competitive advantages at the
marketplace. In the present organisation, major drivers of the restaurant includes organisational
culture, structure, resources and many more. All these factors together assist in developing
effective skills and policies according to their requirements.
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Strategy- It is the another corner, where main focus of the manager if to enhance the
value of organisation by increasing investment of funds and maintaining strong relationship with
their suppliers (COMPETITIVE INTELLIGENCE: FOUR CORNER’S ANALYSIS, 2015).
Management Assumptions- Some of the management assumptions for Pret a Manger
includes organisational value, cultural traits, perceived industry forces, strength as well as
weaknesses of the organisation. It will assist in attaining competitive advantages at the
marketplace.
Capabilities- Here, managers of Pret a Manger focuses on examining capabilities and
skills of restaurant. One of the major capabilities of the coampny is their marketing skills,
copyrights, training and development sessions to staff members, financial strengths and many
more. With the help of all these capabilities, managers will be able to gain advantages at the
marketplace.
P4 Various management practices which support successful business operations within food
service organisations.
It has been analysed that there are different kinds of management practices which will
assist them in order ton support their business functions at the competitive marketplace:
Managing capital as well as human resources- It is define as a kind of management
practice used by managers of organisation which includes Belbin team role model. It is the type
of model which is generally categorised into three main roles which are going to be discussed: People Oriented- In reference to Pret a Manger, it is considered as one of the most
essential element. Under this factor, idea is being generated by the teams which is then
communicated with other staff members so that they can perform their task in an
appropriate manner. It is define as the role which will provide assistance in order to
accomplish goals and objectives of the business entity (Belbin Team Roles: Theory and
Practice, 2019). Thought Oriented- According to this element, it is needed by the managers of Pret a
Manger to resolve each and every problem in an effective manner within stipulated time
frame. In other words, it is define as the procedure which will assist the management
team of restaurant so that they can conduct their functionality in an appropriate way.
 Action Oriented- It is define as the section where each and every individual focus on
enhancing their performance. This will assist them in order to attain their goals and
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objectives in an effective manner and within stipulated time period. For this, owner of the
company need complete fisher, sharper and some other individuals.
Resource Maintenance Process- It define as one of the most important and crucial
practice which will assist in performing business operations effectively. It is define as the
process which is divided into two main types which includes: Staffing and roles in maintenance- It is one of the essential for the management team of
Zizzi restaurant to work in an effective manner and for this they need to define roles as
well as responsibilities of each and every team members.
 Food service facilities in order to maintain quality- It is more essential for the Zizzi
restaurant that they should provide high quality food products to there customer. It will
assist them in order to create positive brand image of the organisation at the competitive
marketplace.
TASK 3
P5 Define ethical practices and the impact of these practices within food service organisation.
It is very essential for each and every organisation to conduct there business functions in
an ethical manner. Apart from this, in today's world it is essential for the management team of
organisation to adopt CSR activity (Luning and et. al., 2015). It is the activity which is quite
beneficial for both society as well as for the company. In the present context of Zizzi restaurant,
it is essential for the manager to conduct Corporate social responsibilities so that they can attract
large number of customers towards there restaurant. For this, they can adopt various activities
such as use of organic food material, eco friendly products, develop transparency, fair trade and
many more. Some of these activities are going to be explained as follows:
 Fair trade: In order to conduct ethical practices effectively, management team of Zizzi
restaurant perform there business functions in clean and fair way. They create
transparency with there suppliers, customers, investors, employees and many more. With
the help of this, they will be able to satisfy there customers and retain them for a long
period of time (Macheka and et. al., 2013).
 Use organic food products: For conducting business operations in an effective manner,
Zizzi restaurant conduct there business functions in an ethical manner. For this, they
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chose eco friendly and organic food materials. With the help of this, they will be able to
produce high quality goods and services to there customers.
With the help of CSR activities, management team of Zizzi restaurant will get different
type of advantages which positively affect there business functions. It has been analysed that
there are various practices which is conducted by the organisation which provide various benefits
are as follows:
 Increase in brand image: With the help of effective ethical practices, managers of Zizzi
restaurant will be able to enhance its brand image at the competitive marketplace. Along
with this, it will assist in grabbing attention of large number of customers towards the
organisation.
TASK 4
P6 Examine management practices by using various performance review techniques within the
organisation.
It has been said that performance review techniques refers to a systematic examination of
organisational performance (Motarjemi and Lelieveld, 2013). With the help of this evaluation,
managers will be able to identify there current market position and develop strategies
accordingly. Some of the performance review techniques which is used by organisation are as
follows:
Customer satisfaction suggestions and feedback- According to this technique,
managers of Zizzi restaurant should positively take suggestions and feedback from the customers
which is provided by them after spending time in there restaurant. With the help of these
feedback, managers will be able to develop there strategies in order to attain organisational goals
and objectives. Along with this, by using suggestions and feedback in an effective manner,
quality of food products will be enhanced.
Quality monitoring as well as control process- It is the technique, which is used by
Zizzi restaurant in order to examine and monitor quality of services. This is the technique which
assist in providing better quality food services to there customers. It has been analysed that there
are various tools and techniques in order to monitor the quality of food service in an effective
manner (Osés and et. al., 2012). With the help of these technique organisation will be able to
enhance there goodwill at the marketplace.
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Monitoring and Evaluation tools- It has been analysed that there are various tools with
the help of which organisation will be able to examine there day to day activities and evaluate
them effectively. Some of these tools includes environmental health checks, inspections, audit,
performance review and many with the help of which Zizzi restaurant will be able to attain their
goals within stipulated time frame.
P7 Provide recommendations and alternatives which includes implementation plan in order to
improve performance.
Now a days, organisation faces a lot of challenges and hurdles due to innovation in
technologies, change in the choices and taste of customers, change in trends and so on. For the
existence and survival of Pret a Manger in the market, the manager uses different alternatives
and make innovations that help them in facing the challenges. To overcome such situations the
company follows improvement plans which are discussed below:
Management Alternatives :
Acquiring and Hiring talent:- Pret a Manger restaurant conducting effective hiring
process that help them to recruit the talented staff who can give better services to the customer.
In order to gain competitive edge in the market, they give training session to the employees that
increase their knowledge and skills which helps in satisfying the customer.
Benchmarking- In order to remain competitive in the market, the organisations set some
criteria and standards that has to be followed by each and every employee if the company. In
context to Pret a Manger, they fixed the standards and according to that they determine or
measure the performance of workers. The employees of Pret a Manger restaurant work in the
right direction and in effective manner if they are following the standards that is made the
manager of the company.
Implementation & Execution Plan
By applying this framework, Pret a Manger restaurant will easily execute the plans or
activities that they have made and formulated. By the help of 7C'S they can achieve it which are
as follows:
 Communication: There should be effective communication between the managers and
employees so that no chaos is created to carry out the functions of restaurant and effects
the organisation in a positive way.
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 Checklist: A checklist of activities is made by Pret a Manger restaurant so that no
elements will be missed when they implement and execute the plan in action.
 Clarity: Clarity in the rules and policies of the restaurant helps employees in
understanding the things related to the Pret a Manger restaurant and leads them to do
effective and productive working.
 Choose right employee: This factor help Pret a Manger to analyse those employee who
can do the activities and task of the restaurant effectively or on specified time. This will
help in improving the services and performance.
 Criteria: A proper procedure and guidelines set by the manager which help Pret a
Manger restaurant in delivering quality and good food to its customers.
 Change Management: Changing and altering the services according to the taste or
choices of consumer helps Pret a Manger restaurant in gaining profitability as well aas
customer satisfaction.
 Call on help: Pret a Manger will take help and suggestions from others that helps in
identifying those plans or action which helps achieving the goals and objectives of the
organisation.
CONCLUSION
From the above study it has been identified and concluded that food industries now a
days adopt customer centric approach that means they make food according to the taste of the
consumer. Health and safety of the customers is major concerned in order to give quality food
and service to the customers. To build the reputation and image in the market or to make strong
relationship with customers, the ethical practices is followed by the organisations. By using 7C's
in organisation, the restaurant can easily execute their activities in an effective manner.
Techniques such as Key performance indicators, quality checking, standard criteria, customer
feedback and so on help organization to improve their services and satisfy the customer which
automatically leads to generation of high profits.
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