Chapter 14

Food and
Beverage Service
Convention Management and Service
Eighth Edition
(478TXT or 478CIN)

© 2011, Educational Institute Courtesy of Hyatt Regency Dallas

 Competencies for
Food and Beverage Service
1. Identify different types of food service and service-
related issues related to food functions.
2. Identify control issues related to food functions.
3. Describe service and control issues related to
beverage functions.
4. Describe post-function activities for both food and
beverage functions, and compare large properties
with small ones in terms of in-house coordination.

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 A Vital Function
• Food functions are an integral part of most meetings
• Association and corporate meeting planners rate the
quality of food service as “very important” in their
selection of meeting facilities
• Food and beverage functions
are second only to guestrooms
in generating revenue at most
convention hotels
Courtesy of Orient-Express Hotels

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 Hyatt’s Personal Preference Menus
• Meeting planner selects one appetizer and one salad in
advance to be served to each attendee
• Meeting planner also chooses three entrées from a
selection of six
• At the tables, attendees may pick from these three
entrées or a vegetarian option
• A dessert sampler is also included

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 Trends in Banquet Food and Beverage
• Meeting planners are more food savvy
• Hotels seek to create a restaurant-quality
dining experience at banquets
• Customized menus, choice of
entrée, action and testing stations,
and upscale presentation are
popular
• Meeting facilities are offering
fresh, healthy, locally grown,
organic, and nutritional foods to
connect with the trend toward
green menus Courtesy of Fairmont Hotels
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 Profitability of Banquets
• Food and beverage is second only to guestrooms in the
amount of revenue it generates
• The profit margin on banquet
sales is 35–40 percent
• Banquet sales volume often
exceeds restaurant volume
by two to one
• Banquets allow for flexible
pricing, while both food and
labor costs may be lower Courtesy of InterContinental Hotels

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 Planning Food Functions
Types of Food Functions
• Breakfasts
• Luncheons
• Dinners
• Dinners with entertainment
and/or dancing
• Coffee breaks
• Receptions
• Hospitality setups in
suites, meeting rooms, or
exhibit halls
Courtesy of Raffles Hotel Singapore
© 2011, Educational Institute (continued) 6
 Planning Food Functions
(continued)
Tips
• Use a function sheet for each event
• Menu is focal point of theme party
• Better to refuse a request than to fail

Courtesy of Gaylord Palms Hotels

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 Changing Tastes
Healthier Foods
• Low in calories, fat, and cholesterol
• High in fiber and nutrition
• Breakfast foods lighter/healthier
• “Green” menus
promote organic,
locally grown choices
• Refreshment breaks
are becoming
“energy” breaks
Courtesy of InterContinental Hotels

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 Managing Attendance at
Food Functions
• Firm menu prices are not quoted earlier than six
months prior to event
• Planner initially will estimate attendance at a food
function
• Early estimates of planners should be updated
periodically
• Guarantee needed 48 or 72 hours in advance for
ordering purposes
• Group generally guarantees to pay for a certain
number regardless of attendance
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 Managing Attendance at
Food Functions
(continued)

• Overset safety margin of 5 percent is common. For

example, if guarantee calls for 200 attendees, hotel
agrees to set for 5 percent over and sets tables and
chairs for 210
• Require guarantees in writing
• Attrition fees may be assessed if group fails to meet its
commitment
• Ticket exchange is often used for final banquet

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 Types of Food Service
Plate or American Service
• Most common form of
banquet service
• Food prepared in kitchen
and presented on guests’
plates
Russian Service
• Food prepared in kitchen
• Served from platters onto
guests’ plates Courtesy of Fairmont Hotels and Resorts

© 2011, Educational Institute (continued) 13

 Types of Food Service
(continued)

English/Family-Style Service
• Food brought to the table on platters or in bowls
Butler Service
• Used at receptions
French Service
• Food prepared tableside
on carts or a gueridon
• Requires space between
Courtesy of Jumeirah Hotels and Resorts
tables for carts
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 Types of Food Service
(continued)

Preset Service
• First course on tables when guests arrive
Buffet service
• Guests serve themselves from arrayed choices
À la Carte Catering
• Guests have choice of entrées

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 Function Room Issues
• Choose location based on
type of function, location of
other functions, traffic, kind
of seating, and lighting
• Ensure enough time for
setup, breakdown, and
cleaning
• Ensure that noise will not
disrupt functions
Courtesy of Jumeirah Hotels and Resorts

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 Control Procedures and Staffing
Control Procedures
• Meals: usually charge per person
• Hotels must establish a head count procedure to
determine the actual number of meals served
• Count coupons or tickets at door or table, or count
dishes
• Coffee breaks or hospitality suites: charge per cup or
gallon of coffee, per piece or tray of Danish
• Complimentary hors d’oeuvres allow higher meal and
drink charges
• Labor charges and setup costs added to small-
function bills
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 Control Procedures and Staffing
(continued)

Staffing
• One server per 20 guests
• As little as one server per 10 if price and service
warrant it
• One captain for every 10 to 12 servers
• One server per 16 guests with wine service
• One server per 30 to 40 guests for buffets

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 Two Ways of Handling
Food and Beverage Service
Uniserve
• All arrangements for function space and F&B
made through one service contact—the
convention service manager.
Duoserve
• F&B responsibilities separated from
scheduling of function space. Meeting
planners must work with a banquet/catering
department for their F&B requests, and with
the convention services department for their
function room needs.
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 Beverage Service Setups and
Pricing Methods
Types of Beverage Service
• Host bar/open bar
• Cash bar/no-host bar
• Coupons or tickets at no-host bar
• Captain's bar
Pricing Methods
• By the person: flat rate for a specified time
• By the bottle: includes opened bottles
• By the drink: include labor charge and use
standard drink sizes
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 Hospitality Suites and Brands
of Liquor
Hospitality Suites
• Used by exhibitors and for good will
• Policy on liquor from outside (corkage)
• Inform group of union regulations
Brands of Liquor
• House brands—standard
• Call brands—by request only
• Premium brands—most expensive liquors
• Prices for house and call brands may be the
same or different
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 Beverage Control Systems
Procedures
• Maintain formal procedures
• Stock 25 percent more than group’s estimated
consumption and return excess to stockroom
• Marrying beverage service stations—closing
bars in staggered order, moving partials from
one bar to another
Host Bar Control
• Easiest—no cash exchange
• Opened bottles returned to stock or sold to group
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 Beverage Control Systems
(continued)

Cash Bar Control

• Requires rigid controls
• Use cashier, not bartender, for cash handling
Coupon or Ticket Bar Control
• Need for cashier depends on when tickets are sold
Automated Bars
• Prevent overpouring
• Bartender still required for blended drinks
• Most units take only 8 bottles
• Lends a mechanical atmosphere to cocktail receptions
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 Liquor Liability and Staffing
Liquor Liability
• Many states have dram shop laws
• Must take responsible care in serving alcohol
Staffing
• One bartender for every
75 to 100 people
• One bar back for every
three bartenders
• Open bar stations farthest
from entrance first Courtesy of Mandarin Oriental Hotel
Geneva, Switzerland
• Staff one waiter for every
50 people for food receptions
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 Post-Function Actions
• If billing is per person, tally guests served and
have planner acknowledge total
• Tally unopened bottles and bottles to be returned
for credit; have planner acknowledge totals
• If billing is not through master account, bills
should be paid when totals are certified

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 Food and Beverage Service at
Smaller Properties
Role of Catering Manager
• Can be responsible for sales as well as
coordinating F&B in smaller properties
• Small property’s catering manager usually
does not have authority over rooms
• Large property’s catering manager usually
handles only F&B

© 2011, Educational Institute (continued) 26

 Food and Beverage Service at
Smaller Properties
(continued)

Servicing and Selling

• Smaller properties use uniserve
• Catering manager may be in charge of
function book at small property
• The danger of double-booking
Communication and Cooperation Needed
• More so in small properties because
departments are more autonomous
• Small properties should still use
specification sheets
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