PREPARATION FOR SERVICE

Restaurants not only should attract potential customers but
also should strive hard to entice them to become frequent and
regular customers. This can be done in a number of ways, such as
through the type of menu, the glamorous and attractive name of the
place or atmosphere within the food service area.
The customer’s first impressions of a restaurant are the most
important and these are largely determined by the professionalism of
the service staff and their preparations prior to service. These preservice
preparations are known as mise-en-place and are vital in that
they create the right and pleasing environment by the setting and
controlling of temperature, lighting and equipment.



The serving food and beverage to the anxiously waiting
customer needs professional expertise. The service should follow a
sequence and have a plan of action based on the practices of the
professional catering industry. The service staff should be expert
performers of certain tasks before, during and after service. Deligent
and courteous service would certainly transform a satisfied customer
to regular customer.

SPARE LINEN STORE

The spare linen store is the service area where linen
materials are stored in a cupboard. This spare linen stock is held
near the food service area in case of emergency. The linen is
changed when necessary on a basis of ‘one clean for one dirty’. This
is normally the responsibility of a senior member of the food service
staff and is kept locked for control purposes. Generally, 50% of the
total inventory is stocked up in the spare linen room.

HOTPLATE POINT

The hotplate is the contact point between the kitchen and the
service staff. It is the point at which both areas must cooperate and
communicate effectively so that the customer gets the quick and
efficient service that he expects.
Hot cupboards can be used for either food or plates. Units as
a whole are usually made up of a hot cupboard with sliding doors,
topped by a heated serving surface. The top may also house
containers acting as dry or heated brain-maries. Dry heat keeps the
food hot by electric elements or gas flame. The wet heat method
provides heat via an open tank of water, which itself is heated by
gas-fired burners or by an electric immersion heater.

The hot plate or hot cupboard needs to be stocked with all
the china and crockery needed for service, e.g soup plates, fish
plates, consommé cups, platters, soup cups, tea cups and
demitasse.
The Aboyeur is in charge, and controls the hotplate over the
service period. As an aid to the food service staff the Aboyeur would
control the ‘off board’ which tells the waiter immediately any dish is
‘off’. The Aboyeur who controls the hotplate over the service period
will initially receive the food check from the waiter. He checks that it
is legible and that none of the dishes ordered are ‘off’ the menu.

WASH-UP AREA

At the service time especially, the wash-up area is one of the
busiest sections. It must be correctly sited to allow a smooth flow of
work, promoting a fast turnover and efficient service. There are two
methods of washing:
1. The tank method: Using this method, the items are washed in
a sink of hot water containing detergent and then placed into
racks and dipped into another sink. This second sink is known
as sterilising tank; the water temperature is very high, at
approximately 75°C. The items are left in here for few minutes
then lifted out. As the water is so hot, the items especially the
crockery, will air dry, making this a more hygienic method (no
cloths are needed). The crockery can then be stacked and put
away as required.
2. The machine method: In principle, the machine method is no
different from the tank method, except that the whole system is
automated and therefore labour saving.

SILVER ROOM / PLATE ROOM

The silver room holds the stock of silver required for the
service of meals. The various types of silver are kept here on labeled
shelves, with all the service plates of one size stacked together.
Cutlery, flatware, hollowware and other smaller items are usually
stored in drawers lined with baize, as this helps to reduce noise,
slipping and scratching.
In very large establishments, the silver and the plate room
may be two separate units, but in the majority of places they are
combined and in some cases, are a part of wash-up.

STILL ROOM

The still room is looked after by a still room supervisor, who is
responsible for the staffing, ordering of supplies from the main store
and effective control of these items when issued to various
departments. In most of the restaurants, the stillroom remains open
for long hours. For the efficient running, the staffs normally work on a
straight rotating shift basis, doing an early shift one week and a late
shift the next. The stillroom staffs are also responsible for the
washing up of all their equipments.


Provisions Obtainable from the Stillroom:

The list below gives the provisions that can be obtained from
the stillroom:
· Beverages: coffee, tea, chocolate, horlicks, ovaltine and
other food drinks.
· Fruit juices: apple, orange, pineapple, grapefruit and
other assorted fruit juices.
· Pastries, gateaux and sandwiches
· Rolls, brioche and crossant
· Toast: breakfast toast, melba toast
· Milk, cream and butter
· Toasted scones and teacakes
· Sugar: coffee powder, tea dust, demerara etc.
· Breakfast cereals: cornflakes, weetabixm shredded
wheat, rice crispies, muesli etc.
· Preserves: jams, jelly, marmalade, cherry, plum,
raspberry, strawberry, apricot and honey.
· Cleaning detergents and scrubbers.


Stillroom Equipments:

A wide range of food items are offered from a stillroom and
therefore, to ensure the correct storage, preparation and
presentation a considerable amount of equipment is used. The
equipment that may be found includes:
· Coffee brewing machine
· Coffee bean grinding machine
· Tea dispenser
· Bread slicing machine
· Salamander
· Hot cupboard
· Steamer and hotwater boiler
· Refrigertors
· Work table and cutting board
· General storage space, shelves and cupboards
· Sinks, washing machines and dish washers.

ANCILLARY DEPARTMENTS

The ancillary department of the restaurant area includes
important units in the make-up of a catering establishement, acting
as the link between kitchen or food preparation units and the
restaurant or food service units. The service areas behind the scener
can also be termed as ‘back-of-house’.
The service areas are stocked with appropriate equipment,
depending on the style of operation. The service areas themselves
are some of the busiest units of a catering establishment, especially
during the service periods. In general, especially in large hotels, five
main service areas can be distinguished:



1) Stillroom
2) Silver or plate room
3) Wash-up
4) Hotplate
5) Spare linen store
A well-structured layout of these areas is most important to
ensure even flow of work by the various members of staff. However,
the layout itself may vary with different catering establishments
according to their own needs.