Food and Beverage Service and Production
Food and beverage connects production and service. The exam tests menu types, service styles, the service sequence, hygiene systems and cost control.
Core rules
- Menu types: à la carte (each dish priced separately), table d'hôte (fixed multi-course price), buffet and cyclical menus. The menu drives purchasing, staffing and equipment.
- Service sequence: greet and seat, present the menu, take the order, serve water/bread, serve food from the right, clear from the right, present the bill, bid farewell. Serve and clear from the guest's right; pour beverages from the right.
- Mise en place: everything in place before service - clean tables, polished cutlery, stocked stations, briefed staff.
- HACCP: identify hazards, set critical control points, monitor, correct and record. Keep hot food hot and cold food cold; separate raw and cooked.
- Food cost % = food cost ÷ selling price × 100. Portion control keeps the ratio stable.
Worked example
A dish costs ₹120 in ingredients. The target food cost is 30%. Selling price = 120 ÷ 0.30 = ₹400. Reasoning: food cost percentage is based on the selling price, not on cost. If the selling price is fixed at ₹350, the food cost percentage becomes 120 ÷ 350 = 34.3%, above target; the kitchen must reduce portion cost, re-engineer the recipe or raise the price. Taxes and service charges are quoted separately and are not part of food cost.
Traps
Calculating food cost on cost instead of selling price; ignoring yield and wastage; serving from the left; clearing before all guests finish; mixing raw and cooked; forgetting allergen communication.