Food service industry

FOOD SERVICE INDUSTRY

Chapter 1

Overview of Foodservice Industry

Foodservice is the business of making and serving prepared food and drink

It includes restaurants, hotels, clubs, school and business cafeterias, healthcare facilities, convenience stores, airlines and cruise lines

Second largest industry in USA Employs chefs, cooks,

bartenders, cashiers & managers

Overview of Foodservice Industry Foodservice is part of the Hospitality industry,

which has 4 segments Foodservice Lodging Recreation Travel and tourism

Foodservice categories Quick-service Full-service Carryout Cafeterias Street vendors

Trends in Foodservice

Trends are new practices or conditions that point to the way things will be in the future

Current trends Globalization of cuisine Technological developments Sustainable practices Home meal replacements

Trends-Global Cuisine

Global cuisine is a blend of ingredients and cooking techniques from around the world

Today’s dinners are rarely limited to local dishes and food products

Restaurateurs and chefs are constantly exploring the world of food for new and interesting items to put on their menus

Diners are traveling and trying new foods, and through exposure to media they are being introduced to new foods and cooking techniques

Trends-Technology

Computers allow foodservice professionals to create spreadsheets and word processing

Computer programs allow servers to take and send orders to the kitchen

Video technology allows chefs to monitors more than one area at a time

Managers use cell phones and walkie-talkies to maintain contact with staff throughout a large facility

Technology has made kitchen equipment more accurate and efficient with programmable cooking cycles

Trends- Sustainable Practices Concerns about the Earth, and going “green” The amount of products used and waste created

by the industry has a large impact on the environment

Sustainable products and practices can be produced or carried out over a long period of time without a negative effect on the environment

Organic foods are grown without manmade fertilizers or pesticides and from animals who have not received antibiotics or hormones.

Recycling waste- recycling, composting Energy efficient appliances

Trends- Home Meal Replacements Given the increase of dual-earner households,

working longer hours and hectic schedules, home meal replacements have become more popular

Home meal replacements are meals that are consumed at home but prepared somewhere else

Restaurants offer carry out meals Dinner stations offer places to make numerous

meals, take home to freeze or use Dinner stores offer meals already made and

frozen, which can be taken home reheated and eaten

Can also be bought in stores

Challenges of Foodservice Industry Meeting Labor demands:

Rapid growth and high employee turnover finding trained professionals is sometimes difficult

Starting to rely on nontraditional workers Older adults Recent immigrants Part-time workers

Challenges of Foodservice Industry Living Wage:

Living wage is one that allows someone working fulltime to support his or her family above the poverty level.

Within the foodservice industry some positions pay well, and others do not

Difficult balance between paying the workers higher wages and keeping the cost low for customers

Federal law sets minimum hourly wage, but that is not what the living wage is

Challenges of Foodservice Industry Nutrition Concerns:

More Americans are taking their health more seriously, so there are more demands for low-fat, low-calorie, vegetarian menu options

Balance between buying food that is delicious and food that is healthy

Some restaurateurs work with dieticians or nutritionists to ensure their food is healthy and satisfying

The Culinary Profession

The word culinary comes from the Latin word culina meaning “kitchen”

Culinary refers to matters related to the preparation or cooking of food

Culinarian is a term for a cook or someone who prepares food

Activity

By yourself … We will discuss after we are all finished! Choose two of the following topics about Trends in

foodservice: Globalization Technological developments Sustainable practices Home Meal Replacements

On a piece of paper write 7 sentences on the topics you chose about how this trend in food service has affected the food choices of you and your family

Also answer one of the following questions: How have images of chefs on television influenced your

interest in culinary arts? How much responsibility does the foodservice industry have

for the nutritional health of it’s patrons? Do you think sustainable practices should be enforced? Why

or why not?