MANAGING FOOD AND BEVERAGE OUTLET

By Dr.Vikash Prasad
Syllabus

A. Supervisory Skills
B. Development efficiency
C. Standard Operating Procedure

INTRODUCTION
Supervision may be defined as getting work done through people. A supervisor is a person who is
responsible for the quality performance of his subordinates with a right to recommend
employment, promotion, demotion and other personal actions.

Supervisory Skills

Supervision is critical and vital to enterprises, companies, and institutes. Some core supervisory
skills are required to become a better supervisor. Supervisors lead teams, manage tasks, solve
problems, report up and down the hierarchy, and much more. One of the pillars of growth in
business is to have good leadership and supervision skills over employees and team members.
Therefore, improving your supervisory skills for better leading is important to be able to interact
with others and make the right decision.
Here are the five Core Supervisory Skills that are essential to acquire:

Leadership Skills

Being a good leader is critical for a supervisor, it is the first step towards managing a team. Your
team members or employees would rely on their leader for guidance and mentor which is vital for
success.

Motivation

To be a leader you should motivate. Motivation is a necessary factor that humans cherish. If an
employee fails to do a job or lacks motivation, be a leader, help them with their work or guide
them. A manager tells an employee to do a task; a leader will do the task with the employees and
supervise it.

Time-Management Skills
Time Management is the seed to thriving in any tasks, it is implemented in every workplace and
for any position. As a supervisor, you should learn how to manage your time as well as scheduling
tasks for your employees. Therefore, time planning is critical to the success of any job or project.

Technical Skills

When an employee asks for your technical help and knowledge, you should be able to deliver as
their supervisor. Mentoring, and passing on your technical skills are of great importance as a
supervisor.

Communication Skills

Your communicative skills should be perfected as they happen to help you to deliver the message
or task to an employee properly, as well as setting an example to the team members; it also
maintains your prestige as a supervisor.

Problem Solving

Good problem solving skills are fundamentally important within the workplace. A valuable
supervisor is someone who not only knows how to take an issue and find the root of the real
problem but also has a process for solving the problem in a structured manner.

Compassion

Being compassionate with your employees or team members is a humanitarian act that every
leader should practice. Employees are only humans and are prone to work-related or personal
issues as well as the daily hassles that face them. Be the source of comfort to your employees and
make them feel safe, but be tough when needed.

Supervisory skills are easy to acquire and apply, yet it is still important to improve them. So,
improve your Core Skills and become a better supervisor with excellent leadership and time
management skills.
Duties of a Supervisor

Briefing
All staff are expected to attend the briefing in proper attire and conducted by the supervisor prior
to the service. During the briefing the supervisor verifies the personal grooming of the staff to
ensure the wait staff is in an acceptable condition.
After checking the personal grooming the supervisor briefs the wait staff on number of covers,
profile of guests, service procedure, dishes that are to be concentrated during suggestive selling,
dishes that are not available and anything pertaining to the restaurant policies and food service.
Allocation of tables is also done during briefing.
The task that should be performed while briefing:
 Take attendance and find reason for absenteeism.
 Check the proper grooming standards.
 Discuss about the menu and improve the staff’s menu knowledge.
 Inform about the non-availability dishes of the day.
 Explain the promotional offers of the establishment.
 Inform about the other functions or events in the hotel.
 Discuss about the problems, if any of the previous operation.
 Give solution or suggestion to the staff to make the operations smoother.
 Reiterate the standards to be followed.
 Allot job responsibilities for the particular operations
 Take the feedback from the staff for improvement
 Motivate staff for better performance.
Checking mise en place and mise en scène
Mise en place means keeping everything required in readiness for service which comprises list of
activities. Mise en scene refers to keeping the area clean and presentable.
These activities are carried out prior to service. It is the responsibility of a wait staff to carry out all
the activities to an acceptable level. The head waiter prepares duty rota to show the assignment of
task to staff.
Handling of Tips
Tips are the amount given voluntarily by the guest at the end of the meal or function to the service
staff appreciating their good work.
In most hotels, tips are taken only by the service staff and not shared with kitchen staff but in few
it is being shared by kitchen staff too.
Ideally Tips are pooled and then distributed periodically, supervisors have an additional
responsibility of tip distribution.
Tip points are fixed by the organization following the organization tip policy and take acceptance
of the manager and staff.
 The supervisor assures that all the money received as tips is collected in a box.
 The total amount is counted and entered into the tip register after the operations.
 The tips are distributed as per points. Each staff member is given a fixed number of points
depending upon its seniority.
 The total money received during the week/month is divided by the total number of points
that the staff members have.
 The amount is entered into the register and the signature of the staff is obtained against the
name.
 It is duty of the supervisor to see that the distribution is fair and justified.

Stock Taking
The supervisor must maintain the stock of all area under his/her control. It should be taken
periodically at least once a week. This work should be assigned to a team of or three staff in
rotation.
Requisitions
Supplies required during service are requisitioned from the stores by the supervisor. Supplies in the
service area include edible and miscellaneous items. Edible supplies are sugar, proprietary sauces,
salt pepper, butter Miscellaneous Supplies include paper napkins’ doily straws placemats tooth
pick etc.
Training the staff
All employees of an organization must be trained continuously so as to deliver the products and
services as per the standards set by the organization.
Sales analysis
This is the most important function of a supervisor is to analyze the sales at the end of the day,
week, and month in order to be aware of the following:
 Actual Sales and budgeted sales.
 Fast moving dishes.
 Slow moving dishes.
 Average sales per cover.
  Average revenue per waiter.
 Most preferred tables.
Cost analysis
Cost refers to expenses incurred in producing or serving goods. In food service it includes all
expenses that occur right from procurement of raw material to washing the soiled plates of the
guests. Every employee should be committed towards containing of cost so as to earn more margin
of profit. There are basically three types of cost.
 Food Cost
 Labour Cost
 Over head Cost
Handling Complaints
Success of food and beverage operations is ensured when the needs and them expectation of the
guest are met. Complaints from F & B operations are basically of two types:
 Food related
 Attitude related
It is the duty of the service staff to analyze the root cause of the problem for the complaints and
take necessary actions and ensure complaints do happen again. All complaints made and action
taken should be recorded in a notebook.
Managing Discipline
Discipline is the hallmark of a good hotelier. Following are some general guidelines to maintain a
disciplined team:
 Ensure that there are written house rules and code of conduct.
 Motivate staff to follow rules.
 A fault committed must be checked at once.
 Always be disciplined. Set an example in front of juniors.
Staff Scheduling
A supervisor must be aware of peak days and rush hours to do the staffing accordingly.
Forecasting busy schedules and staffing accordingly is the key to success. Few points to be kept in
mind are as follows:
 The schedule should be displayed well in advance.
  Staff distribution should be optimal.
 Holidays should be evenly distributed.
 Staff should be rotated in each shift.
Supervisory functions ensure smooth operation of any organization. These functions vary from
organization to another. Supervisors are expected to guide the subordinates towards the attainment
of objectives.

Standard Operating Procedure (SOP)

A standard operating procedure (SOP) is a set of written instructions that documents a repetitive
activity followed by an organization. The development and use of SOP are an integral part of a
successful quality system as it provides individuals with information to perform a job properly and
facilitates consistency in the quality of a product or service.

Writing a SOP

 SOPs should be written in concise, step by step, easy to read format. The document should
not be lengthy.

 SOPs should be written with sufficient details so that anybody with limited experience or
knowledge can successfully reproduce the work when unsupervised.

 SOPs should be made available for reference.

 SOPs should periodically revised to keep them updated.

 Every organization has its style of writing a SOP. There are no ideal or correct formats.
Following is a sample format.

Points to keep in mind while making a standard operating procedure:

 Use Job Titles and not names of people.

 Follow a logical thought process.

 Start each step of the procedure with a action word. For example lift, pour, etc.

 Use graphics and visuals.

 Sentences should not be long and complicated.

 Sample Standard Operating Procedure

Title of SOP

Hotel ABC

Department: SOP id no:

Date of issue: Date of review:

Made by:

Approved by:

Steps of the procedure:

 Step 1

 Step 2

 Step 3

Example for SOP – Order Taking for Bevearges

FOOD AND BEVERAGE OPERATIONS

SOP: Order Taking (Beverage) SOP # :
DATE OF ISSUE: PAGES: 2

OBJECTIVE:

To ensure guests’ food and beverage orders are received politely and as per their requests
POLICY:

All guests’ orders are taken in a timely, polite and accurate manner, following a set of steps to
ensure logical, standardized sequence.

PROCEDURE:

Employees are to pay attention to the guest’s body language prior to approaching the table, as this
will indicate if they need help or are ready to order e.g. menus closed, looking around
for staff.

 Approach table with a smile and warm salutation:

o Have pen/order pad ready.
o Inquire if guests are ready to order.

 Write down the table number, your initials and guest number of guests on each order.

 Take the ladies' orders first, going clockwise around the table. Take host’s order last.

 Write the order down according to position number:

o The seat whose back is toward the restaurant's entrance is position one.
o Each seat going clockwise is position 2, 3, 4, etc.

 Write all orders with position number after each item.

 Circle all female position numbers on order pad.

 Make suggestions to compliment guest's meal (i.e., aperitif, wine, digestive, coffee/tea).

 Up sell house specialty drinks.

 Repeat the order back and clarify all special requests.

  Place beverage napkin in front of guest after order is taken (logo to face the
guest).

KEY POINTS:

 Eye contact, smile and correct posture maintained.

 Server speaks clearly.

 Suggestive upselling techniques used.

 All servers to have the following knowledge :

 All available brands
 Signature drinks
 Wines by the glass
 Bottled wines
 Correct glassware

 Ladies orders first, host last.

 All orders written neatly and legibly using standard abbreviations.

 All orders note position numbers after each item ordered.

 All orders repeated before departing.

 All orders to contain:

o Table number
o Number of covers
o Server number

 Service should be smooth, efficient and fast.



BHM 352 Advance Food and Beverage Operations ll Page 9 of 10

Food & Beverages staff Organisation Dec 2022
 Bibliography
singarvelvan, R. (2011). Food and Beverge Service. Delhi: Oxford University Press.

Vara Prasad, G. K. (2010). F&B Simplified. delhi: Pearsons.

BHM 352 Advance Food and Beverage Operations ll Page 10 of 10

Food & Beverages staff Organisation Dec 2022