56 Part 1 Introducing the Foodservice Industry
to cleaning, people who work in stewarding
store, inventory, and transport serviceware.
Because many tasks in the stewarding
department require unskilled labor, its
importance is often overlooked. Yet, this
department is key to a good foodservice
operation. Imagine a cook trying to serve a
meal and there are no clean plates. Consider
the impact of a kitchen being shut down by a
health inspector due to poor sanitation. In all
foodservice operations, cleanliness is crucial.
Dining Room
No matter how good food tastes, if not
served properly the diner will not be satisfied.
The kitchen works closely with the dining
room to ensure that their carefully prepared
food is served to the guest in a pleasing
manner. Timing the cooking and serving of
food is the most critical interaction between
the kitchen and servers. If the food preparation
takes too long or the food is cold, guests will be
dissatisfied. Additionally, food must be served
correctly and with a friendly attitude, 3-4.
Catering
In large operations that do banquets and
catering, the sales staff and chefs must work
closely to plan events. Chefs are consulted to
create menus for large events. Communication
between the sales, kitchen, and service staffs
for large affairs is crucial to the success of
catered events. During an event, banquet chefs
consult often with the sales staff and servers
to discuss timing of the meal service and
special requests from guests.
Room Service
Larger hotels offer guests the option
of dining in their rooms. Special staff is
assigned to take room-service orders and
3-4 The dining room staff works with the kitchen to satisfy guests.