60 Part Two Th e Foodservice Industry
According to the National Restaurant Associ-
ation, there are over 945,000 foodservice businesses
in the United States. Foodservice is the business
of making and serving prepared food and drink.
It includes restaurants, hotels, clubs, catering,
healthcare facilities, transportation centers, and
cruise lines. Foodservice is a service industry that
generates billions of dollars a year in sales and em-
ploys millions of workers.
Foodservice operations range from small to
large. A small business might consist of one per-
son who sells ice cream from a small freezer on
wheels. A large business might be a restaurant that
serves 1,000 meals a day. Foodservice operations
are also found in hotels, cruise ships, schools, hos-
pitals, airplanes, trains, and employee cafeterias,
4-1. Even some grocery stores provide foodservice
in the form of soup and salad bars and prepared
meals.
There are many ways to categorize foodservice
operations. Customers tend to categorize them by
price, from budget to very expensive. Customers
also categorize foodservice operations by type of
service offered, such as self-service and sit-down
service. From an industry perspective, there are
two basic types of foodservice operations: com-
mercial and noncommercial.
Commercial foodservice consists of food and
beverage businesses that compete for custom-
ers. The main goal of these businesses is to make
a profi t. Examples include Macaroni Grill, Olive
Garden, and Dunkin’ Donuts. Most commercial
foodservice businesses are restaurants or restau-
rant-like operations.
Commercial foodservice operations can be or-
ganized into four categories: quick-service restau-
rants, full-service restaurants, catering, and hotel
and club foodservices.
Quick-Service Restaurants
A quick-service restaurant provides custom-
ers with convenience, speed, and basic service at
low prices. A major feature of quick-service res-
taurants is self-service. The customers help them-
selves, usually by carrying their food to their tables.
Quick-service restaurants generally have few em-
ployees in relation to the number of people served.
Quick-service restaurants include fast-food restau-
rants, cafeterias, buffets, and carryout restaurants.
Fast-Food Restaurants
A fast-food restaurant generally has a counter
where you place your order and wait for it. You
then pick up your order, pay for it, and either carry
it to a table or take it with you. Fast-food restau-
rants often have drive-through windows that pro-
vide faster service for people who are in a hurry
or want to stay in their cars. Fast-food restaurants
generally have the following characteristics: a
small number of menu items (usually fewer than
20), items that can be prepared in three to fi ve min-
utes, a small dining area, and high-tech foodser-
vice equipment.
Types of Foodservice
Operations
Commercial Foodservice
Copyright Amtrak 2012. Photo courtesy of Amtrak Copyright Amtrak 2012. Photo courtesy of Amtrak
4-1
This chef is preparing breakfast on an
Amtrak Superliner train.