Food and beverage service areas and equipmentFood and beverage service areas fall into two categories, those for customers andstaff usage and those for staff usage only. Staff and customer usage areas includeconsumption areassuch as dining areas and service areas such as incafeterias, bars and the associated services. Staff areas include stillroom, wash-up, storage and cellar areas. The general considerations for staff usage areas are: Appropriate siting and with logical layout of equipment ase of delivery access ase of service nsuring hygiene, health and safety requirements are met ase of cleaning Sufficient storage space for service equipment and food items Security.The general considerations for areas used by both customers and staffinclude first the general considerations for staff-only areas as above and inaddition also ta!e into account the meal e"perience factor of atmosphere, Thisincludes consideration of: #ecor and lighting $eating and ventilation %oise, and The si&e and shape of the areas.#ecor and lightingThe general considerations on decor are: Appropriateness to the type and style of the operation Sufficient fle"ibility especially where the space has multi-usage, e.g.function rooms Functional reliability ase of maintenance 'ndustrial rather than domestic quality ase of cleaning and general house!eeping needs.(ighting, itself anarchitectural feature, is apivotal ingredient infoodserviceoperational design.)ontemporarylightingandcolourdesignstendtowards versatile system of lighting by which a food and beverage service area mayhave brighter lighting at lunchtime and a morediffused form of lighting in theevening. (ighting can create image, generate atmosphere and seamlesslycommunicate a mar!eting and merchandising message. 'n tandem it can determinequality, price, and speed of turnover. The principal rule in lighting provision is thatit be neither too bright nor too dar!. *rilliant lighting does not create comfortableorintimate surroundings. #im lighting limitssensory evaluationand may inhibitsafe wor!ing practices. 't can also be an advantage to be able to change the colourof the lights for special functions and today+s technology enhances thesepossibilities. Heating and ventilationThere are two dimensions to heating and lighting: The maintenance of a reasonable temperature The ventilation of the areas.Thetemperatureoffoodandbeverageserviceareaswillchangedependingonthevolumeofcustomersandhowlongtheystayinanarea.For everyten people this is equivalent to a , !- fire being turned on. Temperature controlwill therefore need to ta!e this into account especially where customers are indining areas for a long period such as in function operations. Temperature also hasan actual and a perceived reality. )ustomers will have preferred locationsdependingontheir perceptions of theheating. as!ingtosit bywindows, fore"ample, as this is considered a cooler part of the room, or not by doors becauseof suspected draughts, or not near buffets because of the heat or cold. 'n all thesee"amples the actual temperature may be the same as other areas of the room. 'n areas where food and beverages are served there are inevitable smells, whichcome from these areas. 't is a truism that a single food smell is generally li!ed, fore"ample fresh coffee or freshly ba!ed bread, but that a combination of food smellsis usually unpleasant. Some restaurant environments however, utilise the smell offood and beverage effectively to promote customer comfort and promote sales aspart of merchandising. 'n general though, food smells are best avoided and theventilation systems should be able to ta!e account of this requirement. Ambient noise*ecause of equipment movement and customer and staff conversation, food andbeverage service areas can be noisy. The customer e"pectation is that generallythe higher the service level and price, then the lower the noise level that will betolerated.Thisisalsoaffectedbythetimeofday.forinstancebrea!fastcanbe moreacceptablynoisythandinner.)areneedstobeta!eninthedesignand selectionofmaterialsandequipmentinordertocontainnoiseat appropriate and acceptable levels. Sound absorbing materials in walls, floorsandceilings canassist greatly.Acoustical materials for ceilings andwalls aregenerallythelargesttargetareasfornoisecontrol. Thefloorspaceisanotherma/or surface area which when carpeted actively controls noise. -indowtreatments and table top linen also absorb noise pollution. Another issueisthat of noisetransmissionfromoneareatoanother asinanad/acent bar, lounge and !itchen. Sound transmission should really be consideredand alleviated at the planning phase. afterwards it is a matter of control and theeffective use of acoustical materials. *ac!ground music systems can also causeproblems. 't is an area of great controversy with very clear views being e"pressedas to why bac!ground music systems can aid or hinder operations. 'n general itdepends on the particular style of operations and the image that the operation istrying to pro/ect. 'f bac!ground systems are to be used then it is worth investing inhigh-qualityequipment. $avingcheapandbadly regulatedequipment is bothdistressful and fatiguing for customers.The size and shape of the areas%ot only do the si&e and shape of the room affect the customers+ en/oyment of themeal but also in table service areas the location of the tables becomes important. Some issues to consider are: The location of tables in a food service area especially ta!ing into accountthe needs of the single diner and couples Facing positions 0e.g. not towards service areas, walls, doors, or too close toservice stations1 Access for those with disabilities ase of wor!flow venness of temperature and ventilation 0including avoiding air-conditioning, heating and e"traction hot spots1 Access to e"its and toilets Avoiding being directly in the path of live or piped music systems.Food and beverage service equipmentThe general points to be considered when purchasing equipment for a food andbeverage service area are: Fle"ibility of use Type of service being offered Type of customer and the nature of demand being met #esign, shape, colour, and durability ase of maintenance and replacement Stac! ability )osts and funds available Storage 2ate of brea!age, e.g. for croc!ery 3sychological effect on customers, and #elivery time.FurnitureFurnituremustbechosenaccordingtotheneedsoftheestablishmentandthe variation in human body dimensions. The type of operation being rundetermines the specific needs as far as the dining arrangements are concerned. Asummary of possible dining arrangements is given in Table "ample of dining arrangement'ndeterminingthespecificationforfurnitureforfoodserviceoperationthefollowing factors might be ta!en into account: )omfort )ost #esign #urability Function 4ovability 4ulti-functionality Safety Structure and materials Storage capacity 0if required1.5eryoftenbyusingdifferentmaterials,designsandfinishesandbycarefularrangement the atmosphere and appearance of the food and beverageservice areacanbechangedtosuitdifferentoccasions.2estaurant and barfurniture needs careful consideration. 't needs to reinforce the aesthetics, styleand ambience of the business. The ergonomics have to be carefully considered.Furniture needs to be sturdy yet easily moved, versatile, durable, lowmaintenance and with a superior finish. -here possible prior to purchase,performance evaluation should be carried out. This should definitely be requestedwhere consultants are employed.-ith seating requirements generally there is a relationship between comfort andthe time the customer will tend to spend in the seat. Thus less comfortable butadequately functional seating tends to be used in fast service operations and inhigher-level serviceareasmorecomfortableseatingisprovided.'tisalsotruebecause of differences in physiology, women tend to sit up straighter for longerthan men. Therefore chairs with arms are more useful in operations meeting theneeds of a male-dominated clientele.)onsiderationalsoneedstobegiventotheneedsofchildren,peoplewithdisabilities and the manoeuvrability and stac!ing capability of seating especiallyfor function operations.TraysTrays are used throughout foodservice operations. Their use ranges from carryingequipment and food to service on a tray, as in hospital, airline and room serviceoperations. Additional considerations in the purchase of trays include: (ightness and strength 6 trays should be able to be carried when fully loadedand not become misshapen when weight is placed upon them Stac! ability $eat resistance ase of cleaning 2esistance to slippage of items place on them 2esistant to damage from spilt items or damp.TablesTablesgenerallycomeinfourshapes:round,oval,squareandrectangular. Anestablishment may have a mi"ture of shapes to give variety, or tables of all oneshape according to the shape of the room and the style of service being offered.These tables will seat two or four people and two tables may be pushed togetherto seat larger parties, luncheons, dinners, weddings, etc. *y using e"tensions avariety of shapes may be obtained allowing full use of the room and getting thema"imum number of covers in the minimum space.Chairs)hairscomeinanenormousrangeofdesigns,materialsandcolourstosuitall situations and occasions. *ecause of the wide range of styles, the chairs vary inheight and width, but as a guide, a chair seat is 78 cm 0,9 in1 from the ground, theheight from the ground to the top of the bac! is , m 0:; in1 and the depth fromthe front edge of the seat to the bac! of the chair is 78 cm 0,9 in1.Additional purchasing considerations are the si&e, height, shape and the variety ofseating required 6 banquette, armchairs, straight-bac!ed, action6bac!ed andpaddedchairs,givingthecustomerachoice,andalsoincludinghighchairsfortoddlers and !iddy boosters or cushions for children. )are also needs to be ta!en inmatchingchairsandseatinggenerallywithtableheights,especiallywherechairs and tables in both metric and imperial measurements are being used.Sideboards/worstationsThe style and design of a sideboard or wor!stations vary from establishment toestablishment. The ma/ority of commercially available sideboards are insufficientinstrengthofconstruction,storagecapabilityandwor!topprovision.'tisnowmore usual for operations to design and build their own sideboards orwor!stations, often incorporating them as part of the design of the dining area.!inenThere are many qualities of linen in present-day use, from the finest 'rish linen andcottontosyntheticmaterialssuchasnylonandviscose.Thetypeoflinenusewould depend on the class of establishment, type of clientele and cost involvedandthestyleofmenuandservicetobeoffered.soup spoons, and general-purpose!nivesandfor!sratherthanhaving,say,separatefish!nives and for!s. "lassware=lass also contributes to the appearance of the table and the overall attraction ofthe room. There are many standard patterns available to the foodservice operator.4ost manufacturers now supply hotel glassware in standard si&es for convenienceof ordering, availability and quic! delivery. "cept in certain speciality restaurantsor high-classestablishments, whereeither colouredglasswareor cut glasswaremay be used, hotel glassware is usually plain. A good wine glass should be plain and clear so the colour and brilliance of a winecan be clearly seen. it should have a stem for holding the wine glass so that theheat of one+s hand does not affect the wine on tasting. there should be a slightincurving lip to help hold the aroma and it should be large enough to hold theparticular wine being tasted.#isposablesThe main varieties of disposable available are often used in the following areas: Storage and coo!ing purposes Service of food and beverages, e.g. plates, !nives, for!s, cups #ecor 6 nap!ins, tablecloths, slip cloths, banquet roll, place-mats $ygiene 6 wipes )lothing, e.g. aprons, chefs+ hats, gloves 3ac!aging 6 for mar!eting and presentation purposes.A considerable advance in the range of disposable available has been theintroductionofdisposableswhoseappro"imationtocroc!eryandtablewareisvery close.Forinstance,theymayhaveahighquality,overallfinishandasmooth hard white surface. The plates themselves are strong and rigid with notendency to bend or buc!le, and a plasticising ingredient ensures that they aregrease and moisture proof, even against hot fat and gravy.