Hotel Food & Beverage

The Banquet DepartmentRisa McCann

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Hotel Food and Beverage Services

• Most lodging properties offer some kind of food and beverage service

• They range from simple offerings of coffee and sweet rolls in the lobby to a full-service fine-dining restaurant

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Organization• Some hotels have a full-service restaurant that

is independent of the hotel• Many hotels manage their own foodservices:

cocktail lounge, a full-food service dining room, a banquet department and room service

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Organization cont.

• The manager in charge of all the food and beverage services in the hotel is call the Food and Beverage Director

• The Food and Beverage Director is usually responsible for five departments: beverages-cocktail bar, dining room, kitchen, banquets and room service

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Organization cont.

• The hotel restaurant dining room usually offers 3 meals a day and is open 7 days a week.

• In the hotel the Executive Chef will be responsible for all the food services in the hotel (dining room, coffee shops, snack shops, banquet, and room services.)

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Banquet DepartmentThe banquet department handles all special

food events at a hotel.

A banquet is food served in honor of a special occasion. Banquets are also known as Receptions or Functions.

There are two types of banquets:Business BanquetSocial Banquet

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Banquet DepartmentBusiness banquets are often planned during conventions and business meetings.During a convention, banquets are held for business meetings, awards ceremonies, receptions, networking, and socializing.

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Banquet DepartmentSocial banquets are held for a variety of

celebrations. Weddings, bar and bat mitzvahs, special birthdays, anniversaries, graduations, school/family reunions, proms, and charity events are commonly celebrated by a banquet at a hotel.

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Booking a Banquet

A banquet is booked through the Sales Department of the hotel.

The Sales Department is sometimes called Sales and Marketing or Sales Catering.

Banquet customers are known as ClientsCatering Manager works with the clients to

plan and arrange for the details of the event

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Single Event BanquetIn a Single Event Banquet, the purpose is the

banquet.Single events usually do not require sleeping

rooms. These events are booked by the Catering Manager.

Single events can be business or social

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Meeting BanquetIn a Meeting Banquet, the banquet is a

part of a larger event, such as a convention or conference.

The larger event requires sleeping rooms and meeting rooms, as well as one or more banquets during the convention

Banquet Manager will work with the group to plan and provide the banquets

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Booking a Banquet

• The Catering Manager for single events and the meetings and Banquet Manager (for Conventions) meet with their clients to work out all of the details.

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Booking a Banquet• One of the jobs of the Sales Dept. is to sell the

hotel’s meeting and banquet services to professional associations and to the general public.

• Cold Calls are made to businesses and associations offering the hotel’s banquet services

• In order for a banquet to take place, the hotel needs to know all of the details of what the client wants.

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Booking a Banquet

• Once these decisions have been made the hotel representative will write up a banquet order form for each banquet.

• The Banquet Event Order (BEO) is a written record of all the decisions that have been made about what the client wants during the banquet.

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Booking The BanquetThe details recorded on the BEO include:

The number of peopleTime of banquetType of serviceChoice of foodsBeverages Timing of coursesRoom setupDécorAudiovisual needs

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Banquet Event Order - BEO• A copy of this order is then sent to the Food

and Beverage Director (head person), the Executive Chef (head of kitchen staff), the Beverage Manager (head of alcohol and beverage service) and the Banquet Manager/Catering Manager.

• All the members of the food and beverage division must work together to make the banquet a success.

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Banquet Event Order• Daily BEO meetings are held in each

department to go over the Banquet Event Orders, make plans and handle changes

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Banquet Department Staff

• Once the Banquet Event Order (BEO) is submitted to the Banquet Manager/Caterer, the Banquet Department is responsible for making sure that all the details are handled and that the banquet runs smoothly.

• The staff includes the Banquet Manager, setup staff, servers, and audiovisual staff.

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Banquet Department Staff

The Banquet Chef is a critical part of the team; however, he or she is technically part of the kitchen staff.

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Banquet ChefThe Banquet Chef is responsible for feeding

all large groups in the hotel.They also prepare any show pieces such as ice

sculptures and Garde Manger. Banquet sizes can range from 30 – 3,000

people. The average is 250.

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Banquet Chef cont.

• The Banquet Chef supervises the organization, preparation, and timing of the banquet service.

• The number of Banquet Chefs depends on the number and frequency of banquet functions at the hotel.

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Banquet Manager

• The Banquet Manager is responsible for: Making sure that all aspects of each banquet run

smoothly Making sure the instructions from the sales dept.

and clients are carried out Hire and schedule workers; the # of workers

needed varies with the number of banquets/conventions scheduled.

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Banquet Manager cont.

Responsibilities cont. Make sure the client does not have to worry

about anything related to the event Preparing a timeline for the event. The

timeline is helpful to make sure that all tasks are performed in a punctual manner.

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Banquet Dept. StaffBanquet Setup Staff is responsible for:• Moving and arranging the room dividers,

tables, and chairs• Setup staff will get a room diagram that shows

them where all the items belong• Often the same ballroom must be rearranged

several times a day to meet the needs of several different meetings or banquets

• They are also responsible for takedown and cleanup

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Banquet Department Staff

The banquet servers are responsible for:– serving food and beverages during the

banquet– they set the tables before the banquet– they are often asked to handle last minute

requests– for foods it is “Serve left, clear right”–beverages are refilled from the right

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Banquet Dept. StaffHotels often use an outside audiovisual company

to handle all the audiovisual needs.Sometimes there is an in-house audiovisual

manager. They are responsible for:

Projection screensOverheadData projectionsMicrophonesPublic address system Music equipment

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Types of Service

There are four styles of service–Standing buffet–Seated buffet–Butler passed-items–Seated banquet

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Types of Service

• Buffet is the general term used for meal service in which the food is set out on tables and guests help themselves.

• The location in the room where food or beverage is found is called a station.

• There can be several stations depending upon the menu being served

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Standing Buffet• Standing buffets are designed so that people

will socialize.• The food served is finger food, that is, food

that is easy to eat with your fingers.• Ex. cheese and crackers, vegetables and dips,

cocktail hotdogs, canapes

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Standing Buffet

• Usually food stations are scattered around the room to encourage mingling

• Usually there are no tables or chairs, or maybe a few scattered around the edges of the room

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Seated Buffet• At a seated buffet, tables are set and guests

choose or are assigned to table. • Guests serve themselves from a buffet table,

then return to their seat to eat.• They range from simple lunch to an elaborate

dinner.

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Butler Passed-Items

• The passed-items event is a type of standing buffet.

• Servers walk around the room with food and beverages on trays

• Food served is finger foods• Ex. Miniature quiches, potato pancakes, fancy

hors d’oeuvers

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Seated Banquet• At a seated banquet tables are set and guests

choose or are assigned a place at a table.• Servers serve all parts of the meal. Usually the

food is plated in the kitchen and brought to guests by servers

• Everyone eats at the same time.• Most inexpensive form of service, portions are

controlled by staff, set # served

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Décor and Table Setting

• The theme of the event and the color scheme are usually chosen by the client, with advice from the catering or meeting and banquet staff.

• Buffet table and food stations are decorated to make the food look appetizing.

• Great effort is devoted to table décor.

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Décor and Table Setting• Many banquets have elaborate centerpieces

that match the theme of the event.• Table linens such as tablecloth, napkins and

table skirting also add to the ambiance of the room.

• Skirting is a table linen placed around the buffet tables to hide the table legs, power cords, etc.

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Décor and Table Setting• White skirting is used for weddings, silver

skirting is used for anniversaries and New Year’s celebrations and colorful is used for holiday and birthday parties.

• Linens must be cleaned and properly ironed.• Place settings are designed based on the

menu that will be served.

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Décor and Table Setting• Flatware (knife/fork/spoon), glassware, and

plateware (plates/bowls/salad plates) should be chosen that match the food that will be served.

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