HOSPITALITY AND TOURISM BUSINESS In a virtual restaurant — as the name rightly

suggests — the majority (if not all) of the business is

conducted via computer, tablet, or smartphone.
Unit 3 – Restaurants and Food Related A ghost restaurant doesn’t have a traditional
Business storefront with decor, signage, and a large dining
room. Instead, this new business model only
requires a kitchen and delivery drivers.
Learning Objectives:
5) Family Style Restaurants
1. Describe different types of food-related
A family style restaurant is similar to the casual
businesses.
dining model mentioned above with one significant
2. Define and understand the front of the house difference: servers deliver the food in large dishes
versus the back of the house. and customers then serve the food for themselves
and pass it to other diners at the table.
3. Discuss the functions of the front and back of the
house. These types of restaurants often have a more
relaxed atmosphere than the fine dining and casual
4. Examine the importance of menus in the
dining models and cater to families with children or
operation of a restaurant.
groups of friends.

6) Fast Food
Common Types Of Restaurants
Fast food is the most widely recognized type of
1) Fine Dining restaurant thanks to franchise chains like Taco Bell,
Burger King, and KFC.
Fine dining restaurants offer diners an upscale meal
experience often comprising several courses (e.g., Fast food restaurants attract diners because of their
salad, appetizer, entree, dessert). price, convenience, and speed. Because of this
focus, ingredients in fast food restaurants are
These types of restaurants try to create a stylish usually preheated or precooked (though not always).
atmosphere that speaks of elegance, exclusivity,
and class. Food is then delivered over the counter — or
through a drive-thru window — and customers seat
2) Casual Dining themselves.
Casual dining types of restaurants usually share the 7) Food Truck, Cart, Or Stand
following characteristics:
Food trucks, carts, or stands are unique modern
 Customers are served at their table businesses that normally specialize in a single type
 Food offerings are moderately priced of food (e.g., tacos, sandwiches, hot dogs, ice
cream, smoothies, etc.) and serve a limited menu
 Atmosphere is low-key that revolves around those items.
 Decor is often unique and based on the type They are generally categorized together with fast
of food served food restaurants because the focus is on speed.
Additionally, seating options may be sparse or even
As a general rule, casual dining restaurants fall
non-existent.
between fine dining and fast casual on the “fancy”
spectrum. 8) Cafe
3) Fast Casual Cafes are characterized by outdoor seating, an
unhurried atmosphere, and the loyalty of their repeat
Fast casual restaurants cater to customers who are
customers. Offerings include coffee, tea, pastries,
looking for fare that is relatively quick yet, at the
small items for breakfast or lunch, and a small
same time, healthier than fast food and more
sampling of desserts.
affordable than a casual dining establishment.
Diners order food at the counter, pay on the spot,
As such, fast casual types of restaurants offer quality
and serve themselves, so the cafe model does not
food, counter service (as opposed to table service),
require a large staff.
and a more casual, contemporary style and decor.
Turnover in cafes is usually low, and customers may
4) Ghost Restaurant
work or socialize for long periods of time.
A ghost restaurant (a.k.a. virtual restaurant, delivery-
only restaurant, online-only restaurant, or dark
kitchen) is a food-service business that serves
customers exclusively through phone orders, online
orders, or both. 9) Buffet Style Restaurants
Buffets are an extension of the family style choices, picking out what they would like to eat
restaurant where customers are provided a selection along the way.
of food at a fixed price.
Some cafeterias offer:
Guests serve themselves and can return to the
 Fresh-cooked fare ordered from an attendant
buffet as many times as they want.
(omelets, waffles, cut-from-the-bone roast
beef)

10) Pub  Ready-made, pre-plated portions

 Self-serve portions (salads, soups, etc.)

Cafeterias are similar to buffets, but cafeterias

typically have servers behind the counter ready to
dish out the food you choose.

Some large corporations, factories, and hospitals

have in-house cafeterias to feed employees and
patrons alike.

That concept, though, extends to stand-alone

restaurants all across the country. In fact, back in the
first half of the 20th century (the 1940s, 50s, and
60s), cafeteria-style automats were a very
successful type of restaurant in large cities like New
York.

Automat cafeterias featured banks of vending units

Pubs have a long tradition of being the place to go — not the automated kind of vending machines
when you need to unwind and enjoy a beer or other you’re used to in the 21st century — that displayed
alcoholic beverage at the end of a long day. fresh food for sale.

At first, they were little more than bars. But, in Patrons would take a tray, deposit coins in the
modern times, pubs have expanded their menus to machine that offered their choice, lift a small window,
offer food items and full meals as well as beer, and remove the food item therein. Attendants and
liquor, and non-alcoholic beverages. cooks in the kitchen behind the vending machines
would then replenish the food item for the next
Because of the wide range of fare and the festive patron.
atmosphere, pubs typically provide full table- and
bar-service as well as casual decor, games (e.g., 13) Coffee House
darts, pool, etc.), televisions for sports, and possibly
With the spread of Starbucks around the world, most
even a dance floor.
people are familiar with the concept of the coffee
11. Ethnic Restaurants house.

Ethnic restaurants, which have become popular in As a type of restaurant, the coffee house offers
recent years, are the restaurants that reflect a some unique features that you won’t find anywhere
certain culture with their features such as décor, else, including:
menu, music and staff uniforms. In ethnic
 Casual atmosphere
restaurants, all elements of the restaurant are
shaped within a certain cultural scheme. Every  No table service
element, from the food served to the decoration
 Limited selection of cold foods such as
even to the staff uniforms, is shaped around the
pastries, donuts, and sandwiches
culture. It offers dining and entertainment
experiences, such as connecting with cultural  Allowing guests to relax and socialize
heritage or meeting foreign cultures and culinary without the pressure to leave after eating
cultures.
Coffee shops are similar to cafes, but the focus at
Other Types Of Food & Beverage Businesses the coffee house — and the item that most people
show up for — is the hot beverage.
12) Cafeteria
Coffee houses offer a wide variety of coffee drinks
If you attended grade school or high school in the
as well as hot tea and other drinks. The food in a
United States, you’re probably familiar with cafeteria-
coffee house often takes second place as a draw for
style dining.
customers.
By definition, a cafeteria serves ready-cooked food
items arranged behind a long counter. Patrons line
up, take a tray, and file in front of the various food 14) Diner
At one time, you could find a diner (a.k.a. a greasy When restaurateurs began opening bistros in the
spoon) in every town in America. United States, the format evolved to include more
refined decor, fewer tables, finer foods, and higher
This type of restaurant is characterized by fried
prices.
foods (e.g. chicken and fish), burgers, and breakfast
items served at low cost. Most bistro owners don’t consider their restaurant a
fine dining establishment, per se — multiple courses
Many diners were open 24 hours and featured
in an opulent atmosphere — but, rather, as classy
booths and table service as well as a long bar with
(and classic) fare in an upscale atmosphere.
stools at which patrons could sit and receive their
food straight from the kitchen. 18) Destination Restaurant

Diners with a nostalgic theme — and even high- A destination restaurant is one that draws patrons
quality and high-priced fare — are becoming more from beyond its immediate area or community.
common in downtown areas as employees at nearby
The concept of the restaurant itself, the appeal of
businesses discover the benefits and convenience
the food, the head chef, or the history of the
of leaving the office for lunch and an occasional
establishment has to be strong enough (and famous
break.
enough) to motivate customers to make the trip from
15) Pop-Up Restaurant out of town.

The pop-up eatery is a novel type of restaurant that Some franchises have become destinations in the
allows owners and chefs to experiment with different past few years, but, by and large, very few
ideas and different styles of food without changing restaurants achieve destination status unless they
their established location. have been around for a long time.

The pop-up restaurant is also a fun and unique way Destination restaurants in the United States include:
to “test the waters” to see if a specific concept or
 The Polo Lounge in Los Angeles, California
cuisine would be successful in a certain area.
 Arnaud’s in New Orleans, Louisiana
Pop-up restaurants range in format from a beer
garden that is only open from May through August,  Cafe Du Monde in New Orleans, Louisiana
to a fine dining restaurant in a unique location (e.g. a
warehouse, rooftop, or other old building), to a  Katz’s Deli in Manhattan, New York City
contemporary casual restaurant that moves from  Prince Street Pizza in Manhattan, New York
location to location every few nights. City
16) Contemporary Casual 19) Teppanyaki Grill
Contemporary casual restaurants — a recent The teppanyaki grill (a.k.a. hibachi) is a type of
offshoot of the fine dining concept — cater mostly to restaurant specializing in Japanese cuisine prepared
young professionals in urban and metropolitan with dramatic flair in front of patrons.
areas.
Multiple parties (of typically eight to 10) sit together
As a concept, these eateries are modern and trendy and watch the chef prepare their order on a hot grill
and often offer a distinct brand that diners find a foot or two away.
appealing.
As the food is cooked, the chef entertains guests
Such concepts include but are not limited to: with various “tricks,” including building a volcano out
 Eco-friendly of onion slices, catching a lemon on a fork behind
their back, flipping small shrimp into a customer’s
 Farm-to-table mouth, and tossing an egg into the air and cracking
it on the edge of a spatula.
 Large wine selection
20) Mongolian Barbecue
 Locally sourced ingredients
The Mongolian barbecue is a variation on the
 Fusion cuisine
teppanyaki grill.
 Extensive bar
In this type of restaurant, diners assemble a bowl of
The food, and often the restaurant itself, relies raw ingredients from a buffet line, hand the bowl to
heavily on visual appeal (though taste is also the cook, and watch as they stir-fry the food on a
important) and caters mostly to the Instagram large griddle.
generation.
The cook then plates the food and hands it to the
17) Bistro diner, who returns to their seat to eat.

The bistro concept got its start in France as a place 21) Restaurants in Shopping Centres
to serve hearty meals at a moderate price in a not-
They are food businesses located in the large
so-formal setting.
shopping centres that have increased in recent
years. The area where they are located is often have a pleasing persona and be congenial at all
called the “food court”. Table service can also be times, even when handling difficult customers.
provided in these establishments where self-service
The back of house is where all the
is used extensively. Customers consume the
behind-the-scenes action takes place in a
products they purchase from the food and beverage
restaurant. These are areas and people that
businesses they prefer, on the tables located in the
customers will generally not see or meet, and
central area. The cleaning of the tables and the
won’t have any interactions with. The back of
collection of the dishes are done by the central
house is where the food is prepped, cooked and
cleaning staff.
plated before being sent out to the customer, and
22) Catering Businesses hence since they are very much involved in the
food preparation process. Kitchen staff generally
Catering establishments are businesses that provide
wear bib aprons, which cover their entire body, from
customers’ requests and needs wherever, whenever
the upper torso down to the legs (usually below the
and under conditions they want with their well-
knees) and there are no protruding bits that could
equipped kitchens. Areas of activity range from
cause a hazard by getting stuck in machinery or
hotels to large sports events, from simple home
elsewhere.
parties to celebrations on luxury yachts.
The back of house section of a restaurant or
On-site catering service:
hotel will include such areas as the kitchen,
The catering establishment has necessary employee restrooms, administrative office etc., and
equipment for the operation such as the banquet hall the staff, especially kitchen staff, will have a
and kitchen in its own. On-site catering can also be hierarchy of positions which is strictly enforced.
positioned within the hotel and is called the banquet These positions include Head Chef, Sous Chef, Line
section. Chef, Commis, and Dishwasher etc.

Off-site catering:

It is in the form of providing the service in places far MENU

from the catering company. Offsite catering requires
good planning and logistics. Because tables, chairs,
materials, equipment and food and beverages must Types and Categories of Menus
be taken to the venue. Sometimes it requires the
Menus can be categorized in a variety of different
installation of all kitchen areas and equipment.
ways and there are different types of menus, which
Although the catering service may seem exciting but
are often associated with particular types of
it is a very stressful type of service due to reasons
foodservice operations. A classic way to categorize
such as weather conditions, late arrivals, changing
menus is by how often they repeat.
event times or last minute changes.
1. Static menus are those that basically stay the
same every day and are most typically used in quick
FRONT OF THE HOUSE VS. BACK OF THE service to upscale casual restaurants. These types
HOUSE of menus may be presented on a menu board or in
some type of printed format, sometimes laminated
The front of house involves those areas so it is easily cleaned. Typical sections of a lunch or
and people who have direct contact with and are dinner static menu include appetizers, salads,
exposed to guests and customers. Such areas entrees (often further divided), sides, desserts and
will include the entryway, waiting area, hostess beverages. Choices may be limited, as they are in
station, dining room, bar, restrooms, outdoor seating some quick service, such as McDonalds or Five
area etc, and involves those staff members such as Guys, and quick casual restaurants or choices may
the General Manager, Front of House Manager, be extensive requiring a menu that resembles a
Headwaiter, Sommelier, Bartender, Server, small book, such as the Cheesecake Factory.
Host/Hostess, bussers etc. Each of these individuals
will play a vital role in making their customers feel 2. Cycle menus are most often used in non-
welcome and comfortable, and for providing them an commercial foodservice operations that serve the
exclusive experience while dining at the restaurant. same group of customers every day, such as
Most of these staff members such as bartenders, corporate dining (business and industry), healthcare,
waiters, bussers etc. will be attired in elegant schools, and long-term care or CCRCs. A cycle
uniforms and wearing stylish server aprons with the menu follows a particular pattern designed to meet
restaurant branding on them. the needs of the operations customers and repeats
on a regular basis. The length of the cycle should
The front of house is where one sets the be set with the customer in mind.
aesthetic theme of the restaurant and makes it
appealing for customers to walk into, while the staff 3. Daily (or single-use) menus change on a daily
in this specific section should be highly trained in basis or may be planned for a special event with a
how to handle guests and guest requests, including one-time use. Daily menus are often used in fine
how to handle special needs guests. They should dining or for foodservice operations that feature
locally sourced products, which are available in the Menu Planning Principles and Factors to
market on a given day. Alice Water’s Chez Panisse Consider
restaurant uses a daily menu to highlight seasonal
Menu planning principles include balance, nutritional
and locally available foods with a “farm to table”
quality, aesthetics, and variety, including color,
approach. Single-use menus are planned for
texture, flavors, shapes and sizes of food. The
catered events like banquets or parties, and are also
equipment and personnel available to produce and
used in many operations for “daily specials.”
serve the menu are also important considerations in
Other ways to categorize menus planning the menu. Along with all of these
considerations, the effective foodservice manager
Menus can also be categorized in a variety of
also has to consider costs, production and other
other ways including any of the following:
management issues.
Function of the menu – such as a tasting menu,
Factors affecting menu planning can be organized
catering, hotel room service, dessert, wine or drinks
into two main areas: customer
Meal/Time Period – such as breakfast, lunch, happy satisfaction and management decisions. Both of
hour, or dinner these areas must be considered when menus are
planned.
Style of service – such as American, French (table
side cooking), or Russian (platter service) Four factors related to customer satisfaction
include sociocultural background, food habits and
Pricing styles – such as a la carte (each item is preferences, nutritional influence, and aesthetics.
individually priced), table d’hôte (a selection of
complete meals offered at set prices), prix fixe (one Customer satisfaction. Knowing your customers
price for the entire menu) (and your potential customers) is obviously a key to
planning and designing menus. Collecting some
Amount of selection – selective (customer has market research on our customers and studying
many choices typical of a family or casual food and menu trends can help menu planners to
restaurant), non-selective (no choice as with many keep the menu fresh and satisfying for our
tasting menus, hospital special diet menus, or sit- customers. Always keep the sociocultural
down banquets), or limited or semi-selective (typical background and food habits and preferences of the
of small operations, fine dining or themed customer in mind when planning menus.
restaurants)
The influence of nutrition and government
regulations
Advantages and Disadvantages of Various Types Increasingly, our knowledge of nutrition is
of Menus influencing the way we eat. The U.S. government
These different categories overlap among each issues Dietary Guidelines with recommendations
other and types of foodservice operations, both about how people should eat. Many nutrition trends,
commercial and non-commercial, and offer both such as smaller portions, ethnic foods, and gluten-
advantages and disadvantages to management and free diets also affect menu planning,
control. For example, static menus would be Non-commercial foodservice operations, particularly
easiest for forecasting, purchasing and labor in schools and in health care settings, have a
scheduling since they are the same every day, nutrition mandate from both the government and the
but cycle menus have those same advantages customer. When it comes to feeding children and the
over daily menus. However, it can take restaurant elderly, many other different issues surface. Some of
chains a year or more to plan or make a change to a these issues involve foods and surroundings
static menu. Daily menus are the most flexible unfamiliar to kids, and the ability of older patients to
and can be easily changed to adjust to product chew and swallow. A few key points to remember for
or market price changes. Static, and to an the non-commercial sector:
extent cycle menu, offer the customer a
predictable dining experience, but daily menus  A “textbook” approach to menu planning is
offer a new dining adventure with every visit to not enough. As a foodservice or dietetic
the foodservice operation. Of course, foodservice professional, you have to recognize those
operations often combine elements of these different unique factors that significantly affect each
types of menus to gain the advantages offered by individual consumer.
each. For example: many restaurants using a static
 You must design your menus to ensure a
menu offer daily specials or features, which give
balanced, nutritious diet that reflects more of
some flexibility to offer menu items that are
the recipient’s values than your own. The
seasonal, or trendy, or use product that needs to be
introduction of unusual or unfamiliar foods
sold and not wasted.
may cause a customer to lose interest in
eating altogether.
  A noncommercial foodservice menu can be categories. This sequence of working through
used to help a consumer adjust to a new, the menu categories helps make sure the most
unfamiliar regimen. But this educational expensive dishes are chosen first so the lower-
function usually requires an increased menu priced items can better fit in the plan and
variety with a greater food production effort complement the choices offered. The menu
and perhaps higher costs. planner can consider factors such as cross-
utilization of products, balance, variety, customer
Aesthetics
preferences and trends, as well as all those
Not to be forgotten is the issue of aesthetics. You’ve management factors for the entire menu mix.
heard it many times before: we do eat with our eyes.
Menus are often published on an operation’s
How our food is presented, along with texture,
website, shared on social media, and reviewed
consistency, color, shape, and the preparation
by customers on user-generated content
method, influences how we feel and what we think
websites, such as TripAdvisor and Yelp. When
about a menu. It can even influence our appetite and
menus are published, operators have the
our interest in eating.
opportunity to use “menu psychology” in their menu
design to try to influence customer choices and
purchases. Increasing sales by raising the average
Management Decisions check of a restaurant or overall participation or
When the menu is thought of as a management tool, promoting healthier choices for an onsite
a number of other factors related to menu planning foodservice operation are typically the overall goals
enter the picture. To plan a good menu you need to of using menu psychology.
consider the following factors: Menu psychology involves using a variety of
 food cost and budgetary goals of the techniques typically based on research about how
foodservice operation people read a menu and make choices about
spending money. Some examples of menu
 production capability, including available psychology in menu design include:
equipment and personnel
 placing menu items where the customer’s
 type of service and food delivery system eyes tend to go first or last (see the URL
links below),
 availability of foods
 using graphics such as boxes and borders to
 the philosophy of the business and
draw attention to menu items,
foodservice operation
 displaying prices in a way to encourage
Another effective menu planning principle to
customer spending, or
consider is called cross-utilization. This “best
practice” involves using one food product in multiple  not using dollar signs, leader dots, or column
ways. Be sure to think carefully and keep in mind the pricing (where all prices are lined up), which
capabilities of your operation, your production can cause guests to spend less, and
capacity, food availability, employee skills and
financial goals when planning menus.  using descriptive terms for menu items to
encourage sales.

Suggested Steps in Menu Planning

Truth in Menu Best Practices
Once it’s time to actually plan the menu, the
conventional wisdom is to start with a menu Menu writers and foodservice operators often use
pattern that fits your operation and then work detailed merchandising terms to describe menu
through breakfast, then lunch, then dinner. For items in the hopes of increasing sales of those menu
instance, if you are planning a lunch menu, will you items or commanding higher prices.
have soups, salads, sandwiches, pizzas, full platters, “Truth in Menu” also referred to as “accuracy in
sides, desserts, and beverages? How many menus” is a best practice in planning and sharing
selections will you offer in each of your chosen menus. Accuracy in menus addresses any and all
menu categories? Will you have daily specials? Are of the following:
there any other special options you might want to
offer your customers?  quantity

Once you establish your menu categories, it is  quality

recommended to plan the main entrees (platters)
 price
first, then the sides that go with the entrees.
Other entrees, such as sandwiches and entrée  brand names
salads are planned next, followed by soups,
 production identification
appetizers, additional sides, and any planned daily
specials. Desserts and beverages finish off the  points of origin
  merchandizing terms

 food preparation

 verbal and visual presentation, and

 dietary & nutritional concerns

While operators are certainly allowed to

merchandize on their menus to encourage sales,
lying about the food being offered is not acceptable.
Of course, there will always be those operators who
stretch the truth with items like mile high meatloaf, or
man-hole size nacho platter, and there are items
such as English muffins and French toast that
obviously aren’t sourced from England or France.