as the only production department of the hotel, the catering department shoulders the heavy responsibility of providing high-quality catering products for guests. Compared with other products, catering production, management and service have their own characteristics.

(1) Characteristics of catering production

Catering enterprises not only produce tangible physical products (such as various delicacies), but also produce intangible service products (such as elegant dining environment and warm and thoughtful catering services). Compared with the production of other products, catering production, management and service have their own characteristics:

1. Catering production belongs to individual customized production, with many product specifications and small batch

Only after guests enter the restaurant and order separately according to the menu can the production, sales and service of catering products such as dishes be organized. This is different from the mass production of industrial products with uniform specifications. The production of catering products is mainly hand-made, which is not only the technical operation process of chefs, but also the conception and creation process of cooking art, which brings difficulties to the unification of catering product standards and quality management.

2. The production process of catering is short

The production, sales and service of catering products are almost carried out at the same time, and the process from ordering to consumption is quite short. Whether we can produce high-quality products that satisfy our guests in a short time puts forward higher requirements for the management level of the kitchen and the technical level of the chef.

3. It is difficult to predict the production

The food and beverage consumption of guests is quite random, and when the guests come, how many people they have and what food and beverage products they consume are all variables. Because there are many changing factors in catering demand, it is difficult to determine the catering production, and catering production is uncertain. Therefore, this requires strict quality control of catering products, good service for every guest, and maximum satisfaction for every consumption of guests, so as to improve the loyalty of guests to catering brands.

4. Catering products and raw materials are easy to deteriorate

Catering products are characterized by one-time consumption, and a considerable number of catering products are cooked with fresh catering raw materials, which have strong timeliness and seasonality. If they are not handled properly, they will easily deteriorate and lose their edible value. Therefore, management must be strengthened to ensure product quality and control catering costs.

5. There are many links in the production process of catering products, which is difficult to manage.

There are many business links in the whole process from the procurement, acceptance, storage, processing, cooking, service and sales of catering raw materials to the settlement of accounts. Any error in any link will affect the quality of catering products and the economic benefits of enterprises. Therefore, it is difficult to manage the production process of catering products.

6. Variability of production cost

Catering production has gone through many links from raw material processing, cutting and matching to cooking and selling, and the management and control of each production link will have an impact on production cost. Therefore, a complete set of operating procedures and production standards must be established in the production process to reduce costs and ensure due operating profits. In addition, the seasonal changes of raw materials are great, and the fluctuation of market prices will also cause changes in production costs, thus affecting the control of catering production costs.

(II) Characteristics of catering sales

Catering products are non-storable, so compared with other industrial products, marketing has its own characteristics.

1. The sales volume of catering is limited by the operating space.

The reception capacity of restaurants is limited by the size of the operating area and the number of seats. Therefore, under the established hardware reception conditions, catering enterprises must strive to improve the dining environment, improve service quality and table utilization, so as to increase the per capita consumption of dining guests.

2. The sales volume of catering is limited by meals.

The dining time and business activities of catering are obviously intermittent. At the peak of meals, the attendance rate of restaurants increases sharply, and after the meal time, the restaurants are calm again. Most restaurants have stipulated the last ordering time. Therefore, catering enterprises should strive to increase catering sales by increasing service items, reasonably setting restaurant business hours, and increasing sales outside peak hours.

3. The sales volume of catering is influenced by the dining environment

The dining environment and atmosphere are also an important factor for consumers to choose dining places. While striving to improve the quality of catering products and services, catering enterprises must pay attention to the creation of dining environment and atmosphere, and provide guests with a clean, tidy, elegant and comfortable dining environment.

4. The fixed cost and variable cost of catering are relatively high

The investment of various kitchen equipment, tableware and service articles in catering enterprises is relatively large, and the expenses of human resources, energy and raw materials are also relatively high. Therefore, catering enterprises should strive to control fixed costs and variable costs in order to improve the profitability of catering.

5. The gross profit margin of catering business is relatively high, and the capital turnover is relatively fast

The gross profit margin of comprehensive operation of catering enterprises such as restaurants is relatively high, which is generally above 51%. If the expenses can be reasonably controlled in catering business, considerable profits can be generated. In addition, the revenue of catering sales is mainly in cash, and most catering raw materials are purchased and sold on the same day. Therefore, the capital turnover of catering enterprises is faster.

(3) Characteristics of catering service

Catering service is the whole process of catering products provided by employees of catering enterprises to dining guests. Catering services can be divided into direct front-end services and indirect back-end services. Front desk service refers to the face-to-face service provided to guests in restaurants, bars and other catering facilities; Backstage service refers to the services provided to the guests in places beyond the sight of the guests, such as the kitchen, food management department and other departments to produce and process dishes and ensure the front desk work. The front desk service and the back desk service complement each other, and any problem will affect the quality of catering service. Backstage service lays a material foundation for front-stage service, which is the continuation and perfection of back-stage service. Only exquisite dishes, no high-quality service; Only high-quality service and no exquisite dishes are not acceptable. Therefore, delicious food will only be appreciated and welcomed by guests if it is accompanied by warm, polite and thoughtful service.

catering services are intangible, disposable, synchronous and different.

1. Invisibility

Catering services, like any other services, cannot be quantified. The intangibility of catering service means that catering service can only be evaluated by its physical and psychological satisfaction after dining guests buy and enjoy catering products.

2. One-off

One-off catering service means that catering service cannot be stored, and can only be enjoyed at the same time. If it is out of date, it can no longer be used. This requires catering enterprises to receive every guest well and improve the satisfaction of every dining guest, so that they can keep coming.

3. Synchronicity

Synchronicity of catering service means that the production, sales and consumption of catering products are almost synchronous, that is, the production process of enterprises is the consumption process of guests, which requires catering enterprises to pay attention to both the quality and service process of catering products and the sales environment. The synchronous characteristics of catering production and sales also create an excellent opportunity for hotels to sell on the spot, so that restaurant waiters have the opportunity to directly introduce and recommend catering products to guests, thus promoting sales.

4. Differences

The differences in catering services are mainly manifested in two aspects: on the one hand, the service attitude, service skills and service experience will be different due to the differences in age, gender, personality, education level and work experience, and the resulting service quality will inevitably be different; On the other hand, the service provided by the same waiter to the guests at different times or occasions is also different due to personal circumstances, changes in working conditions or other external factors. The existence of differences requires catering enterprises to formulate corresponding catering service norms, procedures and standards, and strengthen the training of employees and the control of service process.