CATERING SERVICES

General FeaturesCatering is the provision of food and drink for large numbers of people.There is a wide range of operational areas which belong to catering industry. Some distinctions are to be made regarding the following points: places where catering is their main or secondary activity places supplying food for consumption on or off the premises licensed and unlicensed places

The catering businesses where catering is the main activity include: Hotels and Residential Establishments Holiday Camps, Campings, Caravan Sites Restaurants Snackbars, cafes and fish and chip shops Fast food operations and take-aways Pubs. They all are available to the public at large but differentiate in the type of the market served, in the organisation involved and in marketing strategy.The sectors where catering is their secondary activity and is available only to relatively-limited groups comprise: Institutional catering (schools, colleges and Universities, hospitals, prisons) Employee catering (offices, works canteens) Transport catering (road, rail, air and sea catering) Catering in department stores, theatres, clubs, trade fairs, etc.The catering activity in these sectors is carried out under contract by catering contractors who operate within the guidelines laid down by the Institution or the parent company.

Eating places supplying food for consumptin on the premises include hotels, motels, guest houses. They provide overnight furnished accommodation with food and service.Take away food shops (Fish and chip shops, sandwich bars and other premises) supply prepared food for consumption off the premises.

Licensed places are eating places licensed to provide alcoholic liquor with meals. Railway buffets and dining car services are included. Pubs, Wine Bars and Night Clubs are licensed too. Unlicensed places are eating places which do not provide alcoholic liquor, such as ice-cream parlours and coffee bars. Hotels, motels, guest houses and bed & breakfast places may be either licensed or unlicensed places.

A Wine Bar in East London

Catering Services

Catering Services

1. Refer to General Features and check the correct box according to these statements are true or false

T / FCatering in department stores is their main activity / Fish and chip shops are take away food shops / A wine bar is a licensed place / A guest house offers food and accommodation / Theatres provide no catering services / You can’t buy alcoholic drinks in pubs / Works canteens provide a take away service / Fast food restaurants are licensed operations /

2. Change the following nouns into verbs

provision ....................... accommodation ...........................distinction ....................... market ...........................consumption ....................... involvement ...........................operation ....................... trade ...........................shop ....................... limit ...........................organisation ....................... furniture ...........................accommodation ....................... preparation ...........................

3. Cross the boxes corresponding to the aspects of each catering operation:

FastFood

GuestHouse

Pub HotelRestaurant

SchoolCafeteria

RestaurantCar

Catering as main activity

Catering as secondaryactivity

Customers consumein the premises

Customers consume out of the premises

Licensed operation

Unlicensedoperation

Catering Services

CONTRACT CATERERS

Contract caterers are private individuals or companies who, in return of a financial reward, provide food and beverage within the guidelines of a contract agreed with the parent company. They operate fo companies or institutions both in the public and private sector and carry out their catering service for a period of time (generally years or temporarily for one particular event). The British leading contract caterers operate both in Britain and worldwide. The number of contracts they operate in Britain is much smaller than that related to the establishments they cater for overseas. They are involved in a stunning range of catering areas such as business and industry (staff feeding market), Government, health care and hospital, event, function, education (colleges and Universities), transport (airports, railway stations, etc.), public houses, offshore, leisure, retail, sports venues, etc. Very big shares of the catering market are represented by local authorities and other public bodies. Local authority direct service organisations (DSOs) are increasingly competing for business with the biggest catering companies.A growing number of organizations such as factories, oil companies, banks, insurance companies, department stores, offices, sports centres and institutional establishments such as schools and hospitals, are using the services of catering contractors who undeniably use a more professional approach and, thanks to their purchasing power, they allow considerable cost savings.They also provide catering facilities and staff and manage the operation. Depending on the establishments they cater for, service requirements and catering facilities for factories and offices may vary considerably. In most cases they provide a main meal a day and the service of morning and afternoon beverages and snacks. As they imitate the high street catering outlets more and more, so customers’ expectations are more demanding and most of the leading caterers are committed to investing in quality programmes.The catering facilities they usually run include:Snack bars used for morning coffee or afternoon tea. They also provide light meals, that is, sandwiches and snacks, and other beverages, generally soft drinks.Cafeterias that provide full and slight meals, as well as snacks and beverages for employees.Restaurants (plated and/or silver service-) for employees and management, too. Thes operations are open at main meal periods and offer more variety of higher standard food and service.Vending machines which replace a catering facility at any time of day or night. A food vending machine is a coin-operated slot machine for the sale of food and beverage items. You put in coins, press a button and can buy everything. They distribute pre-plated dishes, light meals, snacks, milk, coffee, soft drinks. Vending machines are used in any situation where food, drinks and snacks are required, outside the normal dining-room situation e.g. airports, rail or bus stations, office blocks, schools, hospitals, factories, etc.Conference / function facilities available for company executives dining together, for business meetings during the day, for banqueting operations or social functions in the evenings and at week-ends. The style of service may be silver or buffet service and is similar to the banqueting service provided by a hotel.Top contract caterers by turnover include: Gardner Merchant (the market leader: 35,000 employees; turnover £986m)

Catering Services

Compass Group (turnover £497m) Sutcliffe Catering Group owned by Granada Group Plc (16,500 emplyees;

turnover £360m) Forte PlcLeading companies in the public sector include the biggest of the DSOs: Catering Direct (school meals and civic catering service) Quadrant (Post Office staff catering, staff shops offering newspapers,

confectionery, etc.)Among the major companies operating specific catering markets are:Aramark (industrial catering)Sutcliffe, ISS Mediclean, Bateman Catering (health care and hospital catering)Surrey Commercial Services (SCS), Chartwells (educational catering)Letheby & Christopher (event caterer)Selbys (event and night club catering)Alpha Airports (airline catering)

Catering Services

Automated Restaurants

For people working outside normal office hours, contract caterers think it vital to provide a full meal service through vending machines in an ‘automated’ restaurant. This may be a measure taken to face the escalating costs of labour and ensures a consistent high standard of service.

The infrastructures of this catering concern include vending machines (or venders) and re-heating microwave ovens. There are drinks venders, snack venders, coffee venders and meals venders. These offer a full range of meals such as lasagne, salads, pies, puddings, etc. All items are re-heated in microwave ovens. They are operated by a few staff who fill, clean and care for them.

A Coca-cola vending machine

Buying a coffee

A row of venders in an automated restaurant

Catering Services

How SCS operates Café AcadémicCaterers’ services have improved a lot in recent years because of the changing tastes of a more demanding clientele. Surrey Commercial Services (SCS) has been operating Café Académic at Esher College (Surrey) since 2 September 1996. After winning the contract in competition with Chartwells, the managers have devised an innovative concept as to running this educational operation. An organization like SCS that operates 400 school catering contracts is fully aware that handling an educational operation for feeding 1200 16- to 18-year old students is a tough job. Students have a limited budget and are exposed to high street branded food outlets.The company needed ideas that would appeal to the tastes of young adults. Informal talks with students allowed SCS to find out that they wanted college catering to follow the style and cuisine of high street chains. This enquiry also suggested the lines of a new approach consisting in innovating menus, coating walls with bright colours, applying the bistro-style signage, redecorating the premises, devising the new yellow and black kitchen staff uniforms and conferring a bright new image and logo to Café Académic.SCS has also found a combination of low prices and varied dishes. Main course dishes are changed weekly and might include blackbean pasta, pork and yogurt with paprika sauce or chicken tandoori with crispy salad. Desserts range from hot marble pudding with orange sauce to peach and apricot crumble. To raise the quality of meals, SCS uses fresh food and ingredients. Main courses are priced between 90p and £1.20, chips and salad are 35p and snacks, such as hot dogs or turkey burger, are 75p-85p. Breakfast items, such as bacon or egg, are 35p and 20p respectively.

Catering Services

Surrey Commercial Services is one of the largest catering operations in Britain and as such its purchasing power is huge, standing at £9m.It gets the best prices from suppliers by going out to tender for contracts to supply food in bulk, then each SCS unit orders supplies from the central “shopping basket”. This means costs can be cut while the Café Académic concept hooks student interest and increases turnover. (Adapted from a report by Rosalind Mullen in Caterer & Hotelkeeper 17-23 October 1996).

Practice

1. Supply the missing items:

1. demand demanding to demand

2. competition _________ _________

3. _________ _________ to innovate

4. operation _________ _________

5. _________ _________ to manage

6. change _________ _________

7. interest _________ _________

8. _________ _________ to organize

2. Give the Italian equivalents to these phrases:

1. to run a business2. to handle branded products3. a limited budget4. branded food5. to appeal to the taste6. to raise the quality7. to price dishes8. purchasing power

Catering Services

9. to face the competition10. to quote competitive prices11. marketing consultant12. avarage spend

3. Answer these questions:

1. What is a contract caterer?2. Who does a caterer provide his services for?3. What catering facilities do they run?4. What is a snack bar?5. Can you name some snacks?6. What is a cafeteria?7. What does a vending machine distribute?8. What do you mean by function facilities?9. Who are the leading contract caterers?10. Who are the leading caterers in the public sector?11. What are their interests?12. Do they operate in Britain only?13. What does event catering mean?

Catering Services

OUTSIDE CATERING OPERATIONS

The Restaurant Show at London’s Olympia

Outside catering operations are food service providers who operate catering for such events as exhibitions, sporting events, private functions (wedding receptions, birthday parties, garden parties, etc.), agricoltural shows, banquets and parties in private houses. Caterers may be private individuals or, more often, large companies. As the place where functions are held may have no catering set-up, outside caterers contract to provide food, equipment and staff for members of the general public attending the event. When the event is a wedding reception or a private garden party the caterer has a guaranteed number of customers and can better meet specific needs tailoring his service to the character of the social event.Outside caterers generally employ a small number of permanent staff supplemented by casual part-time staff whenever the need arises. Catering companies have a team of managers who handle sales, purchases, operations, personnel and administration. Permanent staff also include supervisors, chefs and storekeepers. Casual staff for larger events are represented by students who may need training about the service.Planning a catering function poses a diversity of problems associated to all aspects of the operation. The main ones are: complying with hygiene rules; carrying-out transportation of equipment, beverages and foodstuffs to and from the function site; covering risks by an insurance policy; arranging security service; locating preparation and service areas, storage spaces, power points, water and gas mains; locating spaces for counters, tables, chairs, service trolleys, display cabinets, etc.

In some cases heavy equipment (cooker, oven, fridge, dishwash unit), kitchen tools, crockery and cookware are located in a mobile or container kitchen which will be fully operative within an hour of arrival.

Catering Services

Practice

1. Answer these questions:

1. What are outside catering operations?2. What do they provide?3. How are they staffed?4. What are the functions of the management team?5. Why do they employ students?6. What problems arise from planning a catering function?7. What is inside a container kitchen?

2. Complete these phrases into meaningful sentences:

1. Outside caterers provide ...2. They are private individuals or ...3. A catering set-up is ...4. Catering for a wedding reception has the advantage of ...5. Permanent staff include ...6. Security service is necessary because ...7. Service trolleys are used to ...8. Water mains represent ...9. Counters are ...10. Display cabinets are used to ...

3. Say the Italian equivalents for these verbs:

1. to staff an operation2. to carry out a service3. to cover a risk4. to display food items5. to comply with contract terms6. to employ students7. to provide food and beverages8. to equip a kitchen

4. Write the gerund of these verbs:

to carry ___________________to display ___________________to equip ___________________to set ___________________to handle ___________________

5. Supply the missing items:

provider provisionoperator ___________________seller ___________________purchaser ___________________trainer ___________________caterer ___________________

Catering Services

Rail catering falls into two main areas: terminal catering services and on-board catering services.

Catering facilities at the railway terminals usually comprise self-service and waiter service restaurants, licensed bars, fast food and take-away units, vending machines distributing hot and cold foods and beverages. In large railway stations like London Euston and London Victoria travellers find Food Courts. A food court is a location with a range of counters serving burgers, croissants, pizzas, sandwiches and drinks. They all share the same seating area. On-board catering provides several types of service. The main ones are: a) the restaurant car which operates on 260 expresses every weekday and serves breakfast, lunch and dinner. b) the buffet car where passengers buy snacks, sandwiches and light refreshments over the counter.Here follows the menu served in an InterCity 125 first-class restaurant car:

Menu

Melon with Smoled Ham £1.90Asparagus Soup with Fresh Cream 95p

Chilled Orange, Tomato or Grapefruit Juice 60p________________________________________________________________

Coq au Vin £8.95Fillet Steak Maitre d’Hôtel £10.95

Duchesse and Parsley PotatoesPetits Pois, Cauliflower au Gratin

________________________________________________________________Cold Salmon Mayonnaise £8.85

Served with a selection of Fresh Salads________________________________________________________________

Fresh Fruit Salad 75pSelection from the Cheese Board with Celery and Biscuits 95p

________________________________________________________________Coffee Service 75p

orPot of Freshly Brewed Tea 75p

Prices include 15% VAT. Gratuities at customer’s discretionWe apologise if, owing to previous passenger selection,

your choice is not available

__________Chef’s Special of the Day_________Venison in Red Wine

£11.95

InterCity

Interior of an Inter-City restaurant car

Catering Services

Catering Services

Wine List

as availableFRENCH TABLE WINES

Vin Blanc Vin RougeA fresh, dry white wine that represent A light, red table outstanding value for money. wine, soft and fruity

25cl £1.80 50cl £3.50 Bottle £5.15__________________________________________________________________

RED WINESBORDEAUX SUPERIEUR Château Méaume 1984A good depth of flavour with a firm finish. Half Bottle £4.25

COTES DU RHONE Domaine del la Bégude Thorin 1985Full bodied and rich with a mature ripeness. Half Bottle £4.15

WHITE WINESMUSCADET DE SEVRE ET MAINE Domaine des Pierres Blanches 1984/85

Bone dry with an underlying fruitiness Half Bottle £4.45LIEBFRAUMILCH Prinz Rupprecht

Clean and very fruity with a mellow easy to drink style Half Bottle £3.85CHAMPAGNE Charles Heidsieck Brut

Specially selected for InterCity 125 Half Bottle £8.25________________________________________________________________

Also availableAPERITIFS Miniatures

Martini Rossi Extra Dry 90p Sherry £1.00 Campari 90p Pernod £1.05__________________________________________________________________

SPIRITSWhisky, Gin,Vodka, White Rum Large Measure £1.40

___________________________________________________________________LIQUEURS, Etc. Miniatures

Baileys Irish Cream Large Measure £1.20Port-Fine Old Ruby £1.00 Cointreau £1.10 Brandy £1.40

___________________________________________________________________BEERS Large Cans

Ruddles County £1.15John Smiths Bitter 90p Lamot Pils £1.05 McEwans Export 90p Guinnes 97p Carlsberg Lager 93p

Stella Artois £1.05___________________________________________________________________

CIDER Large CansDry Blackthorn 89p Autumn Gold 89p

___________________________________________________________________SOFT DRINKS

Fruit Juices Can 45p Tonic, Ginger Ale, etc. Can 35pPepsi, Ginger Beer, Shandy Can 40p Perrier Water (bottle) 55p

Hi! Orange Flavoured Drink (carton) 30p

Catering Services

Expressing Language Functions:

Ways of asking about likes:What would you like?What are you going to have?What will you have?

Ways of giving suggestions:Wouldn’t you like.......?What about (having)......?How about (having).......?Would you have.........?Would you care for........?What do you think about.....?Shall we have ........?

Ways of saying what you like:I’d like........I’d love........I’ll have...........I’ll take.............I feel like.............I think I’ll take........I think I’ll try............

Ways of saying what you prefer:I’d preferI would ratherWhat I like more is....I like............moreI like ........... better than.........Rather than........ I prefer .........I find ........ more healthy

Uso di would ratherObserve these examples:

Shall we have tea? Prendiamo il thé?I’d rather have a coffee Preferirei un caffè

Would you rather drink coffee than tea?Would you rather have chips or boiled potatoes?Do you mind if I drink a vodka? - Well, I’d rather you didin’tRather than have fried chips, I prefer boiled potatoes

Practice

1. Express what you prefer using these alternatives:Example: I’d rather soup than spaghetti

1. soup / spaghetti2. brandy / gin tonic3. fish / meat4. steak / chops5. beef / lamb6. cabbage /cauliflower7. chips / boiled potatoes8. ice-cream / apple pie9. tea / coffee10. wine / beer

Catering Services

2. Pair work. Student A gives suggestions by alternating relevant structures: Shall we have, how/what about, wouldn’t you like, would you have a beer?Student B expresses his/her preferences like this: I like wine better than beer or Rather than beer I prefer wine

1. beer / wine2. fillet steak / cold salmon3. petits pois / Duchesse potatoes4. Stilton / Cheddar5. tomato juice / grapefruit juice6. croissant / pizza7. chicken burger / beef burger8. cheese / fruit salad9. asparagus soup / onion soup10. cappuccino / black coffee

3. Pair Work. Make exchanges as in the short dialogue below:

A: Which would you rather have? ___ a martini ___ or ___ a sherry ___ ?B: ___ a martini ___, I think. What about you?A: I’d rather have __ a sherry ___ . / Alternative answer: Just the same

1. Martini / Sherry2. 25cl bottle / 50cl bottle3. Bordeaux / Cotes du Rhone4. Muscadet / Champagne5. Campari / Pernod6. Whisky / Vodka7. Gin / Rum8. Irish Cream / Brandy9. Guinnes / Carlsberg10. Tomato juice / Orange juice

4. Pair Work. Refer to the InterCity 125 Menu and make exchanges as below:

A: I prefer ___ cold salmon ___. Don’t you?B: No, I don’t. I’d rather have ___ venison in red wine ___ .

5. Answer these questions:

1. What catering facilities do you find in a railway terminal?2. What do vending machines distribute?3. What is a food court?4. What services does on-board catering provide?5. What does the restaurant car serve?6. What style of service does a buffet car provide?

Catering Services

Transport CateringAmong the sectors where catering trade is best supported by technological improvements in food preparation and conservation, the one concerning transport catering seems to be the most advanced. Transport catering concerns road, rail, air and sea catering.

Road catering is provided in motorways service areas and roadside catering outlets. They provide a valuable catering service to the travelling public. Their food and beverage facilities include self service and waiter service restaurants, vending machines and take-aways. The main chains operating road catering are:1. Forte Plc that operates such brands as Little Chef and Happy Eater;2. Granada MSAs division operates 39 Motor Service Areas and these brands: 21

Welcome Breaks (previously owned by Forte Plc.), Country Kitchen (free-flow cafeterias serving freshly-prepared food), Burger Express, Pizza Hut and Brioche Dorée (fast food stores serving take away food and beverage). MSAs are integrated establishments including petrol stations, car maintainance facilities, retail shopping facilities, toilets and parking area.

3. Ajs Family Restaurants4. Roadchef chain

Granada’s Stafford MSA

The Stafford site, built at a cost of £20m, represents the state-of-the-art service area.. It includes this combination of facilities:Self-service restaurantRock Island DinerCoffee ShopBurger KingIndoor and outdoor play areas for families changing rooms for babiesTelevision monitors providing motorists with up-to-date road informationReuter’s news service for businessmenOpen spaces for gaming machines (gambling and computer games)

Stafford MSA

Catering Services

Rock Island Diner includes a coffee shop serving tea, coffee, Danish pastries and fresh fruit juice. Rock Island Diner staff are trained to entertain while they serve food. Both the restaurant and the coffee shop serve freshly

cooked dishes.

Stafford MSA: Coffee Bar

Rock Island Diner staff

Catering Services

Practice

1. Answer the following questions:

1. What is catering trade?2. What does transport catering refer to?3. What kind of catering facilities do you find in motorways?4. What is a vending machine?5. What are take-away food shops?6. Who are the main road caterers?7. What brands does Forte Plc own?8. How many Motorways Service Areas does Granada operate?9. What is Burger Express10. What does a MSA establishment include?11. Why does Granada’s Stafford site represent the state-of-the-art service area?12. What facilities does it include?13. What is Rock Island Diner?

2. Use false participles to describe these people or thingsExample: a man with one eye= a one-eyed man

1. a waitress with a blue uniform ______________________________2. a table with a plastic top ______________________________3. a room with two beds ______________________________4. a kitchen with a wooden floor ______________________________5. a hotel with fifty rooms ______________________________6. a dish with gold plate ______________________________7. a bottle with a black label ______________________________8. an operation provided with licence ______________________________9. a pub with a low ceiling ______________________________10. a waiter with a white apron ______________________________

Catering Services

Sea Catering service is provided either on board ferries, cruise ships or passenger liners. The provision of food and beverages on board ferries is effected by using one or more of these service methods: waiter service, self service, and buffet service. The facilities commonly found in a ferry include a silver service restaurant featuring a three course table d’hôte menu; a cafeteria serving meals, snacks and beverages; a bar serving snacks and drinks.

The standards of on-board comfort are excellent: with a floating hotel ambience and mini-cruise amenities the journey becomes a part of the holiday. On short routes food and beverages are provided on self service basis. Catering service on cruise or passenger liners is an important feature of sea touring experience. Shipping Companies are committed to providing passengers with the highest standards of care, comfort and cuisine. This last features many international influences. Depending on the type and size of the ship as well as on the financial status of the passengers to cater for, a large cruise ship may count three-four kitchen and as many restaurants, carveries, snack bars, bar lounges, cocktail bars, buffet style breakfast and lunch

venues, night club and staff catering facilities. Nearly all ships are one class these days; passengers have their meals in elegant dining rooms served with a high style table service. Eating plays an important part in cruising life. On pleasure cruises food is part of the entertainment and is a feature of the jorney. The meals are more elaborate and abundant. The day starts with tea in your cabin or an early riser’s light breakfast on deck. It continues with the full bacon

and eggs or cold meats and cheeses on deck or in the restaurant, beef tea or coffee for elevenses, lunch on deck or in the restaurant, afternoon tea and a dinner of several courses. There is even a midnight buffet. Passengers are usually given fixed table places and there are often two sittings, early and late, for dinner. The most beautiful event is when everyone dresses up for the Captain’s cocktail party and gala dinner. All meals are included in the price.

Self service catering on board a ferry

Serve-yourself buffets are an established feature ofNorth Sea and Channel ferries.

Catering Services

Practice

1. Answers these questions:

1. Which ships provide catering service?2. Which service methods are used on board ferries?3. What facilities can you find in a ferry?4. In what is cruise catering different from ferry catering?5. What can you say about catering facilities in cruise ships?6. Why is eating so important on board a cruiser?

The following is a typical dinner menu provided by Granada Retail Services on P&O passenger ferries. From very basic traditional cafeteria food with a high use of convenience products, P&O’s passenger ships are now featuring very good quality food and there is a strong emphasis on imagination, craft skill and fresh ingredients.

Dinner Menu

Philadelphia pepperpot soup***

Salmon on a bed of Green Beans with Tarragon SauceRoast Duck in White Wine and Orange Sauce

Sweet and Sour PorkQuorn in Red Wine Casserole

Braised Sirloin Steak***

Parsley PotatoesChipped PotatoesPotted Cabbage

Purée of Carrot with Horseradish***

Cold Mediterranean Seafood***

Selection of Meats***

Salads***

Baked Apple with Mincemeat and Custard SauceDundee Sponge Pudding

Fresh FruitSelection of English and Continental Cheeses

***Coffee - Tea - Fruit Juices

2. Refer to the menu above and answer these questions:

1. What do you serve as a starter?2. What kind of fish does the menu feature?3. Do you serve any poultry dish?4. How many main courses do you serve?

Catering Services

5. What accompaniments go with the main courses?6. What drinks do you serve?7. What is there on the cheeseboard?8. A dessert item is a hot pudding. Which one is it?

Catering Services

Airline Catering

Airline catering is conveniently divided into two major areas: terminal catering and in- flight catering. Terminal catering service is performed in self-service and waiter service restaurants, licensed bars, and vending machines. The in-flight catering service varies with the class of travel and duration of flight. An economy class traveller gets portioned meals in plastic trays. A business class traveller gets better meals according to his needs. Crockery, glassware and cutlery are of superior quality.

A meal tray offered by British Airways

What kind of meals do Air Companies serve? You can have an idea from the passage in the box drawn from a passenger's letter.

In-flight catering: serving a meal

Catering Services

…..I have had some excellent meals in the air recently, flying with Delta to London from Atlanta. I had a perfect dinner of canapés, salmon and scallop paté, fresh spinach salad and hot rolls, breast of duck with peppercorn sauce, and baked apple with brandy sauce. I awoke at Gatwick to the freshest testing orange juice served in the air. I also enjoyed the food on Air India. Their service from New York to London offers meals with lots of curry flavourings and, on the economy menu, a choice of three main courses which always includes a vegetarian curry. British Airways have vegetarian trays available on request. British Caledonian have pre-orderable 1500 calorie-counted meals for first and executive classes

Information

Self-service restaurant restaurant where guests take a tray and help themselves to food items.

Air Terminal An air terminal is a building in a town from which air passengers are taken by bus to the local airport.

Crockery crockery refers to plates, cups, saucers, bowls, etc, used at mealtimes.

Glassware glassware refers to objects made of glass, for example bowls, drinking containers, and ornaments.

Cutlery cutlery refers to the knives, forks, and spoons that you eat your food with.

Catering Services

Catering Firms Airline catering is generally provided by catering firms., the most important of which being Alpha Airports, Gardner Merchant, Granada, Forte, Compass (owner of Burger King, Pizza Hut, Upper Crust). These companies, traditionally associated with feeding the masses at factory lunches and school dinners, act as contract caterers for airline companies and airport retailing. Contract catering is seen as an exciting or particularly profitable business. It generates cash, has good margins and makes healthy profits. They have expanded into new sectors of public services such as hospitals, schools, government departments, Universities, railway stations and shopping centres. Their major concern is on international expansion and widening the range of businesses. Alpha Airports is the leading provider of in-flight meals in Britain and has growing operations in America, Holland, Portugal and France. Every day it provides about 1 5,000 meals for planes leaving Heathrow.

Catering Services

Reading Passage

When does the food and drink go on board?

A fully loaded Caledonian Airways Lockheed Boeing 757 carries about two tonnes of catering stores and cabin equipment, including food, drink, and literally thousands of items of cutlery, tableware and cabin amenities - everything from ice to aspirin. It all has to be carefully loaded aboard before every departure. The first items usually arrive about 90 minutes before take-off time, and loading and checking all the stocks usually takes about 40 minutes. Ali the meals are supplied by Caledonian's catering base on the airport, and everything has to be timed so that meals, carefully chilled down to the right temperature, are all ready to be heated in the aircraft’s own ovens. On a short flight, the cabin crew will probably prepare to serve the meal quite soon after take-off. On a transatlantic flight, there will usually be time for a leisurely round of drinks before they switch on the ovens. By the way, did you know that apart from the galleys on the main deck you’ll possibly see during your flight, the Boeing 757 has an extra galley under the floor of the passenger cabin?

In-flight catering: ordering meals

Catering Services

Practice

1. Answer these questions:

1) Through what facilities is terminal catering service provided?2) What is a licensed bar?3) How would you define a self-service restaurant?4) What is an air terminal?5) What catering facilities are there in an air terminal?6) What differentiates the economy class catering service from business class?7) Which are the most important catering firms?8) What do you mean by ‘contract catering’?9) Which sectors do catering contractors expand into?10) Who is the leading air catering provider?

2. Match the words on the left with the correct definition on the right

1) Canapé a) A dried berry that is ground to make pepper2) Scallop b) A herb used in cooking to add flavour to food3) Paté c) Biscuit or peace of bread spread with cheese, meat

or fish and usually served as a starter at parties4) Spinach d) Paste made of cooked meat or fish finelly minced5) Peppercorn e) A hot tasting spicy powder used to make Indian

dishes6) Curry f) A common garden plant used as a vegetable7) tarragon g) Type of shellfish with a semicircular ridged shell

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

3. Look at the food items in the box and decide what you would choose as starters, main course and dessert

Fresh spinach salad and hot rolls, baked apple with brandy sauce, canapés, salmon and scallop paté

STARTERS

MAIN COURSE

DESSERT

Catering Services

4. Complete this diagram:

TRANSPORT CATERING

ROAD CATERING

MOTORWAY SERVICE AREAS

Facilities include: ___________________________

SEA CATERING

PASSENGER / CRUISE LINERS

RAIL CATERING

IN TRANSIT CATERING

Terminal Facilities:

In-Transit Facilities

AIR CATERING

TERMINAL CATERING

Terminal Facilities:

IN-FLIGHT CATERING

1.Economy Class2.………………

Catering Services

Here is Alitalia business class menu which is served on flights from North America to Italy:

BUSINESS CLASS

NORD AMERICA-ITALIA

ALITALIA HAS BEEN AWARDED THE GOLD PLAQUE

OF THE ITALIAN ACADEMY OF CUISINE

COCKTAILS AND APERITIFS

VERMOUTH CINZANO – CAMPARIMARTINI DRY – MARTINI COCKTAIL

CARPANO PUNT & MES

ITALIAN SPUMANTEFERRARI BRUT PERLE’ 1989

CONTRATTO BRUT RISERVA 1988MARTINI MONTELERA RISERVA BRUT

ROTARI BRUT TRENTO D.O.C.

SPIRITSGLENLIVET MALT SCOTCH WHISKYCHIVAS REGAL SCOTCH WHISKY

SMIRNOFF VODKAGRAPPA MANGIGLI – GILBEYS GINFOUR ROSES BOURBON WHISKY

CANADIAN CLUB WHISKY

BRANDIES AND LIQUEURSBRANDY VECCHIA ROMAGNA

HENNESSY VS COGNACFERNET BRANCA – COINTREAU

SAMBUCA MOLINARIAMARO RAMAZZOTTI

SELECTED BEERS

SOFT DRINKS – COFFEE - TEADINNER

Smoked ham and coppa ham garnishedWith garden vegetables

Cheese tortellini or manicotti with broccoli

Sirloin of veal in Marsala sauce served withStuffed potato, carrots,white turnips and

Baby yellow squashSwordfish medaillon cooked sicilian style

Served with pilaff rice, french beansAnd white trurnips

Selection of cheeses with crudités

Lemon sponge cake

Coffee or Tea

BREAKFAST

Chilled Orange JuiceFresh Fruit Appetizer

Vanilla Pudding

Danish Pastry, Sweet Ring, Hard RollWith Butter, Jam*

Your Choice of Coffee, Tea, Milk

* Honey available on request

Catering Services

Wine List

Catering Services

Notes:

crudités (French word) Raw fruit and vegetables served as an hors d’oeuvre.Crude= raw, uncooked

Pilaff rice (Turkish cuisine) a highly spiced eastern dish of rice with a fowl, meat, or the like, boiled together or separately.

Words and phrases associated to wine

colour White, red, rosé; brightand clear straw yellow; with golden tints, with greenish tints, tending to orange,pale yellow in colour.

bouquet Pleasant, tasteful, intense, elegant, delicate. Fruity, fresh, fragrant, winy, aromatic; with scent of nutmeg, long lasting.

taste Velvety, fresh, smooth, distinct, dry, full bodied, generous, with light bitterish after taste, well.balanced

flavour Dry, full, harmonious

Best served with, goes with, particularly suited for/toSuitable for/to, ideal with, good complement forServe at room temperature, serve chilled 9-10°With scent of…Light-strongSparkling-fizzyVintage wine (of high quality). The 1970 vintage.Fortified wine (made stronger by adding alcohol: sherry, vermouth, port, etc.)

1. Check the menu items and answer these questions:

Which courses is dinner made of? Which appetizers are served? Which items feature the main course? Which items does the term ‘crudités’ refer to? Which vegetables does the meal contain?

Catering Services

2. Refer to Alitalia dinner menu and supply the missing exchanges in the following dialogue:

traveller Do you serve any appetizers?air-hostess ..................................................................................................traveller and to follow?air-hostess ..................................................................................................traveller What do you serve as a main course?air-hostess ..................................................................................................traveller I prefer swordfish medallion. ...Eh, by the way, you just said “Pilaff

rice”; what is it?air-hostess ..................................................................................................traveller Which vegetables do you serve with?air-hostess .................................................................................................traveller Could I have some cheese, too?air-hostess .................................................................................................traveller What do you mean by “crudités”?air-hostess .................................................................................................traveller Thank you very much.

3. Give the English equivalents

1. profumo fresco e persistente ............................................................2. gusto pieno e asciutto ............................................................3. sapore vellutato ............................................................4. si abbina a ............................................................5. servire a temperatura ambiente ............................................................6. adatto per arrosti di carni ............................................................7. accompagna antipasti e pesce ............................................................8. sapore secco, pieno e armonioso ............................................................9. va servito fresco a 9-10° ............................................................10. particolarmente indicato per antipasti

............................................................

4. Refer to the Wine List and cross the boxes corresponding with the appropriate items

Pinot Grigio

Chianti Rufina

Orvieto Classico

whiteredgoes with roast red meatsgoes with game dishesgoes with white meatsgoes with hors d’oeuvresgoes with fishgoes with dark poultry

Catering Services

Meridiana Airlines

This is the classic liqueur deriving from the popular tradition of rural families in Sardinia. The full and characteristic aroma recalls the perfume of the Sardinian hills where the myrtle grows.

Catering Services

Answer these questions:

What is Mirto?Where is it produced?What colour is it?Does Meridiana offers soft drinks?How much does a tonic water cost?How many brands of beer are on offer?What is Chivas Regal?Which aperitif do you prefer?