Restaurant operating equipments

The operating equipments, which are used in hotels and restaurants, play an important role in attracting customers. The restaurant operating equipments include service equipments, furnitures, fixtures and linen. There are several factors which have to be considered while selecting the equipment. They are standard of the restaurant, décor of the restaurant, types of services, type of clientele, durability of equipment, price factors and so on.

Food and beverage service equipment may be divided into glassware, chinaware and tableware. Tableware includes cutlery, flatware and hollowware.

The term glassware usually refers to the drinking vessels made of glass. Glassware includes tumblers, footed glasses and stemware.

There are different kinds of glassware of different sizes and shapes to serve each drink. Collins glasses, Highball glasses and Old-Fashioned glasses are glass tumblers, which are usually used for mixed drinks, but Old-Fashioned glasses are more preferable for cocktails with few ingredients or liquors with ice. Collins glass is the tallest and the narrowest ones, Highball glass is of the average height and Old-Fashioned glass is the shortest ones.

A shot glass is a small glass used for serving a small amount of liquor, and sometimes for measuring.

There is a large quantity of glasses which is used for different kinds of beers. A pint glass is a drinking vessel holding an imperial pint of liquid and is usually used for dark beer. A pilsner glass is a glass used to serve light beers. A pilsner glass holds less than a pint glass, it is tall and slender. A wheat beer glass, which is very narrow at the bottom and wider at the top, is used to serve wheat beer. A beer stein is a traditionally-German beer mug. A yard glass is a very tall glass approximately 1 yard long used for drinking beer, which holds 2 imperial pints of liquid. A flute glass is the narrow-shaped glass with stem, which is used for fruit beers. A tulip glass, which looks like a tulip flower with a short stem, is generally used for aromatic beers. A goblet is a bowled-shaped glass with a stem generally used for heavy beers. A pitcher is a large container with spout and handle, which is used for serving draft beer.

Wine is also served in different glasses. Red wine glasses have round, wide bowl. There are two types of glasses used for red wine – Bordeaux glasses and Burgundy glasses. Burgundy glasses have larger bowls than the Bordeaux glasses. White wine glasses are narrower than red wine glasses. This allows the chilled wine to retain its temperature. Champagne flutes are used for sparkling wine. They are tall, narrow and have a long stem.

Cocktails are usually served in cocktail glasses, which have cone-shaped bowls, and also in coupette glasses for cocktails where the rims of the glasses are coated in sugar, for example. Brandy and cognac are usually served in bowl-shaped snifters or in tulip glasses which look like tulip flowers. Coffee can be served in coffee-mugs or in footed Irish coffee cups.

Glassware is very fragile and needs careful handling. Glasses should be washed, dried and polished properly and then placed upside down to prevent dust settling in them. Glasses should be handled by the base or stem to prevent from the finger prints left on them.

Chinaware is more resistant to heat than glassware. There 4 types of chinaware. They are porcelain, bone china, earthenware and stoneware. Porcelain is a ceramic material which is strong, tough and translucent. Bone china is thinner and stronger than porcelain, that’s why it is the most expensive. Earthenware is less strong, less tough and not translucent and also more porous than stoneware, but has low costs. Stoneware is strong, tough, but the heaviest one and not translucent.

Chinaware includes different serving items such as plates, cups and saucers, mugs, bowls and so on. Also it includes the ovenproof ware such as dishes, casseroles and cocotte dishes, which allow food to be brought straight from the oven to the table.

Chinaware needs careful handling, because it can be broken easily. It should be stored on shelves at a convenient height to avoid accidents. It should be kept covered to prevent dust settling on it.

Tableware includes flatware, cutlery and hollowware. Flatware refers to different forms of spoons and forks, usually made of stainless steel, because this material has higher resistance to oxidation, corrosion, staining and scratching, so it is more hygienic. Cutlery refers to knives and other cutting instruments. Hollowware refers to table service items such as sugar bowls, creamers, coffee pots, teapots, water pitchers and so on. Also there is some special tableware which is used with some specific dishes such as tea tongs, lobster picks, ice-cream scoops, nutcrackers, etc.

Tableware should be stored in cupboards or special rooms. Each item of cutlery and flatware has to be stored in the boxes lined with baize to prevent the items being scratched.

There are 3 types of tables: round, rectangular and square. The height of the table should be 75 cm from the floor level. Chairs can be in various shapes, colors and sizes depending on the décor of restaurant.

The side station is used by the service staff for keeping all the service equipment at one place. It is also used as a landing table for the dishes picked up from the kitchen to the table and the dirty dishes from the guest's table to the wash-up area. The top of the side station should be of heat resistant material which can be easily washed down. In the side station can be stored glassware, chinaware, tableware, fresh and dirty linen, menu cards and so on. The side stations can differ depending on the style of service, menu list, the number of waiters, the number of tables, the amount of equipment.

There 5 types of trolleys which are used in the food and beverage service. They are Flambe Trolley, Room Service Trolley, Dessert Trolley and Hors d'oeuvre Trolley and Carving Trolley. Flambe Trolley is a small mobile trolley with one or two burners and a work and storage space for plates and cooking equipment. Using this trolley, the food is flambed at the guest's table. Room Service Trolley is used by waiters to carry meals to the guests’ rooms. Dessert Trolley is a trolley which helps to serve different desserts. It has a glass top, so guests can see all desserts. Hors d'oeuvre Trolley is used to serve different appetizers such as eggs, fish, meat, fruit and vegetables. Carving Trolley is used for carving joints of meat at a guest's table.

Linens are fabric goods, such as

- A tablecloth to cover the table,

- A slip cloth which is laid over the table to give it longer life

- A napkin or serviette used to wipe the mouth while eating

- A buffet cloth for a buffet table

- A trolley cloth and sideboard cloth

- A waiter’s cloth or service cloth which is used for carrying hot plates, final polishing of plates and so on

The best materials for linen are cotton and flax (linen). They are more durable and don't become shiny after ironing as synthetic do.

Дата добавления: 2015-11-14