Types of Food and Beverage Services Explained

Food and beverage services can be broadly defined as the process of preparing, presenting, and serving food and beverages to customers. The foodservice industry encompasses all activities, services, and business functions involved in preparing and serving food to people who eat outside the home. There are many different types of food and beverage service types or procedures, but the main category of food service is dish service, cart service, dish service, buffet service, and family style service. ServiceTable service types are one of the most common types of F&B services. In this type of service, guests enter the dining room and take a seat.

Here, guests enter the dining room, pick up their dishes and go to the buffet counters and serve themselves. Food is cooked next to the table, just like the French trolley service, but instead, the waiters place the food on plates and then move the plates to the side of the table. Guests serve themselves food and make their own dishes. The French trolley service and Russian service are two other types of F&B services. Both the butler and the Russian allow guests to select their own food from a plate, but the dishes are assembled in the kitchen to be butlers and next to the table for the Russians.

In this type of F&B service, partially cooked food from the kitchen is brought to the service area in a Guèridon cart. In a buffet service, guests can choose their food from a wider selection available on the buffet line. Waiters behind the counter help guests serve food from plate to plate. The waiter, using two large silver forks in his hand to serve, places the food on the guests' plates. More commonly known as seated service, a waiter takes care of everything from taking orders to serving food and payment. Guests order food and drink from the hotel's room phone, interactive TV, or mobile app. There are other types of mobile pantries where food is prepared in the main kitchen and then sent to the floor with a mobile mini pantry.

With all these different types of services available, finding the right one for your restaurant can create a more pleasant experience for your diners. The Department of Food and Beverage (F&B) is responsible for maintaining the high quality of food and service, cost of food, management of restaurants, bars, etc. All these services are provided by hotels, resorts, restaurants, fast-food establishments etc.

Claire Ence
Claire Ence

Avid coffee geek. Lifelong rock climbing maven. Hardcore foodie & travel junkie!