The F&B Industry
The F&B industry consists of businesses that prepare meals, snacks, and beverages primarily for immediate consumption by customers within or outside the building. The F&B industry began with simple needs: individuals wanted to drink or eat after leaving their homes. As public interests have evolved over time and as a result of globalization, the sector has made great strides to fulfill the variety of needs. Typically, the industry is split into commercial foodservice where F&B is the main business and non-commercial foodservice outlets where F&B is not the main business (Hill, 2010). In every country, the sector is a major driver of economic growth as it employs a significant portion of the population. Notably, most people prefer going out to a restaurant to spend time with their friends and families (Siguaw & Enz, 1999). Therefore, the main aim of the F&B sector is to satisfy all the needs of its customers. The paper will focus more on the important elements and emerging issues in the F&B sector.
Important Elements in the F&B Sector
Attributes of Service Attendants
There is always a high demand for good service attendants in the F&B sector, and the work is quite interesting as it draws on a wider range of human qualities and skills. An effective F&B service attendant is a manager of the people, competent team member, an entertainer, and a skilled salesperson (Ellis, 2011). All the jobs in the industry are very demanding and call for very skilled and effective people. The personnel is arguably the main asset of all F&B outlets. Notably, there are different types of F&B outlets from the very basic local outlets to the highly sophisticated outlets like international cocktail bars. Therefore, the level of skills required in every outlet is likely to vary, but all attendants in the industry must maintain a positive attitude towards their customers and some basic interpersonal skills. The basic qualities include effective communication with customers and colleagues, personal discipline, self-management, effective problem solving, good planning and organization skills (Pratten, 2003). All the above skills are necessary for ensuring that all the customer demands are fully met. Normally, the clients can be extremely demanding, and when not satisfied they are likely to go elsewhere. Most customers expect a warm welcome, prompt services, cleanliness, good quality and honest attendants. Also, customers expect to be served by neatly dressed and clean service providers. When customers are made feel that they had value for their money, the chances are high that they will come back again (Brown & Hepner, 2008). Type of Customers
Customers are categorized mainly into two major markets: visitors and residents (Davis, 2012). For the resident customers, having food or drinks is the main purpose of their visit. The resident customers are familiar with the menu of their favorite joint and frequent the place either individually or in groups. On the other hand, the visitor customers are normally new to an outlet and bring with them eating habits and the tastes of their home region (Davis, 2012). Due to the different customer markets, most outlets stick to one of the markets from day one. Notably, when a joint that specializes in the resident market decides to shift its focus to visitors market, questions regarding the authenticity of the local offerings are raised. Further, as most developed states continue to struggle with health-care issues like obesity, diabetes, and hypertension the F&D industry is keenly concerned and has been developing innovative menus that are health-conscious. There is also a new trend, where consumers are more mindful of the source and the distribution of their food, with most favoring sustainable and locally-produced ones (Huen, 2016). As a result, such trends are continuously shaping the F&D industry.
Profitability
Although various factors determine the profitability of an F&D outlet, personnel management, marketing techniques, cost control, business type and location are the most vital elements. The selection of an appropriate location for any restaurant is believed to be the most critical factor in determining its operational success (Davis, Lockwood, Pantelidis, & Alcott, 2013). Hence, before opening a store, it is crucial to determine the accessibility of a location, presence of the target market, proximity to other competing outlets, and both vehicle and foot traffic. Cost control is the other factor that greatly determines the profitability of an outlet. The operations primary costs like beverage costs, food, and labor and rent demand special attention (Payne, 2014). Also, the expenses like the depreciation of assets, advertising and utility costs also demand exceptional control. The control is necessary because the foods and beverages prepared are perishable, and thus a lot of skills are necessary for making the correct orders.
Handling the Emerging Issue and Trends
Just like any other economic sector in the contemporary world, the F&D industry has to deal with some of the emerging issues in addition to dealing with the changing consumer needs. The main emerging issues in the sector include government influence, advancing technology, health, and safety as well as the changing venues (Davis, 2012). The government influence mainly affects the sector through wages and income taxation rates. In regards to health standards, the industry is very sensitive, and investors must strictly follow the prevailing safety regulations (Davis, 2012). All the service attendants in the sector play a significant role in the advancement of health standards. In the globalization era, technology continues to play a major role in every sector, and the F&D is not exceptional. Technology has allowed customers to make their reservations online, use credit cards or apps to pay for services, locate the nearest outlet by the press of a button, and give their feedback through social media. Finally, there is the emerging issue of changing venues that are characterized by pop-up and street vendor restaurants. The street vendors operate nonmechanized carts or mobile food trucks and mainly serve hot food which can be consumed as one walks (Fortune, 2017). Further, the prevalence of social media use as a marketing tool has facilitated the emergence of pop-up restaurants which are likened to parties. The pop-up restaurants are characterized by the presence of local artists and a distinguished chef who prepares local dishes normally in an interesting location (Huen, 2016).
Conclusion
The F&B industry is a multifaceted and vibrant organ of the entire society. From the discussion above, it is evident that all the guests should be welcomed with utmost respect and served carefully to ensure all their needs are met. Notably, with the changing social fabric, the visitors, as well as the residents' market segments, have evolved tremendously. A key attribute of every prosperous F&B outlet is having the capability of responding aptly to the changing market needs while at the same time maintaining its profitability. Additionally, special focus should be on the service attendants as they play a great role in advancing the brand image of any F&B outlet. Therefore, as the biggest asset of any outlet, the attendants should be selected and trained carefully to ensure that they effectively work towards meeting the expectations of all the customers.
References
Brown, G., & Hepner, K. (2008). The waiter’s handbook. Frenchs Forest, N.S.W: Pearson Education Australia.
Davis, B. (2012). Food and beverage management. Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge.
Davis, B., Lockwood, A., Pantelidis, I., & Alcott, P. (2013). Food and Beverage Management. Florence: Taylor and Francis.
Ellis, G. (2011). The Australian bar attendant’s handbook. Frenchs Forest, N.S.W: Pearson Australia.
Fortune. (August 15, 2017). Facebook and Amazon Have Become Weapons in the Restaurant Arms Race. Retrieved from http://fortune.com/2017/08/15/facebook-amazon-restaurant-ordering-pay/
Hill, K. T. (2010). Career Opportunities in the Food and Beverage Industry. New York: Infobase Pub.
Huen, E. (November 30, 2016). 5 Top Food Trends You’ll See in 2017. Forbes. Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/sites/eustaciahuen/2016/11/30/5-food-trends-youll-see-in-2017/#64985a615fc1
Payne, K. D. (2014). Hotel F&B To Lease or Not to Lease? HVS Global Hospitality Report, 1-3.
Pratten, J. D. (2003). The importance of waiting staff in restaurant service. (British food journal, vol. 105, no. 11, pp. 823-834.) Emerald Group Publishing Ltd.
Siguaw, J. A., & Enz, C. A. (January 01, 1999). Best practices in food and beverage management:Reports of the death of hotel food service are highly exaggerated. Indeed, food service remains an essential part of many hotels’ operations. Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly, 40, 5.)
