Catering Establishment: Types & Functions

This can be classified into two categories, they are:

1. Commercial catering
2. Welfare catering or non-commercial catering

Commercial Catering

Their main goal is to make profit and get returns on the invested capital. They may be owned by government or individuals. Customers may patronize any as they are paying for the service rendered. Examples are

• Hotel and restaurants
• Caters for staff canteen
• Contract catering
• Quick service such as take away foods, Snack bars etc.
• Function catering
• Mobile catering
• Bukaterias
• Coffee shops

Welfare Catering

This is more of a non profit oriented which can be either free of charge or heavily subsided for staff or to cater for well being of the users. The aim here is to minimize cost and cover overhead while meeting the needs of those concerned. Here customers do not have a choice. Examples includes:

Transport Catering: provides food and beverages to the passengers before, during and after the journey such as passenger on board on aircraft, railway, ship and on the buses or private vehicles.

Hospital Catering: provides food and drinks to the patients on admission in the hospital. They provide appropriate nutritious meals for the hospital patients, visitors and members of the staff. The Hospital food are really cooked well to encourage patient to eat more to get well quickly.

School Meals Service: Serve meals to students in the schools. The schools can decide whether or not to operate paid meals service. Examples are students in boarding schools.

Prison Catering: This kind of catering service is setup to take care of prisoners and prison workers. These are non profit making catering service as they are not paid for by the inmates and at the same time, inmates are trained to cook so that they can seek employment upon release so as to enable them open their own catering outfit.

The Armed Forces Services: This entails the provision of foods and beverages to their serving staff or members in the barracks or in the field especially during get the war or peace keeping operations. Services are rendered at a reduced price or subsidized to motivate them.

Functions of Catering Craft Establishment

1. Provision of food, beverages and confectionery to the public.
2. Provision of healthy and conducive environment where meals are taken.
3. Provision of clean and hygienic cutleries for individuals away from home. It delivers food to customers at extra cost away from their location.
4. The provision of well arranged dinning table and good food service for people as they cater at events or parties.
5. Provision of balanced menu for individuals at work or away from home.
6. Provision of adequate washing up facilities
7. Provision of food that suit people with special needs outside their homes e.g. ulcer patients, diabetics, vegetarians etc.