1 An Introduction to the Catering Industry
1. Decide if these sentences about catering are true (T) or false (F).
a. Catering is providing people with food and drink. ( )
b. The term ‘catering’ is only used for social situations like parties. ( )
c. You find catering services only in hotels, restaurants or cafes. ( )
2. Read the text about catering and check your answers.
Catering is the provision of food and drink and it is divided into two basic sectors: commercials
businesses, where the main aim is to make profit, and non-commercial businesses (welfare),
where the main aim is to provide a non-profit-making social service.
Commercial catering is usually found in hotels, restaurants, pubs, bars, cafes or fast food outlets,
where you can eat in or take away the food and beveraages you buy. But commercial catering can
also be found in the transport industry in places such as railways stations, airports or motorway
service stations and on ships and trains, where the place you eat is called a buffet car and offers
self-services, or on aeroplanes, where on the other hand there is waiter service provided by the
cabin crew. In other words, whenever people travel any distance for work or pelasure, they are
able to eat and drink thanks to the catering service provided. Catering at private events, such as
social eventsor gathering and wedding receptions, or public events including rock concert or
football matches is also considered commercial.
Welfare catering ranges from providing food for workers at a subsidised pricein factory or office
block canteens, to catering in hospitals, schools or prisons, where people pay nothing or very little
for the service.
3. Read the text again and match these words with the pictures.
Canteen fast food outlet buffet car
Service station self-service waiter service
4. Complete the table with information from the text.
Type of catering Types of venues Type of service
Commercial catering (3) .........................
(4) .........................
(5) .........................
(6) .........................
(7) .........................
(8) ......................... Takeaway
(11) .........................
(1) ......................... Factory or office Self-service
block canteens (12) .........................
Hospitals
(9) .........................
(10) .......................
(2) ......................... Buffet car
Service station
5. Complete the sentences with the correct form of these words from the text.
bar beverages cafe eat in profit
provision reception takeaway subsidised
1. It’s really expensive to eat in at our local restaurant because you have to pay a service charge.
2. The wedding ........................ was held in a beautiful setting by the sea.
3. We’re metting in the ........................ tonight for cocktails at 7 p.m.
4. I love meeting my friends in a ........................ and chatting over a cup of coffee.
5. ‘We would like to inform passangers that we will shortly be passing through the first class
cabins of this train serving hot and cold snacks and ........................’
6. ‘Let’s get a ........................ tonight, I don’t feel like cooking’.
7. Companies that run to help others and not to make money are non-........................-making.
8. Nowadays a lot of children in the UK have free or ........................ school meals because their
families can’t pay for them.
9. When there are wars or natural disasters, organisation like the Red Cross are responsible for
the ........................ of emergency aid.
6. Listen to the following conversations. Decide where the people are and what the relarionship
between the people is (friends, colleagues, customer and waiter/waitress, customer and server,
cabin staff and passenger, etc.).
Venue Relationship
Conversation 1 Restaurant
Conversation 2 Customer and server
Conversation 3
Conversation 4
7. Read the conversation in a cafe between a waiter and a customer and complete it with the
expressions from the box. Then listen and check your answers.
Can you tell me could I have I’d like I’ll have
Just ready to order would you like still or sparkling
We have two options yes, of course
Waiter: Are you (1) ready to order?
Customer: Yes. (2) ........................ what today’s specials are, pelase?
Waiter: (3) ........................ , a vegetarian pasta bake and a warm
bacon and tomato salad.
Customer: Mmm! (4) ........................ the warm bacon and tomato salad,
please.
Waiter: (5) ........................ some bread with that?
Customer: (6) ........................ some garlic bread, please?
Waiter: (7) ........................ ! What would you like to drink with your
meal?
Customer: (8) ........................ water, please.
Waiter: (9) ........................ ?
Customer: (10) ........................ sparkling water, pelase.
8. Work in pairs. Role play similar cnversations in a fast food outlet and on an aeroplane. Use the
conversations in exercise 6 and 7 to help you.
Conversation 1
Student A : you are a fast food outlet server.
Student B : you are a customer.
Conversation 2
Student B : you are cabin staff on an aeroplane.
Student A : you are a passenger.
9. Read the text and answer the questions.
Businesses focusing on providing catering services are varied and multiple. Restaurant offer customers a range of food,
drink and service options. At the high end of the market there are a la carte restaurants, so-called because of the type
of menu which lists and prices all items individually and prepare dishes to order. Service is generally of a very high
standard with waiters/waitresses as well as specialist bar staff and wine waiters and the atmosphere is formal. Within this
category, gourmet restaurants are the most expensive, reflecting the high quality of food and beverages and the fact
they often have recommendations from important food critics and organisations, which are highly prized.
Table d’hote menu restaurants with fixed-priced menus, a set number of courses with choices within each course, are
a cheaper alternative. Items on the menu are ready at the same time, rather than made to order. This kind of restaurant is
often family-run with a more informal atmosphere.
Examples of specialist restaurants are steakhouses, seafood or vegetarian restaurants. There are also ethnic
restaurants providing food and drink from a particular country. The most widespread of these are Italian, Indian and
Chinese restaurants. Both ethnic and speciality restaurants can have either an a la carte, table d’hote or a combination of
both kinds of menus.
Nowdays, many restaurants are part of a regional, national of international chain, so menus, service, ambiance and
cost are unified and you know exactly what to expect. This is particulartly true of fast food outlets, many of which
specialise in a particular type of region of cuisine and prepare food which is served and eaten quickly. These can be
either be eat-in restaurtants, which are mostly self-service, or takeaway restaurants where you buy cooked food to eat
somewhere else, or sometimes both. Examples include pizzerias, kebab or fish and chip shops. In addition to restaurants,
cafe, coffee bars, bars and pubs also provide catering although the focus may be more on drinking than eating. Cafes
and coffee bars serve reasonably priced hot and cold drinks and light meals or snacks and are usually only open at night
but increasingly ther serving food and drinks during the day too. In pubs the food usually home-made and traditional,
whereas bars tend to offer a European-style menu of salads and sandwiches.
1. What do restaurants offer customers?
A range of food, drink and service options.
2. What is highly prized by gourmet retaurants?
3. What are the main differences between table d’hote and a la carte menus?
4. What kind of food can you eat at a specialist restaurant?
5. Which are the most popular ethnic restaurants?
6. Why do you know to expect in chain restaurants?
7. What is the main characteristic of fast food restaurants?
8. When are cafes and coffee shops usually open?
9. How does pub and bar food differ?
10. Complete this catering survey about the area you live in.
CATERING SURVEY
(please tick your answers)
What kind of restaurants are available in your area? a la carte gourmet table d’hote
specialist (pelase specify) ____________ ethnic (please specify) ___________
fast food outlets (please specify) ____________ other (please specify) ___________
Is the service good? Yes, usually. Not always. Sometimes. Not usually.
How much does an average meal cost? __________________________________________
Are they easy to reach using public transport? Yes, they are. Yes, some are. No, they aren’t.
Are there many cafes, bars and pubs available in your area? Yes, they are. No, they aren’t.
What is good about them?
cost atmosphere service food and drink Other (please specify) _________
What would be improved in them?
cost atmosphere service food and drink Other (please specify) _________
Where would you recommend having an eat-in meal in your area and why? ___________________________
Where would you recommend purchasing a takeaway meal in your area and why? ______________________
What catering services do you think are missing in your area? ______________________________________
11. Use the information in exercise 10 to write a short entry for an online guide about the catering
services available in your area. Include a general introduction and some specific
recommendations. You could give marks for cost, atmosphere, service and food and drink and
suggest the best dishes to try.
Catering in my area is very varied...
MY GLOSSARY
Chapter 2 : The Restaurant: Meet the Staff
1. Do you know who is who in the kitchen? Put these restaurant kitchen staff jobs in order from the
most senior to the most junior position.
chef de cuisine sous chef commis chef chef de partie
2. Who do you think the chef de cuisine reports to? Read the text about kitchen staff and check your
answer.
Kitchen staff teams depend on the type and size of a restaurant. The chef de cuisine, or head chef, manages
the kitchen, gives directions on dish preparation, takes decisions about portions and service to the public and
does the most difficult processes. The check materials, preparation times and methods, hygiene and correct
functioning of equipment. They plan staff tasks and hours. They are responsible for apprentices, planning
menus and buying raw materials. They supervise communication of orders and deliveries to the kitchen and
restaurant and report to the food and beverage manager.
Sous chef are usually part of larger kitchens. They support the chef de cuisine and substitute him/her when
absent. In particular, they supervise the use of raw materials, dishes and equipment; do some preparation and
take charge of preserving and storing foods. They also check maintenance and hygiene of equipment and
premises, as well as communication between the different kitchen sectors.
The chef de partie substitutes the sous chef in smaller restaurants. They are technicians, who prepare the
dishes, check the quality of raw materials and the maintenance and the hygiene of the equipment and premises
like the sous chefs. Beside that, they assign the tasks, coordinate their subordinates and manage orders and
deliveries from suppliers. The final task they share with the chef de cuisine when there is no sous chef, is
trying new dishes or different preparation techniques and new equipment if necessary.
Finally, there are commis chefs, who work at an operational level. They usually take care of meal
preparation, organise basic ingredients and carry out simple activitied during the preparation of dishes. They
must also check quality of products, quantity of food and correct functioning of equipment.
3. Match the photos with these activities from the text.
1 buying raw materials 3 planning menus
2 giving directions 4 preparing dishes
4. Read the text again. Complete the diagram with the additional tasks for each role. Starts from the
inside and work out!
______________ chef
Takes care of ______________ preparation
Organises basic ______________
Carries out ______________ activities
Checks ______________ and ______________ of food
Checks correct functioning of ______________
Chef de ______________
Checks ______________ and ______________ of equipment and premises
Assings ______________, coordinates ______________
Manages ______________ and ______________ from suppliers
Promotes new dishes and ______________
Promotes new ______________
______________ chef
______________ the chef de cuisine and substitutes him/her when ______________
Preserves and stores ______________
Checks ______________ between the different kitchen ______________
Chef de ______________
Manages the ______________
Gives ______________ on ______________ preparation
Takes ______________ about ______________ and service to the ______________
Does the most ______________ processes
Checks ______________, preparation ______________ and methods
Plans staff ______________ and ______________
Is responsible for ______________, planning ______________ and buying ______________ materials
Supervises ______________ of orders and ______________ to the ______________ and restaurant
5. Write a short job description. Remember to write what the responsibilities are and who the person
reports to, but do not write the job title so that your classmates have to guess which job you are
describing.
This person is responsible for..........
6. Read the text about front-of-house staff to take to the tables. When there is no
and decide if the sentences below are true sommelier, the bartender may be responsible
(T) or false (F). for restaurant’s wine stock.
The kitchen staff team plays a vital role in
ensuring that diners enjoy their food, but it is
the front-of-house team who interact directly
with customers and determine whether they
enjoy their culinary experience. To do this,
they need to be polite, friendly, helpful and
skilful.
In hotels od important restaurants there is
often a maitre d’hotel, responsible for
managing bookings, finding tables for 7. Complete the conversations below
cutomers, assigning serving areas to waiting between customers and different front-of-
staff and supervising their work as well as house staff with the expressions from the
dealing with any customer complaints. box. Then listen and check your answers.
The head waiter is second in command and
supervises service in a particular area of a Conversation 1
restaurant, but in smaller restaurants carries
Booked a table for two I’ll call you
out the tasks of the maitre d’hotel.
Madam what’s your name
The captain, also called the chef de rang, is
Would you like to have
usually responsible for running one area of the
restaurant and supervising the work of two or Hostess: Good evening (1) Madam.
three staff members. In particular the Good evening Sir.
communication between the kitchen and the Man and
front-of-house, allocating tasks and woman: Good evening.
monitoring service. Hostess: Have you (2) ____________ ?
Waiter/waitresses serve the customers during Man: Yes, we booked a table (3)
their meal by taking orders, setting the tables ____________ .
and bringing out food when it is ready. Hostess: (4) ____________, Sir?
In addition in larger restaurants there are Man: Mr Kilburn.
busboys and busgirls, who do basic tasks Hostess: (5) ________________ a drink at
such as clearing tables or bringing bread and the bar and (6) ______________
water to the tables. when your table is ready?
There are also some specialist role front-of- Man and
house. There is often a food and beverage woman: Thank you.
manager who is responsible for the overall
running of a restaurant: planning the menu Conversation 2
with the chef de cuisine; creating the right
atmosphere and ambiance; hiring staff; You’re welcome a glass of dry white
managing bookings; and meeting and greeting Some drinks take a seat I’ll have
customers. Bartender: Good evening. Would you like to
This last task can also be the responsibility of order (7) some drinks?
a host/hostess, who takes bookings, welcomes Woman: Yes, please. I’ll have (8)
customers to the restaurant and shows them to ____________ wine please.
their tables. Man: And (9) ____________ a pint of
The wine waiter or sommelier, usually aonly lager, please.
present in more formal restaurants, is Bartender: please (10) ____________ and I’ll
responsible for choosing wines, bring your drinks over.
recommending and serving them to customers. Man and
The bartender prepares drinks for customers woman: Thank you.
during their meals, giving them to the waiters Bartender: (11) ____________.
1 Kitchen staff, not front-of-house staff, determine whether customers enjoy their culinary
experience. F
2 Front-of-house staff must be friendly and polite. ___
3 The maitre d’hotel is responsible for dealing with customer complaints. ___
4 All restaurants have a maitre d’hotel and a head waiter. ___
5 The captain is the manager or the owner of the restaurant. ___
6 He/She supervises communication between the kitchen and front-of-house. ___
7 Waiters and waitresses do not take orders from customers. ___
8 Busboys and busgirls clear the tables and bring bread and water to the tables. ___
9 The rastaurant manager or the host/hostess can manage bookings and greet customers. ___
10 The bartender is never responsible for choosing wines for a restaurant.
Conversation 3 8. Work in pairs. Look at the information
below and role play similiar conversation
Meat dishes recommend the fish
in a restaurant. Use the conversations in
There is a very good we’d prefer
excerciesa 7 to help you.
Woman: what would you (12) Conversation 1
recommend? Student A: You are a host/hostess – there
Wine waiter: Well, if you’re having (13) are no free tables so ask the customer to
____________ I recommend a wait at the bar.
white wine like Sauvignon Student B: You are a customer – you
Blanc. booked a table for four at 8 p.m
Man: No, I think we’re both having
(14) ____________. Conversation 2
Wine waiter: In that case, (15) Student A: You are customer – you want
____________ Merlot or a a glass of mineral water.
Shiraz. Studen B: You are a bartender – ask if
Woman: (16) ____________ the Merlot the customer wants still or sparkling
please. water.
Conversation 4 Conversation 3
Student A: You are a customer – ask the
Here are the menus
wine waiter to recommend some wine.
To take your orders your table is ready
You want to eat fish.
Hostess: (17) Your table is ready. Student B: You are a wine waiter –
Would you like to follow me? recommend two red wines, then two white
Man and wines.
Woman: Thank you.
Hostess: (18) ____________. The Conversation 4
waiter will be here (19) Student A: you are a waiter/watress –
____________ as soon as you invite the customer to follow you to the
are ready table and ask if he/she is ready to order.
Student B: you are a customer – say you
want to wait for your friends to arrive.
