The
Food and beverage service sector
According to Cousins,
Foskett and Gillespie (2002:11), the food and beverage service industry is
divided into two sectors; the profit oriented sector and the cost provision
sector. In the profit oriented sector, marketing is aimed at meeting customers
demand, usually in competition with other organisations for profit. Although
the profit motivation does not appear in the cost provision sector, the need to
satisfy customers demand does not appear in the strains of a given budget. It
is generally recognized for instance that better fed workers, work better and
better satisfied patients recover more quickly. Lillicrap and Cousins (2010:3) define
these sectors as follows; the General market ( profit oriented) also known as
the non-captive, where customers have a full choice of what they want, and the
Restricted market (cost provision) which is divide into two parts being the
captive and the semi captive. The captive means that customers have no choice
like in the welfare, whereas the semi captive means that customers have a
choice before entering like the marines, airline, trains and some hotels. The
customers could have chosen alternatives to these but once chosen, have little
choice of food and drinks other than those on offer.
Davis, Stone and
Hockwood (1998:6) state that the food and beverage sector is made up of two
sectors being the commercial sector and the subsidized or welfare sector. The
commercial sector may be defined as operations in which profit is a primary
concern. Such outlets exist not only in private ownership, but also in the
publicly owned sectors of the economy. Their turnovers also make part of the
GDP. The subsidized or welfare are operations which making profit from catering
facility is not the outlet’s primary concern. Since the operations are either
completely or partially subsidized by a parent body, such establishment’s
primary obligation is the well being and care of their customers or patients.
Unlike customers frequenting commercial sectors, these customers often do not
have a choice of the catering facility. Some non commercial operations are
subsidized by the government that dictates allowance per head, or by parent
companies that may have similar arrangements. According to Foskett, Ceserani
and Kinton (2003:10-11), examples of commercial establishments are hotels, lodges,
pubs and clubs, inns and restaurant, whereas example of non commercial sectors
are institutional catering, prisons, hospitals, schools and armed forces.
References
Cousins, J. Foskett, D.
Gillespie, C. (2002). Food and Beverage
Management. 2nd edn. United Kingdom. British Library Cataloguing
in Publication.
Davis,
B. Hockwood, A. Stone, S. (1998). Food
and Beverage Management. 3rd edn. 225 Wildwood Avenue, England,
London. Buttlerworth-Heineman.
Foskett,
D. Ceserani, V & Kinton, R. (2003) The
Theory of Catering.Tottenham Court Road, London. British Library.
Lilicrap, D. Cousins,
J. (2010). Food and Beverage Service.
8th edn. 338 Euston Road, London. British Library Cataloguing in Publication.