Friday, August 9, 2013

Restaurant Equipment

Restaurant Equipment

The operating equipments used in hotels / restaurants play an important role in attracting customers. The restaurant operating equipments includes furniture & fixtures, cutlery, Crockery, Glassware and linen all of which squarely reflects the standard and style of the restaurant.

Since all pieces of equipment contribute to the overall ambience, these should be carefully selected and it must always be remembered that the efficiency of the food service staff depends on the equipment available to carry out the work.
Crockery

China is a term used for crockery whether bone china (expensive and fine), earthenware (opaque and cheaper) or vitrified (metallized). Most catering crockery used nowadays tends to be vitrified earthenware, which is very durable and haven been strengthened. Chinaware is made of silica, soda ash, and china clay, glazed to give a fine finish. Chinaware is more resistant to heat than glassware and can be found in different colors and designs which are always coated with glaze. There are many classification of catering china they are:

·        Bone china: Bone china is porcelain made of clay mixed with bone ash. This is very fine, hard china that is very expensive. The decorations are to be found under the glaze only. The price of bone china puts it out of reach of the majority of everyday caterers, and only a few of the top class hotels and restaurants would use it. The range of design, pattern and color is very wide and there is something to suit all occasions and situations.
·        Porcelain Porcelain is a ceramic material made by heating selected and refined materials, which often includes clay of kaolinite clay, to high temperatures. The raw materials for porcelain, when mixed with water, form a plastic body that can be worked to a required shape before firing in a kiln at temperatures between 1200°C and 1400°C. The toughness, strength, and translucence of porcelain arise mainly from the formation of glass at high temperatures and the mineral malate within the fired body.
·        Earthenware Earthenware may sometimes be as thin as bone china and other porcelains, though it is not translucent and is more easily chipped. Earthenware is also less strong, less tough, and more porous than stoneware, but its low cost and easier working compensate for these deficiencies. Due to its higher porosity, earthenware must usually be glazed in order to be watertight.
·        Stoneware Stoneware is a hard pottery made from siliceous paste fired at high temperature to vitrify (make glassy) the body. Stoneware is heavier and more opaque than porcelain. The usual color of fired stoneware tends to be grayish, though there may be a wide range of colors, depending on the clay. It has been produced in China since ancient times and is the forerunner of Chinese porcelain.

Different types of crockery and their sizes

S.no
Name of Crockery
Size
Uses
Notes
1
Quarter Plate
6’’(15cm diameter
Used to keep bread, cheese or as an underliner
It is also known as B&B Plate (bread & butter, under plate, side Plate
2
Half Plate
8’’ (20 cm diameter)
Used to serve starters, pasta, dessert, fish etc
It is also known as dessert plate, fish plate
3
Full Plate
10’’ (25cm diameter)
Used to serve main course
It is also known as dinner plate, joint plate, meat plate.
4
Soup bowl
250ml
Used to serve soup, breakfast cereals

5
Soup cup
250ml
Used to serve thin soup
It is also known as consommé cup and has two handles.
6
Soup Plate
8’’ (20 cm diameter)
Used to serve both thick and thin soup
Half plate is used as an underliner. It is not in use nowadays.
7
Breakfast cup
240-300 ml (8-10 Fl oz)
Used to serve all Tea and coffee during breakfast

8
Tea Cup
200 ml (6 2/3Fl oz)
Used to serve tea during the day

9
Coffee cup
97-100 ml
Used to serve coffee after lunch or dinner
It is also known as demi-tasse.
Other china ware are
1
Salad cresent
2
Egg cup
3
Ashtray
4
Creamer
5
Coffee / tea pot
6
Sugar basin
7
Milk jug

Handling of Chinaware

Whatever quality of china or crockery is used, the most important thing to ensure is that it is washed, rinsed and dried correctly to ensure that no dirt, stains or streaks appear.

       1)     Chinaware has a high breakage rate and, therefore, needs careful handling.
       2)     They should be stored on shelves in piles or stakes of approximately two dozen each.              Any higher may result in their toppling down.
       3)   They should be stored at a convenient height for placing on, and removing from the                 shelves to avoid accidents.
       4)    Chinaware should be kept covered to prevent dust and germs settling on it.
       5)   Chipped and cracked items harbor germs and should, therefore, not be used and disposed of carefully.
Tableware

Tableware is a term used to denote flatware, cutlery and hollowware. It may be analyzed as follows:-
a) Flatware: - all forms of spoons and forks.
b) Cutlery – all knives and other cutting equipments.
c) Hollowware – any other item apart from flatware and cutlery eg: - teapots, milk creamers, entrée dishes etc.

These terms were used in olden days, nowadays Flatware and cutlery are commonly known as cutlery.

Majority of the food service area uses either silverplated or stainless steel equipments. One should keep the following points while purchasing tableaware:
        i.            Type of menu and service offered
     ii.            Maximum and average seating capacity
   iii.            Washing facility
   iv.            Cost factor


Different types of Tableware


S.no
Cutlery
Uses
Storage area
1
Soup spoon
Used for thick soup
Sideboard
2
Dessert spoon
Used for thin soup
Sideboard
3
Service gear (service spoon & fork)
Used to serve food from entre dish to plate
Sideboard
4
Tea spoon
Used with tea cup or with glass bowl
Sideboard
5
Coffee spoon
Used with demi-tasse cup
Sideboard
6
Side knife
Used for cutting bread, roll etc during soup
Sideboard
7
Fish knife and fish fork
Used for all fish dishes expect when fish is served as main course
Sideboard
8
Large knife and large fork
Used with main course
Sideboard
9
Dessert spoon and fork
Used for dessert course
Sideboard

Hollow-ware
1
Water jug
Used to serve water
Sideboard
2
Coffee pot
Used to serve coffee
Still room
3
Tea pot
Used to serve tea
Still room
4
Sugar bowl with tong
Used to hold sugar cubes or granulated sugar
Still room
5
Entrée dish
Used to serve food on the guest plate
Hot plate

Special equipments
1
Asparagus holder
Used to hold asparagus spear while eating
Pantry
2
Oyster fork


3
Caviar knife
Used with caviar, can be substituted with fish knife
Pantry
4
Oyster fork
Used to open oyster shells
Pantry
5
Grape scissor
Used to cut and hold bunch of grapes
Pantry
6
Corn on the cob holder
Used to hold cob by piercing it into the cob
Pantry
7
Nut cracker
Used to crack almonds, walnut etc
Pantry
8
Lobster cracker
Used to crack lobster claws
Pantry
9
Lobster pick
Used to pick lobster flesh
Pantry
10
Ramekin bowl
Used to serve soufflé, custard etc
Pantry
11
Sauce boat with sauce ladle
Used to serve accompanying sauces
Pantry
12
Snail dish
Used to hold snail ( round dish with two handles)
Pantry
13
Snail fork
A two prong fork used to pick flesh from shells
Pantry
14
Butter dish with butter knife
Used to serve butter cut in cubes
Pantry/ still room
15
Bread basket
Used for holding bread rolls or Indian breads
Still room
16
Cheese knife
Used to cut and pick cheese
Pantry
17
Cozy
Used to cover tea and coffee pot to retain heat
Pantry
18
Finger bowl
Used to present warm water with lemon slice over an underliner
Pantry
19
Straw holder
Used to hold straw for juices and aerated drinks
Sideboard
20
tooth pick holder
Used to hold tooth pick
Sideboard
21
Sundae spoon
Used with ice-cream/ shakes when served in a tall glass
Pantry
22
Ice-cream spoon
Used when ice-cream is served in a coupe
Pantry

Handling of Tableware

        i.            Storage of cutlery and flatware is very important. Each item has to be stored in the boxes or drawers lined with baize to prevent the items being scratched
     ii.            They should be stored in cupboard or room which can be locked.
   iii.            Cutlery and flatware may be stored in cutlery trollies.
Glassware
F&B service outlet uses variety of glasses for different types of drinks. It is the most delicate and expensive of all equipments hence should be treated accordingly. Glasses are made using glass and other substances which are heated at a very high temperature to form molten mass, which is either then blown or molded into different shapes.
Types of Glasses

S.no
Name of the Glass
Size
(1fl oz = 28.4 ml)
Uses
1
Cocktail glass
4-12 fl oz
Used for all kind of cocktails
2
Pony tumbler/ juice glass
4 fl oz
Used to serve all kind of juices
3
High ball glass
8-10 fl oz
Used to serve water
4
Beer mug
10-12 fl oz
Used to serve beer
5
Beer goblet
10-12 fl oz
Used to serve beer
6
Brandy balloon / snifter
8-10 fl oz
Used to serve brandy or liqueurs
7
Champagne (saucer/ flute/ tulip)
6-8 fl oz
Used to serve champagne or sparkling wine
8
Water goblet
8-10 fl oz
 Used to serve water
9
Pilsner
10-14 fl oz
Used to serve cocktail, juices and beer
10
Sherry capita
1.75fl oz
Used to serve sherry or other sweet wine
11
Old fashion glass
8 fl oz
Used mainly to serve whisky
12
Red wine glass
8-14 fl oz
Used to serve red wine
13
White wine glass
8-14 fl oz
Used to serve white wine
14
Tequila shot glass
1 fl oz
Used to serve tequila
15
Vodka shot glass
1 fl oz
 Used to serve vodka
16
Margarita
5-6 fl oz
 Used to serve cocktails


Furniture
Furniture must be chosen according to the need of the establishment. The type of operation will determine ones specific needs as far as the dinning arrangements are concerned.

Wood is the most commonly used material for dining room furniture although metal in form of aluminum and steel are also used. Marble is a popular material India for dinning table tops. Plastic or Formica coated tabletops may be found in many cafeterias, staff dining rooms etc.

When buying tables and chairs keep the following points in mind
        i.They should be easy to stack
      ii.They should match the décor of the restaurant
    iii.They should be fire proof, waterproof, and durable.
    iv.They should be within the budget of the establishments
      v.Keep in mind the style of service
Tables

Tables can come in three main shapes: - round, Rectangular, Square. An establishment may have a mixture of these or all of one shape depending on the shape of the room and the style of service being offered.
The tables can be for 2 pax, 4 pax, 8 pax and so on. When deciding on the number of tables required, one should consider- size & shape of the area, space for passage & sideboard, and table sizes.
The tables are usually covered with a baize cloth which is heat resistant. This covering will also deaden the sound of the cutlery, crockery and glassware when being kept on the table.

Sizes of tables

Square Table             For    2    pax – 76 cm sq or 30 Inches
                                    For   4    pax– 1mtr or 36 inches

Round                        For 4 pax – 1 meter or 36 inches in diameter
For 8 pax – 1.52 meters or 60 inches in diameter

Rectangular               For 4 pax – 30 x 48 inches or 4 ft 6” x 2ft 6”
Chairs
A chair come in various shapes and sizes, designs, materials and colours to suite all situations and occasions. Because of the wide range of styles, the chairs vary in height, width but as a guide, a chair seat is 18’' inches from the ground, the height from the ground to the top of the back of the seat 39’’ and the depth from the front edge of the seat to the back of the chair is 18 inches.

Sideboard

The side station is also called the dummy waiter or service console. This is a very important piece of furniture in a restaurant. It is used by the service staff for keeping all the service equipment at one place. It is also used as a landing table for the dishes picked up from the kitchen enroute to the table and the dirty dishes from the guest's table to the wash-up area. For the convenience of the service staff, the side station should be strategically located in a restaurant. One sideboard may be assigned to 6-8 tables or 30 covers. The side station should be kept clean and presentable as it can be seen by the guests.


Some of the points to be kept in mind while stacking a sideboard
1)     When the restaurant cleaning has been completed all equipment necessary for the service must be collected, cleaned, checked and set out.
2)     Sideboards being the central point for the waiters to work on, it must be kept spotlessly clean at all times.
3)     The stacking of the sideboards must be done with proper planning. One must ensure that sufficient covers for relaying a station i.e. extra linen, crockery, cutlery, glassware, ashtrays etc must be kept in a condition whereby they can be used immediately when required.
4)     Prior to mise-en-place cutleries, crockery’s, and glassware should be brought from the wash-up area to the sideboard. It is from this point that the waiter commences his mise-en-place.
5)     All the sauce bottles should be refilled & the bottle neck should be wiped before the start of the operations. The salvers should also be wiped and kept clean before and after the operations.

Linen
Restaurant linen is a expensive commodity is usually made of cotton. Table linen has to be changed every meal and often during a meal. Because of the high cost of laundering, a table cloth which is a little dirty would not be changed but a slip cloth would be placed over it for the succeeding service. Slip cloth is not as expensive to have re – laundered as would be a table cloth.

Linen should be stored on paper linned shelves, the correct sizes together and with the inverted folds facing outwards, which will facilitate counting and control. The type of linen used would depend on the class of the restaurant, the type of customers, the cost involved, the style of the menu and the service to be offered.

Types of linen

1)     Table cloths
            For 30’’ table—54in x 54 in
            For 36’’ table—72in x 72 in

2)     Slip Cloths ( used to cover slightly soiled table cloth)
            1m x 1m or 40in x 40 in

3)     Napkins or Serviettes
   18-20 inches

4)     Buffet cloths
            2m x4 m or 78in x 157in (this is the minimum size used; longer cloth is used for longer tables)

5)     Wiping Cloths/ waiters cloth