Introduction of the food service industry

The food service industry engages itself in the provision of food and beverage, mainly to the people who are away from their homes for different reasons. Such people need accommodation with food and beverages if they are away for a short duration of time. The basic need of customers for food and beverages are met by the food service industry, which has been associated with lodging ever since people started traveling. People who move out of their houses for various reasons, such as job, education, business, leisure, medical treatment, sports, religion, and so on, depend completely on the food service industry for their meals.

Sector of food service industry

There are many types of food and beverage operations. They may vary in size, style, location, and the market they are catering to. From a wayside tea stall to an exclusive fine dining restaurant of a deluxe hotel, and from mid-day meal service for school children to meals for industrial workers, all come under the fold of the F&B sectors. It is necessary to classify all the F&B sectors for a better understanding of their operations.

The F&B sector can broadly be classified into following two groups according to the priority given to the provision of food and beverages.

*Primary catering sectors

*Secondary catering        

sector Primary catering sectors: The establishments under this category are primarily concerned only with the provision of food and beverages to customers. The examples are food service outlets of accommodation sectors, various types of restaurants and takeaways.

Secondary catering sectors: The establishments in which the provision of food and beverages is not the mainly activity but a secondary or support activity are called secondary catering sectors. The examples are institutional catering, transport catering, catering service in theatres, amusement parks, department stores, and industrial catering. The primary activity of these units is not the provision of food and beverages to the clients the activity for which it is set up. For example, in transport business, taking the  passengers  to the destination on time an d scheduling the trips will be the primary activity. Some trains have a pantry car while others do not. Short duration flights may not provide in-flight catering services.

The food service industry can also be divided into the following two groups according to the profit motive.

*Commercial 

*Welfare