There are many issues commonly encountered by a food and beverage manager, chef or other staff related to this segment of the hotel and catering business.
What and how many meals (food and drinks) do I need to prepare for guests / employees tomorrow? Do I have a price list of the food and drinks I offer? Do I have recipes (norms)?
What and how many raw materials / groceries do I have in stock? What and how many raw materials should I order?
From whom do I procure which raw materials and how much do they cost me?
What are the prices of raw materials on the market? Do I procure the same raw materials from the most favorable / cheapest supplier?
How do I evaluate and select suppliers? For what quantity and type of items will I work out an annual procurement plan and send tenders to suppliers? How much quantity and financial turnover and what margins do I achieve with each individual supplier and individual item?
How many and which meals did I serve to guests today or yesterday? How much do the issued quantities deviate from the planned ones?
How much do I earn or spend per day / guest / type of meal / individual meal / waiter / table / chair / m2 of space,… and is that acceptable / within the standard / within the plan?
Which meals and items bring me the most income? How to increase revenue? At what time do I have the biggest crowds / earnings / expenses? What costs can and must I reduce?
How many groceries do I need to have on inventory? Do I consume more or less raw materials compared to the recipe? Do I have a surplus or shortage of goods in stock and why?
Hoteliers and caterers whose guests are athletes or people on diets might be interested in information such as: how many calories does a particular dish have: calories, fat, protein and these or those vitamins?
For someone, it will be interesting to see what a meal on a plate will look like, that is, how it will be arranged.
Having accurate answers to such questions (along with questions related to people, space and equipment) is a prerequisite for successful business in this industry. It is almost impossible to get them quickly and accurately without the help of appropriate computer technology, that is, hardware and software for food and beverage management.
There are a number of IT solutions on the market for this business segment, but the question is how to weigh the needs, possibilities and desires and choose the right one (the best / optimal).
One of the ways is to ask myself all the questions and problems that I most often have at work, and that I want to solve.
Estimating the savings and earnings in time and money that such system can bring us annually, in relation to the costs of its initial purchase and use / maintenance, we will assess whether and when the investment will return to us.
Davor Brenko dipl. ing.
CEO of Istra information engineering, Pula
“Catering and tourism, 07-08 / 2006”