 Socio – economic conditions

 Demographic shifts

 Changing food habits and desires of people

 Increasing number of single person

households
 Where the food is prepared in relation to where it
is served

 The time span between preparation and service

 The forms of foods purchased

 The methods of handling prepared foods

 The amount and kind of labor and equipment

required
A. Conventional
- menu items are prepared in a kitchen on
place where meals are served and are held a
short time, either hot or cold, until they are
served. It is used by small food service
operators

Advantages:
1. Quality is of primary importance.
2. Individuality of food service and better
quality standard could be achieved easily.
 3. Greater flexibility in making menu
changes could be employed as soon as
there is a good market buy or during off
season.
4. This system is highly economical.

Disadvantages:
1. It produces an uneven, stressful workday
because of the period demands.
2. The workloads vary according to available
ingredients making it difficult for workers
to master a recipe and achieve higher
productivity.
B. Comissary (Central Production Kitchen)
- is characterized by a large, central
production kitchen separate from service
units.
- is a result of technological innovations.
- employs people who are highly trained
in technological aspects of food production in
big quantities.
- is employ by airlines, chain restaurants
and large school districts.
C. Ready Prepared
foods are prepared in premises after which they are
chilled or frozen and stored for used at some later
time.
 is used primarily in hospitals and restaurant chains,
schools and colleges.

Two Ways of Handling Foods

 cook/chilled method – prepared foods are chilled
immediately and packed individually or in bulk which will
be portioned later. They are prepare in refrigerated
storage for a day or two until they are ready for used.

 cook/freezer method – a blast freezer or cryogenic

freezing system must be available to freeze foods
quickly to prevent food cell damage. Foods may be
individually packed or stored in bulk which require less
freezer storage space.
Advantages

 reduces the uneven and stressful workloads that may

be found in conventional systems.

 produces lower costs and requires only a few skilled

workers.

 workers are able to work more efficiently and

productively.

 management can also closely monitor the selection of

menus, the quantity and portion size.

 menus prepared and stored for future use are more

varied and they are readily available and delivered
upon order.
Disadvantages

 needs a large storage/freezer unit which is

space consuming and requires a high cost of
energy.

 the cook/ freeze method specifically needs a

blast freezer which is expensive to purchase and
operate.

 the foods require extensive modifications in the

recipe and ingredients to offset cell damage and
to ensure high quality products

 service units need microwave/ convection ovens

for a high quality delivery.
D. Assembly/Serve
- food production is not done on the
premises.
- fully prepared foods are purchased,
stored, assembled, heated and served.
- is used by hospitals and health care
institutions.

Advantages
 requires only a minimal investment for
equipment and the bulk of spending is for
gas, electricity and water.
 managers can exercise absolute portion
control and few or no waiters are needed.
Disadvantages

 offers only limited choices on desired menu

items especially those which are preferred
regionally.

 high cost of pre-prepared foods might not be

offset by the savings that could be derived
from labor

 meal proportions may not be sufficient to

provide for nutritional requirements.