Commercial Food service vs. Noncommercial Food service

Commercial Foodservice

The commercial segment makes up almost 80 percent of the restaurant and foodservice industry. Types of foodservice within this segment include restaurants, catering and banquets, retail, stadium, and airline and cruise ships:

Restaurants: There are many types of restaurants, including quick-service, fine-dining, casual, theme restaurants, buffets, and cafeterias.

Catering and banquets: In the catering and banquet segment, the menu is chosen by the host of an event for a specified number of people. Caterers may have their own facility or may also be located in another business, such as a hotel or a convention center, and provide foodservice to that business’s customers. They may also do off-site catering, which involves preparing food at one location and delivering it to the guest’s location.

Retail: Retail stores offer prepared meals that can be eaten in the store or taken home. These products can be found in supermarkets, convenience stores, and specialty shops selling limited items such as coffee, doughnuts, and candies. Vending is also included in retail. Vending machines are available to dispense various types of food, such as sodas, sandwiches, and candy.

Stadiums: The food offered at stadiums stretches from the peanuts in the stands to the fine dining in the luxury suites. Some stadiums have privately run foodservice operations. However, most use large-scale contractors to handle the business.

Airlines and cruise ships: In 2007, over 12 million passengers worldwide took cruises. Anyone who has ever taken a cruise knows that food is available 24/7 on the ship. Options range from casual dining and buffets to elegant dinners to room service. Food selection varies as well, from steak to vegetarian to children’s meals and pizza. Cruise ships may serve up to several thousand meals at each seating.

Airlines, especially on transatlantic flights, will offer meals, sometimes more than one, to help passengers adjust to time differences. These range from a simple beverage in short-haul economy class to a seven-course gourmet meal using real dishes and glassware in long-haul first class. If customers notify airlines of specific dietary needs in advance, many options are available, including low-fat, diabetic, vegetarian, or Kosher meals. In the United States, many airlines no longer offer meals for travel within the United States, although they allow travelers to bring food purchased at the airport onto the plane.

Noncommercial Foodservice

The noncommercial segment represents about 20 percent of the foodservice industry. This segment prepares and serves food in support of some other establishment’s main function or purpose. For example, the cafeteria at a local university supports the school’s goal of educating students by serving them meals so that they have the energy to participate in class and activities. Categories in this segment include schools and universities, the military, health care, business and industry, and clubs:

§  Schools and universities provide on-campus food services to students and staff.

§  Military bases and ships provide food services to military personnel. Food is also offered at clubs, such as an officer’s club.

§  Health-care facilities such as hospitals and long-term care facilities (including nursing homes and independent living centers for seniors, known as assisted living) offer foodservice.

§  Businesses and industries offer foodservice as a convenience to employers and benefit to employees in manufacturing or service industries. Examples include cafeterias, executive dining rooms, and vending machines.

§  Clubs and member-based facilities—golf, city, alumni, athletic—also offer foodservice as a convenience to their members and sometimes as a way to help provide the organization with additional funds.

Within the noncommercial segment, foodservice is typically handled in one of two ways. In contract feeding, contractors are businesses that operate foodservice for companies in the manufacturing or service industry. These contractors will manage and operate the employee dining facilities. Some manufacturing and service companies are self-operators, which mean they hire their own staff to operate foodservices.