Evaluate the Foodservice Operation Essay

As time passes by, people were expecting also an improvement in the way cultural institutions would like to show what they got. If you have gone to a museum once, or other cultural institutions, you would probably go back some other time due to the liking in the place and its content. However, an expectation of seeking new experiences would probably be born onto you. Cultural institutions have been making many improvements and developments for the people visiting the place. Such improvements and developments are through exhibits, experiences, facilities, amenities, and many more. Together with the improvements is the food service. The fact that people are now becoming aware of the food trends which are probably seen in the television and the styles of serving and preparations of foods, the need for the improvement of the food service in this cultural institution is a must. Look at this; would anyone have much interest to go to the cafeteria in basement or in any place in the museum, having an old-fashioned theme, walking in a dark path? Someone might lose his/her appetite. Food service operations, such as having cafeterias, food courts and in any other form inside of the cultural institutions, enhance the satisfaction of the people who visits the place. In addition to that, it can also produce additional revenue for the institution and made the entire facility a place to go. Imagine, someone had to walk for a long time to see the cultural institutions have to show. Then the time he/she would be thinking of rest, he/she can then go to the cafeteria and have a rest while recharging his energy through eating. This is how Andy Zakrajsek explains how foodservice operations are important in such cultural institutions. He is the current director or retail businesses and the manager of the Brain Food Court together with the other operations regarding foodservice at the Museum of Science & Industry (Levin, 2006). Food Service Mission A place to rest and unwind The main mission of having a food service operation in a cultural institution is to give time for the people visiting their place a time to recharge, say after an 8-hour tiring strolling looking on what the place have to offer . A need for nourishment can be given by these food service facilities. Another thing is to give time for the visitors to sit beside their friends and families, while enjoying the beautiful scene of the place. Through this, visitors then have the opportunity to unwind and take some rest for the next hour/s going back to see more of the exhibits present on the place. To generate additional revenues Not only on the outside or special occasions are catering on the play. At the Museum of Science & Industry, there are also special events celebrated with which catering services held by the Brain Food Court under Andy Zakrajsek are on the roll. This catering on special events was considered to be one of the activities which generate a large amount of revenues. The museum and all other cultural institutions were designed to have a large area for special events and gathering such as large lobbies, atriums, amphitheaters, etc†¦ However, there is also a need for spacious places inside the cultural institutions; this is in addition to the accommodations needed for the gathering, but also the need for the foodservice preparations. Considering the costs of the foodservice preparations, having a place inside the cultural institution as the preparation area, will costs lesser than renting a place to takeover or a catering service outside, while earning greater profit. Must Adapt to Changes There are also called peak seasons and valley seasons on the museum. The number of visitors may vary from day-to-day or from season-to-season. For example, there can be thousands more of visitors which comes to visit the museum during summer, and by a hundred during winter (Johns, 2006). Due to this ‘seasons of change’, the foodservice must be adaptive to this kind of situation. The foodservice then must be flexible. Since there would be a large number to serve during warmer days, the foodservice operation must also consider the safety, but still must be in efficient manner. And in cold winter days, there must be an operation that shall consider the minimal staffing to lower the expenses. Andy Zakrajsek had thought of this problem and had also find solution to resolve this problem regarding the peaks and valleys. He said that having equipments and designs of the facilities which are flexible should be the best solution for a cafeteria and other foodservice facilities. The museum had undergone major renovations on their designs to adapt with the changes in numbers of guests that will arrive. Considering the case that occurs during cold winter days with which only a few numbers of guests arrives at the museum. The application of these flexible equipments and facilities can be seen; such as shutting down of some of the stations allocated for cooking. Doing this will lessen the costs for the amenities, and also to reduce some staffs. The need for an exceedingly flexible equipments and facilities is a must in order for the foodservice operations to handle the changes with regards to the numbers of crowds and the changing food trends. To Look Great while being Durable The food court and cafeterias are the one responsible for the foodservice operations. Together with other facilities and areas in the museum, the food court and cafeterias must also look really good as elaborated by Andy Zakrajsek. The museum’s food courts and cafeterias have been visited by a million and a half of visitors every year, many of them were kids. In addition to the foodservice operations, the manager of the foodservice operations had included in the food courts and cafeterias some carts, strollers and backpacks having buckles (Levin, 2006). This will make it easier for visitors to handle their kids, and for the place to be in control and in stillness. But these additional equipments must also be durable through time. There had been some changes together with the major renovations, on the floors and walls of the food courts and cafeterias. The food court and cafeteria’s floors were replaced by stain-proof and scratch-proof floorings while still having a nice design. As Andy Zakrajsek explained, they needed an industrial-level of surface materials while still giving an interesting look and designs. Educational Purpose One of the major purposes of the cultural institutions was to educate. Foodservice operations also included this purpose on their operations. There is a ledge purposely designed in front of the pizza and grill stations of the museum. This is made so that children can step onto it so that they can see and observe the cooks while working. The window protectors which divide the stations for cooking and the customer’s area were made of clear glasses which are in lower position relative to the customers view. This is an intended work so that the visitors can make a better look at the cooking and food preparation. Is it profitable? The manager of the Brain Food Court and the other foodservice operations of the Museum of Science & Industry, Andy Zakrajsek, had focused on two things. They made critical and complete evaluations on the foodservice operations. They had evaluated the department for the special events of the museum. The first thing they evaluated are the following; how it functions; how the food courts, cafeterias and foodservice operations connected to the museum and how will it serve the guests; and had also evaluated the quality of the management used and the staffs of the foodservice operation. The second thing they did is reviewing the catering program. The purpose of this is a way easy, the optimization of the income that the museum can earn. After the evaluations and reviews done, they made improvement and developments regarding the concerns stated above. The result is that the net income of the museum had increased up to 250% within five years (Greenbaum, 2004). What makes foodservice profitable is that it enhances the cultural institutions overall purpose, having cafeterias and food courts, catering and other special events and foodservices, make the increase in the number of visitors in the museum, this is the main supporting evidence how foodservice operations make the institution more profitable. As stated by the by Andy Zakrajsek, the catering on the special events held at the museum was considered one of the activities which generates a large amount of revenues. Conclusion The importance of the foodservice operations in cultural institution is extremely high. Thus, this implies that the planning about the foodservice operations must be included on the design process of every cultural institution. Summing it up, there is a critical role played by the foodservice operations in a cultural institution, and planning it up early and having it is one of the measures of success of the institution. Foodservice operations are responsible for the enhancements of the institution, which controls the increases the number of visitors, in which it brings huge revenues to the institution.