PRINCIPLES OF FOOD, BEVERAGE, AND LABOR COST CONTROLS

Control Techniques
THE CONTROL PROCESS � 47
The control techniques available to a manager include the following:
1 . Establishing standards
2 . E st abli sh i n g p ro c e du re s
3 . Tra inin g p er s on n e l
4 . Setting examples
5 . Observing and correcting employee actions
6 . Requiring records and reports
7 . D i s c i p lini n g emp loye e s
8 . Preparing and following budgets
Establishing Standards
Standards are defined as rules or measures established for making comparisons
and judgments. In business these standards are set by management and
are used for judging the extent to which results meet expectations. Several
types of standards are useful in establishing control over food and beverage
operations. It is important to develop a working understanding of these several
types of standards before proceeding.
Quality standards are used to define the degree of excellence of raw
materials, finished products, and, by extension, work. In one sense, establishing
quality standards is a grading process. Most food items are graded according
to degree of excellence (many of them by government: the Department of
Agriculture in the United States and similar agencies in other nations), and
management should establish a quality standard for each food item that is to
be purchased. Beef, for example, is generally available in different grades for
restaurant and institutional use, and it is important to determine which grade
will be used for the preparation of a particular menu item.
Beverage items also require quality standards. For example, some spirits
improve with age, and a 12 - year - old scotch whiskey is generally considered
to be of a higher quality than one that is only 8 years old. Management in
beverage operations must determine which beverage items are of appropriate
quality to ensure customer satisfaction.
Quality standards must also be determined for the workforce. In some
hotels and fine restaurants, higher degrees of skill are required for the production
and service of elaborate menu items. Lower levels of skill would
probably be acceptable in the average roadside diner.