Question

unit 7:1 DB Food

Food and beverage managers use various purchasing methods to control inventory, reduce waste, and build vendor relations. The way materials are processed through the operation, including receiving and storage is vitally important not only to the efficient and profitable operation of the eatery, but also for quality control and health reasons.

Topic 1: Receiving and Storage

Proper purchasing, receiving, and storage of food and beverage items is critical to a food and beverage department’s or eateries’ success. In this Discussion, you will apply what you learned in the Learning Activity and Reading to the following scenario and then respond to the questions.

Scenario: Your hotel restaurant is planning a big Thanksgiving dinner for 400 guests that includes many different types of pie all requiring whipped cream. As the Food and Beverage Manager, you inform your vendor 30 days in advance of the event that you will need 10 gallons of cream. Your vendor misunderstands and has 20 gallons in ten 2-gallon containers, delivered 5 days later to a new receiving clerk who stores nine (9) of the 2-gallon containers the cream immediately. The cook sees 1 of the 2-gallon containers on a preparation table about an hour later and proceeds to use a gallon of the cream in his gravy for that night’s meal. He leaves the remainder on the preparation table shouting to his sous chef’s assistant to put the cream away when he can. Two hours later, the assistant stores the remainder in the refrigerator. Note: The cream has an expiration date three and a half weeks from the sending date.

• What were the problems in this scenario?
• Who should be responsible to remedy this situation and how should they resolve this problem while still obtaining the required amount of cream?
• What changes should be instituted going forward?

Answer 1

Let us first note down the case facts:

Order quantity: 10 Gallons of cream

Supply Quantity: 20 Gallons in 10 containers each has a capacity of 2 Gallons.

Delivered 25 days before the required date. The expiry date left was only 3 and a half weeks from the date it was sent. It means by the time it is going to be used, it might already cross the expiry date if the order was sent on the date of order.

Problems in this situation were very evident as the order was given verbal, without considering the lead time.  The supplier was not aware when the product is going to be consumed and there is no clarity on minimum time left for expiry for sending any consignment. There is no provision of return for incorrect supplies. No rules were set up for proper storage and issue the required quantity. SOP for storing the products was missing.

The food and beverage manager should be responsible for correct ordering of the requirement creation of the SOP to handle the material when it goes for storage and usages. The receiving clerk and the cook both should follow the SOP designed for storage and issue of the inventory.

Going forward there should be a clear guideline and SOP for a vendor to follow the operating procedure for receiving the written orders and supplying the material. The SOP should be followed by the receiving clerk as to how to follow the FIFO method of inventory storing for food materials. The Cook should also follow the SOP to receive any material from storage.

A well designed SOP and proper training of staff to follow the SOP will help in avoidign such incidences.