BANQUET WORKSHO

P

WHEEL OF BANQUETS

Banquet department as we know is

the major revenue producing department in a

hotel. 60% of the Food & Beverage revenue

comes from Banquet Operations. Banquet

Operations need to be very systematic, so as

to reduce the complaint level & hence

increase guest satisfaction.

Every staff in Banquets has to have a sense

of guest orientation. Each & every staff

should know the importance of pre-empting

or anticipating guest needs & giving them the

service before they even ask for it.

For a Banquet function to be a success, every

department of a hotel has to give its support

to the operations. The support can be in the

form of flower arrangements, fused bulbs,

food etc.

Banquet department just assembles all

these functions & presents it to the guests in

a dignified manner. Let us list all

departments which provide support

functions to banquets & how do they

provide?

Food & Beverage Production

As per the function prospectus received from the Banquet Office, the Kitchen prepares the food, keeping in mind the special instructions from the office & the guest.

The function prospectus has all the information regarding the function. Sample enclosed for reference.

Kitchen stewarding

This department is a part of the Kitchen, but comes directly under the control of the Food & Beverage Manager. The Kitchen Stewarding Manager receives a copy of the function prospectus & starts planning the functions. This department is responsible for giving all equipment like chauffing dishes, special crockery, special cutlery or glassware etc & anything not in the inventory of the Banquets.

In larger hotels, the Stewarding

department is supposed to even put in the

chairs & tables for the service staff.

They are also responsible for the washing

& wiping of the hollow ware & flatware.

They are responsible for keeping the

areas clean & filling up the fuel for the

chauffing dishes.

The month end reports are done by the

Stewarding department for service. For

example – breakage, inventories etc are

calculated by the Stewarding & submitted

to the Food & Beverage Manager.

Housekeeping

Besides the normal routine of giving the

staff clean & pressed uniforms, the linen room

gets a linen requisition for the next days

function. This has to be signed by the Banquet

Manager & the time for pick up specified. The

time is usually the same time as the rest of

the outlets pick up linen. After the function is

over the linen is counted & again given for

wash. This process continues.

All departments get a function sheet

everyday at about 1800 hrs. The function

sheet gives the basic details about the

function for example timing, the name of

the hall, the nature of the function, the

name of the function as in the function

board & the number of guests attending

the function.

This gives a guideline for the Housekeeping

to send staff for cleaning the hall

depending on the time the function gets

over & the time when the next function

starts. This also helps Housekeeping for

keeping staff ready for cleaning the toilets

during the functions.

Housekeeping is also responsible for flower arrangements in the hall. The Banquet Manager sends a requisition to the Housekeeper specifying the type of arrangement required for the function & the time required. Accordingly, the Housekeeper gets the flowers organized.

Housekeeper also organizes for special linen & special uniforms for special events after she receives a requisition from the Banquet Manager.

In case new linen is required or to be budgeted for, the Housekeeper along with the Food & Beverage Manager plans the colour scheme for napkins, uniforms, linens etc. this might be depending on the halls.

This department is also responsible for pest control in the hotel, the timing & the date is coordinated with the HOD & done.

Engineering

By looking at the sheet they know, where the function is & which hall needs to be checked for fused bulbs, lose electrical sockets, additional power supply or extension boxes etc. these are all provided by the Maintenance department.

The air conditioning requisition is sent by the Banquet Manager specifying the duration it has to be switched on & is accordingly done.

Audio/visual requirements are sent to the Maintenance from the Banquet Manager in a printed form, which will specify the nature of equipment required & the time required.

In case anything special is required like electrician, recording facility, disco lights etc is all coordinated by this department on the request of the Banquet Manager.

Maintenance is responsible for the upkeep of all equipment. The Engineer & Banquet Manager for all the equipment in use work out preventive maintenance schedule.

Front office

It is important for all Front Office staff to know what are the functions in the hotel, so that they can guide the guests to the respective halls.

Incase of important telephone calls for the guests the operator knows which hall is the guests attending the function & can put the call through.

Accounts & Food & Beverage Controls

After the function is over, the bills have to be sent to Accounts for collection & settlement. This is after the guests sign the bills. In case the guests are not in the credit list the letter from the person who has authorised the credit is attached & sent to Accounts for collection.

Controls play a very important part. The

function prospectus is sent along with the

bills to Accounts & the Kitchen FP also

reaches Controls, then the Controller starts

to match the bill & the FP just to tally if

everything has been charged or no. The

Controls & Accounts play a back role to

support Banquets or any other Food &

Beverage outlet.

Security

Security Manager should know about Banquet functions so that he can organise car parking facilities or valet parking in case of full Banqueting.

He can pre-empt in case of a problem & post security guards accordingly in consultation with the Banquet Manager.

General Manager’s Office & Sales Managers Office

The General Manager/Sales Manager

should know what functions are on for the

next day as he gets direct calls from clients

asking for bookings. All these calls cannot

be put to the Banquet Manager, but a few

important clients have to be handled

directly by the General Manager/Sales

Manager.

Plus the General Managers copy of

the function sheet has rates for each

function. This will let the General Manager

decide whether the rate for a particular

function needs to be re-looked into as the

company is a future prospective client &

may give more business.

DIFFERENT TYPES OF CONFERENCES & THEIR SETUPS

ROAD SHOW/EXHIBITION

This is basically a display of a particular

product. This maybe from the same company

– different types, for example range of Akai

TV’s or maybe different company TV’s

displaying their range of products. The set up

for all road shows or exhibitions will differ

from product to product.

In this sort of an event a hall hire is charged

to the concerned as guests keep coming &

going. Their will be an add in the

newspaper regarding the timing of the road

show & guests will choose a convenient

time to visit. The hotel might organise a

coffee tea service for all the guests who

come in.

For example –

1. An exhibition of sarees will require a

platform or a stage in each stall to display

the entire saree with lot of spotlights so that

the colour is not hidden. They will also

require tables behind to store the sarees.

One man per counter from the company as a

salesman displaying.

2. A computer road show will require stalls

as in cubicals with spotlights highlighting

the product & a display table with focus

light to display the catalogues of the

product. They would also require lot of

extension cords to operate the computers &

printers & a three phase power supply

available at all times.

In these sort of road shows no one speaks,

but each stall has a salesman who takes

care of getting the addresses of the guests

who are interested to buy the stuff. These

guests are approached at a later date by

the company for sales.

PRODUCT LAUNCH

This type of a function mainly is for

company who has just launched a new

product in the market. This will mainly

consist of a presentation regarding the

product to the dealers. May it be a medical

product, toothpaste or a computer or a new

toffee.

The presentation will be done by a single

person who knows the product well & is

confident of handling the questions which

may come up by the dealers.

The seating will necessarily be a theatre

style with a visual aid. After explaining the

product, the product is displayed for the

guests to see.

Spotlights will highlight the product. The

dealers can go see the product & take

samples & ask the company representatives

questions regarding the product. A cocktail

& dinner will follow this.

This is a very prestigious function for any

company. No compromises are generally

made on the quality of the hotel & the food.

Usually the best is chosen, as this is a time

for the company to create an image about

itself. Bigger the product, the bigger the

type of function & the greater the product

awareness in the market.

SEMINAR

These are basically lectures given

regarding a subject. After the researchers do

research on a particular subject, they

present the results & what they have found

during the research to the other people in

the same field.

For example, a seminar on ‘Cancer’ will

necessarily have doctors, journalist &

druggists attending it. Doctors & druggists

for sharing the knowledge & the journalist

for bringing it to the rest of the world.

This also involves a lot of visual aids & the

seating will be either theatre style or

classroom style. In this sort of a

conference, there will be a panel of guests

who will be pioneers in the subject & will sit

on a stage waiting to present their papers

regarding the subject. Each one of them

will present what their views are on the

same subject & then answer to the

questions asked by the audience.

PRESS MEET

This is done if a company is making its

shares public or a new company is being

launched, so that the press can be called &

the vital statistics of the company can be

discussed so that the company is projected

through newspapers to the public.

This is a very good way of advertising. To call

the press & let the press spread the word

around through newspapers to the other

residents of the country. This is a theatre

style of seating, but very small gathering.

This might involve a visual presentation to

the press & followed by question answer

session by the press directed to the board of

directors of the company.

POLITICAL PARLIAMENTARY DELEGATION

MEET

This happens when a parliamentary

delegation meets the top officials of a

Government concern or of a company. For

example – Parliamentary Delegation of

Railways will necessarily have the Railway

Minister of state & the other Cabinet Ministers

& the members working for the railway. They

usually meet for a tea meeting or a luncheon

meeting.

The seating is usually two I shapes facing

each other. One I shape for the ministers &

the other one for the railways. Each

member of the ministry will have a mike &

the proceedings will be recorded. It is a very

high profile function with name cards for

each member present in the I shape. The

hotel coordinates with organisers regarding

the names & the itinerary of the entire

function.

CONFERENCE/THEME DINNERS/ COCKTAIL PARTIESBanquet office

The Banquet Office takes down the

wrong dates at the time of blocking the

function. The kitchen is prepared with the

food, but since the dates are wrong the

next doesn’t turn up.

LIST OF ALL POSSIBLE GOOF UPS IN BANQUET FUNCTIONS

This surely a negligence on the part of the

Banquet Office. These mistakes can create

a revenue loss for the hotel, an increased

food cost & an embarrassment for the

guest & the hotel & of course the

disorganized way of running Banquet

Office Operations.

If the Banquet Office for some reasons

haven’t confirmed the function through a

confirmation letter & they haven’t received

any return confirmation letter from the

guest confirming the function.

Suppose if the number of persons attending

the function according to the office are 50,

but only 25 turn up, the guest can always

say that he never asked for a minimum

guarantee of 50 as there is no letter

confirming the same.

If for some reasons known to the hotel

staff only, the Banquet Office shifts the

function into another hall & doesn’t keep

the guests informed. Even though the

hotel does everything to communicate

the change in

venue to all the guests on arrival, but it is

very important for the hotel to keep the

guest informed about the change in venue.

If not done, will lead to embarrassment to

the host in front of his guests.

If the Banquet Office does not fill in

the function prospectus in detail & misses

out a few important points, the function

can go on the course of a failure. The

function prospectus is a very important

document for the Banquet Office to

prepare & for the operation to adhere to.

If the company is offered credit by

the Banquet Office without cross checking

the credit list & its name doesn’t feature

in the credit list of the hotel. This can

cause a very odd situation to arise for the

guest at the time of bill settlement. In

such cases, the person who has

authorised the credit has to give a letter

to the Credit Manager, thus offering the

credit facility.

The Office has to guide the guests to

perfection. They cannot afford to supply

wrong information to the guests in the

terms of size of the hall, seating capacity,

the quality of food. They should also be

able to plan menus & educate the guests

in case they have a problem in choosing

the menu.

Due to the slow follow up of the

Banquet Office, a particular function gets

confirmed very late. Due to shortage of

time, the kitchen & the operations might

not be in a position to give whatever has

been promised to the guests.

Due to the slackness of the Office,

the Office forgets to pass on the function

prospectus to the kitchen. Though it is in

the function list, the FP is ready in the

Office, but not sent in time for the Chef to

prepare food.

Banquet Operation

The Manager forgets to take a menu

briefing in the morning for the next days

functions & the Banquet Office has

missed out a few points in the function

prospectus to be cleared with the guests

which can lead to disaster in the function.

The staff comes in late as the result

when the guests walk in the hall is not

ready as per the specifications of the

guests. The frilling of the tables is just

being done & there is no proper supervisor

manning the hall. The guest always want a

supervisor in the hall to handle the

function. The banners are not pressed &

are not put up as specified, the water is

still not poured etc.

The hall is locked. This can be very

irritating for the guests as this shows that

the hotel is no where prepared for the

function.

The board in the lobby does not have

the name of the function. The operations

have forgotten to put up the name.

The name of the company is spelt

wrongly in the board which can be very

irritating & can put off the guest.

The audio/visual aids are not checked

properly by the Manager/Supervisor & when

the guest comes in they don’t work as the

quality is bad or the extension cord is

missing or the equipment is not what the

guest had asked for. This leads to a delay in

starting the conference.

The Supervisor does not meet the

guest on arrival due to some reasons.

Therefore he does not check the itinerary

of the function, the tea time, lunch time

etc. Suddenly the conference breaks off

asking for tea & there is an obvious delay

as the service staff & the kitchen staff is

not ready for the service. This again goes

on to irritate the guest.

Chef changes the menu on his own

without consulting with the Manager or

the Banquet Office.

The food is not ready in time & the

quality of food is not good. The Chef

needs to check the quality of food

personally while the food is being picked

up. Every dish needs to be tasted for

quality & presented well.

THEME DINNERS

Beside the above factors, in case the

theme offered during the time of booking for

which the guest pays an extra amount is not

as specified during the time of booking. The

Banquet operation should know what has

been promised to the guest & the office

should have a fair idea about the theme.

In large hotels, it has been noticed that

the Banquet Manager usually handles

theme dinner bookings.

Another possible goof which could

happen is that the entertainers have been

told a different time & the function

started.

BEFORE THE FUNCTION STARTS

KITCHEN

A few ingredients are not available & the dish needs to be changed.

The chef hasn’t received the FP.

LIST OF ALL POSSIBLE PROBLEMS THAT WOULD OCCUR IN AN

INTERDEPARTMENTAL AFFAIR

HOUSEKEEPING

The flowers don’t come in time.

The hall is not cleaned & the toilets are not opened in time.

MAINTENANCE

The audio visuals are not working properly.

The hall is leaking very badly due to the excessive rains in the city.

The air conditioning plant has blown off.

The extension cords are not in proper

order or are not enough in number.

The power supply is not coming in the

hall.

The dimmers are not working.

FRONT OFFICE

Front office has not been informed

about the change of venue for the

conference. All the guests are diverted into

another hall where another conference is

scheduled to start.

The guest tells Front Office the change

in the signboard matter which is not

communicated to the Banquet Captain.

The guest asks the bellboy to take

the stationery up to the hall & he takes it

to some other hall.

The guest has handed over the

banner to Front Office who has not handed

it over to the Banquets.

DURING THE FUNCTIONKITCHEN

The food is not ready in time. The change in time has not been communicated to the Chef by the Banquet staff.

The food runs short & a particular dish has to be replaced with another.

Delay in picking up the food from the counter.

The guest asked for an egg less cake, but Chef has forgotten to pass on this information to the bakery staff.

HOUSEKEEPING

The napkins for the function are not ready in time.

There is a guest who has vomited in the toilet. The Housekeeping hasn’t send anyone to clean the same after getting repeated reminders.

The toilets are not cleaned after every session of service.

MAINTENANCE

The temperature is too cold in the hall & there is no regulator to control the temperature.

The power supply suddenly goes off.

The electrician responsible for recording is suddenly missing.

The mikes make a cooing sound.

Renovation sounds coming from outside the hall, thus disturbing the function.

AFTER THE FUNCTION

KITCHEN

Banquet Office has sent an

amendment form for the reduction of the

number of persons for the function. The

Chef hasn’t received it. Hence the food has

been prepared for the original amount.

Thus leading to wastage & increase in food

cost.

After the function, the guest

comments that the food was not up to the

mark. The food fell short, one dish was

changed.

The food is not cleared in time & the

waiters are eating food from the buffet.

HOUSEKEEPING

The napkins are just thrown without making bundles of 10.

The tablecloth has been bundled with all the food particles & has been stained very badly.

The tablecloth is burnt due to the solid fuel falling on it.

The frills are sent for wash as they were dirty but with pins in it.

MAINTENANCE

The Banquet staff forgets to inform the Maintenance that the function is over & the air conditioning has to be switched off. Or it is informed, but the Maintenance staff don’t switch off.

The mikes & the visual aids are not cleared in time.

Maintenance staff eating the food remains after the function is over from the buffet. The Manager catches them & raises a bill.

SECURITY

One of the guests is high on liquor and is misbehaving in the lobby. He is taken into the custody of the Security Officer.

There is a theft in the hall & the guest, bring it to the notice of the Duty Manager before leaving.

Staff is consuming liquor after the function. The liquor has been given by the guest, but the staff are not supposed to consume it in the hotel premises.

PLANNING FOR A 250 COVER OUTDOOR DINNER

Planning for the function starts 4-5 days in advance. The outdoor site needs to be visited by the Manager & the Captain who will be handling the function.

In the site the Manager & the Captain discuss with the guests where the food counters are going to be put & how many numbers.

The complete itinerary of the function is written down after consulting with the guest. The menu is discussed again in detail & any changes are incorporated & informed to Chef through an amendment form.

The guest is asked important questions like – the entrance & exit gate so that the kitchen etc can be planned out, the water points for the kitchen to be setup & the wash up to be set up.

The seating is discussed with the guest, the position of the bar counter (if cocktails are there) is discussed. The complete plan is finalised.

Now the Hotel planning starts. The Manager & the Captain decide exactly on a paper where the bar, buffet counters are to be placed. Where the kitchen is to be placed, where is the stewarding area (preferably near the water inlet) so that washing is not a problem.

Ideally the Captain who accompanies

for the seeing the site takes care of the

function with his team of stewards.

The mise-en-place has to reach the

outdoor site a day in advance.

All orderings are done where necessary.

If lights are required, if tables are required,

chairs, canopies for the buffet counter & the

bar counter, music organised etc.

All contractors are given the outdoor

address & are told to report directly at the

site at a particular time.

Checklist for the work to be done on the

previous day

Crockery list to be kept ready. Washed,

wiped & stacked in plastic tub & ready to be

picked up.

Cutlery to be wiped & stacked in tubs.

Glassware to be wiped & stacked in glass

rack with the list accompanying it so that

there is no confusion at the time of pickup.

The required tables & chairs if not

ordered from the contractor to be kept

ready & stacked in the van for

transportation.

The FP is checked & stewarding is

informed to get the ranges, cylinders for

the kitchen ready in consultation with the

Chef.

The flowers are ordered through

Housekeeping for the next day pickup.

The linen is picked up. That is dinner

napkins, cocktail napkins, tablecloth & frills.

Saunf & supari tray with tooth pick stand.Salvers & salver matsWater jugsChef cards & standsLime cordial/sugar syrup & lime slice in the list but to be picked up the next day & bar mise-en-place.Snack plattersCocktail sticks for snack servicePaper napkinsBuffet laddles & under liners

A list is made for the other equipment which are important: -

Vegetarian & non-vegetarian boardsKatories if requiredPickle trayCruet setSalad elevationsBoard pins for frillingWine opener & bottle openerTin openerSalt pepper for the cocktailsCanned juicesBanquet challan copy with carbon.

All the above mise-en-place is kept ready, the items which cannot be picked up this day can be picked up the next day. This means that the outdoor checklist needs to be kept handy till the outdoor is not over.

The items are loaded & the van leaves for the setup along with the Captain & the staff designated by the Manager to handle the function.

On reaching the site, the Captain

meets the guest & starts to set up the

physicals or whatever work can be done on

that day.

Comes back to the hotel to brief the

Manager. In an outdoor the planning is

very important part. Every staff should be

clear what his job is & the goal of the

entire team has to be the same.

On the day of the outdoor

The checklist is again checked & the

items which were missed out are picked up

& the staff leave for the site.

The setup starts in the site. Every

action which is done should have a

deadline for the Captain set by himself. He

should allocate four boys for the buffet set

up.

Two boys for the bar set up, two boys for

the chairs, snack counter & the back area

set up. This covers the entire set up. The

Manager comes once during the day to

check on the site & the progress in the

work. He comes to meet the guest so that

the guests gets a sense of satisfaction to

know that the Manager himself is taking

care of the function & nothing can go

wrong.

The Captain calls & tells the Chef, the

timing for the food pick up. The Chef

prepares the food & organises with the

help of the stewarding & the Manager to

bring it down to the outdoor pickup area.

The service staff waits for the food to

arrive & as soon as it does arrive, help the

production staff to set up the kitchen.

The stewarding sets up the washing

area & then a briefing is taken by the

Manager & the Captain to tell everyone

the flow of service.

After the briefing the guest is met by

the Manager & the Chef just to tell them

that the hotel is ready for service.

During the briefing, the Manager

allocates the staff on bar counter, bar

service, buffet pick up etc. every staff is

clear on what jobs are to be performed by

him & act accordingly.

The guests start coming in & the

service starts. The liquor flows, the snack

start. Special attention is given to the host

& his important guests. The Manager marks

all of them with a waiter to see that they

are happy.

When the party is in full swing, the Manager checks with the host regarding the timing of the dinner & accordingly, Chef is kept informed.

Chef starts the buffet pick up along with the banquet staff, once the buffet is ready, it is informed to the host. The communication with the host is very important. From time to time, the Manager must keep talking to the host to see if anything is required & in case the party is going in the wrong direction.

Once the buffet is ready, the Manager checks the buffet & the service starts. The Manager/Captain allocates boys for clearance & water & replenishment. Once everything is over the bar extras are charged to the bill & the challan is raised which the host signs & writes his feedback regarding the quality of Food & Beverage.

All the guests leave, the host signs the bills & also leaves.

Now the Captain & the Manager takes a deep briefing to tell the staff about the guest comments & to discuss how the operations can be improved. The staff is allocated duties again for clearance & the clearance procedure starts.

Three boys are put on bar clearance, three on food & the rest help Chef to get the food loaded in the van with their equipment. Chef leaves with the left over food & the van is returned back for the rest of the clearance.

All the rest of the service equipment are loaded in the van & the Captain goes in for the final check of the place to see if anything has been left out. The stewarding finishes off the washing & the crockery, cutlery is stacked back in tubs. The contractors clear off their stuff in the night itself.

On return from the site, the Captain makes the challan into the bill & submits to the night auditor. Writes the feedback in the register for the Food & Beverage Manager to see in the morning.

POSSIBLE DIFFERENT COMPLAINTS WHICH CAN ARISE FROM FOOD

PRODUCTION & SERVICE

SERVICE

The staff is not very helpful or cordial.

They do not have a helping attitude. They

are not guest oriented.

The body language of the staff is

negative. They are not open to suggestions

or ideas.

The staff doesn’t maintain a sense of

hygiene while serving. They have black

nails, body odour, ill fitted & unpressed

uniforms, wear too much of jewellery, wear

too strong perfumes etc.

The sense of understanding the guest is

lacking. They do not anticipate guest needs,

everything has to be asked for.

No care for the guest.

Don’t listen attentively, but just react & do the wrong thing.

Listen & don’t react at all. Or take too much of time to react.

Never in the hall when required to help out the guest either in re arranging or organising a requirement.

Delay in replenishment of food & in tea/coffee service, water etc & the food served was not hot.

Delay in doing any kind of errands for the guest, which suggests that the commitment towards the guest is lacking.

Changing the venue of the function without informing the guest.

Communication gap between the office & the operations for transporting the details of the function. All details not written properly & lots missed out.

Bad equipment & bad food quality not liked by guests. Stained tablecloth, torn napkins, wobbly tables, stained chairs, poor hall décor & maintenance etc.

Too much of noise from outside the hall. The staff laughing & joking with each other & their voices carrying inside the hall can cause a lot of disturbance to the conference.

PRODUCTION

The Chef has not tasted or was not there when the pickup of the food was done for the function & hence the quality of food s not up to the mark.

The chef has changed a particular dish at his own discretion without consulting with either the banquet office or the manager if it can be changed. Hence leading to another dish being served which was not asked for.

If proper instructions are not followed

in the FP for example – the food to be less

spicy or oily or food should be without

onion & garlic etc.

Hair in the food, or a glass piece in the

food etc.

The food fell short & the dish had to be

replaced with another one. This can only

happen if the chef hasn’t planned properly

for the number of pax expected.

The food is not hot enough. This

complaint goes to the chef too as he is

responsible for the temperature in which it

is served to the guest. He has to check

once in a while if the fuel is burning & if the

food is at right temperature.