1. Setting Up The Tangible Product
Food Product Flow
Setting Up The Tangible Product

2. Food Product Flow Overview
Foodservice operators have a plethora of choices when considering how they organize the product flow. There are four systems presented. Foodservice operators use a combination of these systems to manage labor, food cost, and food quality.
Goal
To identify the foodservice systems and understand their usage.

3. Objectives Define food service types
Understand the difference between these food service types
Understand the reason for preferring one over the others

4. Rational For Decisions
Food service operations choose to use one type over another for the following reasons.
Cost of labor
Availability of labor
Level of culinary skills of the labor force
Cost of space
Consistent food quality
Lack of equipment

5. Types of Foodservices Conventional/Traditional Ready Prepared
Commissary
Assembly/Serve

6. Conventional/ Traditional
Raw food products are purchased from supplier or manufactures
Raw foods are held at appropriate temperatures until prepared and cooked for consumption
Space is provided to hold raw foods
Labor must have a culinary skill set
Specialized cooking equipment is required
Advanced training required in foodsafety
Moderate food cost

7. Ready Prepared
Used when cost of labor is high or lacking culinary skills
Food items are purchase cooked and held frozen or chilled until heated
Cold storage capacity is high
Small requirements for diversity of cooking/heating equipment
Consistent product quality
Moderate/high food cost

8. Commissary Central production of food items
Appropriate for large network of distribution
Advance talent of culinary labor housed in a central location
Centralized control of quality
Centralized location of physical culinary plant
Expenditures are required for distribution of products to the field
Lowest food cost

9. Assembly/ Service Most basic of labor skill set
Minimum of storage capacity required
Minimum of cooking equipment required
Staff training is minimum
High level of consistency
Higher food cost

10. Summary
Foodservice operators have a plethora of choices when considering how they organize the product flow. Although four systems have been presented and are an option with little variability of idea, one is more likely to find that foodservice operators use a combination of these systems to manage labor, food cost, and food quality.