Definition: restauration

More and more of us are working (with the arrival of women).

We live quite far from our workplaces (outside urban areas).

The weekly working hours have been reduced.

We value our leisure time.

We travel more easily (diversity and proximity of means of transport).

We are eating more and more meals away from home (an average of 2.9 lunches or dinners per week).

We eat more quickly (in 1975, consumers spent 1 hour and 22 minutes at the table; in 1998, 38 minutes).

With new forms of dining:

This evolution has profoundly changed the French hotel landscape in order to better meet new consumer expectations. But what are the expectations of today's consumers?

In France, with 4.8 million meals served daily in commercial catering, it is possible to categorise our eating habits according to three main types of meal:

The nutritional meal

Consumers are primarily looking to satisfy their physiological needs, so they eat a quick meal between noon and 1 p.m., sometimes even less. This type of meal accounts for 59% of meals served in commercial catering.

The business meal

This type of meal now accounts for only 1% of meals served in commercial catering establishments. It mainly takes place in the most prestigious establishments.

Leisure meals

This accounts for 40% of meals served in commercial catering establishments. These are meals taken during private outings, with friends or family.

These new consumption habits have given rise to new offerings.

The different types of catering

Traditional catering

This sector includes a wide variety of establishments and consists mainly of small, independent businesses. This is the type of establishment where every business owner can give free rein to their creativity and imagination. They are the heirs to the French gastronomic tradition.

Brasseries

A cross between a café and a restaurant, brasseries are characterised by simple but distinctive cuisine, accompanied by beer or wine served by the glass. Traditional service is fast, at any time of the day or evening.

Classic restaurants

These are independent restaurants catering to an extremely varied clientele. The type of service is also varied. Most often, plated service is offered, but some establishments prepare certain dishes at the table.

Hotel restaurants

These are restaurants located within hotels, providing an additional service for guests. Service is often à la carte or buffet style, and these restaurants often offer "grill" options. The grill option consists of a simple menu where fish and meat are grilled in front of customers.

Guesthouses

This type of service is mainly used by regular customers. Service is often French or English style. The family concept is particularly emphasised.

Tourist restaurants

Just as there are tourist hotels with a star rating system, there are also tourist restaurants. This classification was launched in 1949 and the 1963 decree provided for a star rating system, but it was little known to the public and, above all, unsuited to the needs of consumers, who had evolved and were looking for better information about restaurants.However, a recent text from 1999 sets out the conditions for classifying restaurants in the Tourist Restaurant category. It is hoped that it will be as successful as the hotel classification system.

With regard to service in this type of establishment and the qualifications of waiting staff: the waiting staff must consist of at least one person who either holds a professional certificate in restaurant service or an equivalent approved qualification in this field of competence, or who has two years' professional experience in this field of competence.Foreign employees, whether or not they are nationals of the European Economic Area, must provide proof of an equivalent qualification or professional experience acquired under equivalent conditions. Service in tourist restaurants must therefore be provided by genuine professionals.

Themed catering:

Based on a product

This involves offering catering based around a particular type of product. For example, there is a restaurant in Paris that specialises in vegetables. Crêperies offer a menu based around different types of crêpes. Le Paradis du Fruit offers a menu where fruit is served in all kinds of forms (juices, sorbets, salads, etc.). The type of service used in these establishments varies considerably, but it is essentially plate service. Wine bars, which sell wine by the glass and offer a small menu, can be classified in this category of establishments.

Around a country

This type of restaurant offers a menu of dishes and wines from a particular country. Generally, the setting is also adapted to suit. The service is often quite simple, but above all it is adapted to the customs of the chosen country: Chinese, Lebanese, Japanese, Moroccan, etc.

Around a lifestyle

Here, it is not a question of choosing a country or a product, but rather a way of eating: vegetarian or health food restaurants. The type of service used in this type of establishment is mainly à la carte and buffet style.

Community catering

Catering for large groups is subject to specific constraints: feeding a large number of people at an extremely low price. As the success of this activity relies largely on the principle of economies of scale, this sector is dominated by very large specialised companies such as SODEXHO.

Corporate catering

This refers to a restaurant made available to company employees. The service may be provided by an in-house team or outsourced to a specialised company that will provide a cold or hot meal service. The type of service used is generally linear distribution.

School catering

We have all been (or still are) students who have eaten lunch at least once in a school canteen. Most often, meals are distributed from a buffet or served at the table.

Hospital catering

Hospital catering has its own specific constraints: the ability to adapt each person's meal tray to their medical condition. This results in distribution and preparation that requires a lot of manpower. The service is generally provided by hospital staff and is done room by room with meal trays.

Prison and military catering

Meals are often prepared in-house and distributed in a linear fashion. There has been a noticeable improvement in quality in recent years in this type of establishment.

Fast food

Fast food is the sector that has experienced the strongest growth over the last twenty years. Indeed, it is this concept that partly meets the needs of modern city dwellers (who are in a hurry and far from home).

Fast food

Now an everyday fixture, fast food offers a solution for eating in or taking away at any time of day. It has won over a French clientele that was previously overlooked: couples with children and teenagers. The rather cold and impersonal decor of the early days has been transformed everywhere into subtle wood-panelled lofts, full of plants and flowers. Salad sets appeal to single women, hamburgers to teenagers, and small portions of breaded fish and chicken to children. Everyone can enjoy a hot pie or creamy American ice cream. The choice is fairly limited and very standardised. The drive-through is a takeaway service for motorists. The staff generally have no specific training in the hospitality industry and their paid working hours are set by the time clock. Management staff are trained in-house and are mostly promoted from within.

The motorway service station

This is a fast and simplified catering option located on the side of motorways. The service is often in the form of a self-service line or free-flow. In Switzerland, motorway restaurants do not serve alcoholic beverages.

The cafeteria

Long established in France (by the Casino group), the cafeteria concept consists of a self-service system that can take various forms: carousel, free-flow, scramble, linear. Customers put together a tray of their choice, which is charged for before being consumed in the dining area. The dining room staff are limited to clearing away used trays.

The snack bar

This type of service is often associated with drinking establishments. Snack bars offer a simple menu (hot dogs and various sandwiches) at any time of day, with service at tables or at the counter.

The crêperie

Imported from Brittany, it naturally offers crêpes and galettes, washed down with cider.

The pizzeria

The main theme of the menu is, of course, pizza, prepared in front of the customer. The setting is both cheerful and exotic.

The grill

It offers a limited menu, focusing on grilled meats prepared, once again, in front of the customer. So far, the decor is rustic in style. Courte-Paille and Hippopotamus are the pioneers and exemplary successes of this type of restaurant.

The snack bar

This is a table service option, with a synthetic set replacing the tablecloth. The simplified menu offers a few daily specials: hot dogs, croque-monsieur and grilled meats prepared in front of the customer.

The sandwich shop

The big French hit in fast food (3 sandwiches consumed for every 1 hamburger sold), this formula may seem mundane, yet it has diversified with "high-end" sandwiches, specialised sandwich shops, and "Brioche Dorée" concepts where freshness and variety are emphasised. Service is generally takeaway.

The food court

A restaurant concept that does not seem to be very successful in France. It consists of a group of small themed food islands where customers pay independently of each other and then eat their meals in a large communal dining room. Each island owner pays a share of the restaurant room rental.

Automatic catering

This is a vending machine that dispenses the product to the customer after coins are inserted. In recent years, we have seen the emergence of a multitude of vending machines, some of which are a little "unusual", such as this "mussels and chips" vending machine, developed by a Belgian company.

Catering

Traditional catering service

Traditional catering involves organising and serving a complete service for a predetermined number of participants in various locations. Many restaurateurs have launched into this type of activity, as it meets a consistently high demand from customers. The service is often English-style and buffet-style, but plated service is increasingly common.

Home delivery service

This type of catering is currently growing in popularity as our increasingly active lifestyles encourage us to use this type of service. The pioneers of this distribution method were pizzerias, followed by certain restaurants that began offering delivery and service of complete gourmet meals. Specialised companies have even entered this sector. In the USA, the trend is to hire kitchen and dining room staff (preferably French) to come to your home and organise a complete evening. The service is generally plated, but this type of clientele appreciates carving and flambéing in the dining room.

Home chef

A travelling chef hires out his services and prepares authentic home-cooked meals in his clients' kitchens. He takes care of the shopping, decoration, preparation, cooking and presentation, and even, if he has an assistant, the table service. The fee is calculated according to the menu.

Catering in transport

Airline catering

For this type of catering, trays are prepared and loaded onto the aircraft to be served during the flight. Servair is the largest French company specialising in this sector. The service is provided by flight attendants (stewardesses and stewards) who have undergone internal training.

Rail catering

Rail catering has long been criticised for its poor quality (and the SNCF sandwich has now become a popular expression).Today, the Accor group is in charge of this catering, which consists of mobile sales, classic dining cars, meal trays (Corail) and grill options (grilled meats, salads, cooked dishes or cold meals) on the TGV Atlantique. There has been a marked improvement in the quality of service in recent years. The service is tailored to this type of catering and the staff receive specific training.

Catering on boats

Since 1987, there has been a major resurgence in ocean liners and cruises (more than 100% increase). Ocean liners have long been the flagship of gastronomy. Given the length of cruises, this mode of transport offers several types of restaurants on board, ranging from self-service to gourmet meals served by a full restaurant brigade (maître d'hôtel, chefs de rang).

Conclusion and evolution

The restaurant industry is constantly evolving, and today's restaurateurs must always be mindful of consumer needs if they want to stay in business. Although there are already many options available, some are still being tested, such as selling by weight at a stall (meat, for example), then preparing and serving it at the customer's table, or the "top secret" trials in the fast-food sector involving the inclusion of traditional cuisine in their products.Some marketing companies, such as Gira and Coach Omium, specialise in studies of our consumption habits, but no one can really predict the future.

Copyleft Toussaint Frédéric 2001

Banquets, lunches, buffets and seminars

Banquets, lunches, buffets and other seminars are services that bring together a certain number of people. The menu, format, number of participants and price are determined and negotiated in advance between the caterer and the customer. This type of service may also be subject to associated sales (room hire, equipment hire and other items).

All services of this type are grouped under the term "complementary customer market" because in many cases, these customers are complementary to a caterer's main business.

Events that may be covered by a banquet-type service

Private events

Religious celebrations (weddings, communions, baptisms)

Birthdays

Professional

Seminar: a working meeting for a small group of people (10 to 30). Seminars can last several days. This type of service includes meals, breaks, accommodation and sometimes a closing buffet.

Meeting: this is a gathering of 30 to 200 people, which may be held for internal company training or product demonstrations. Meetings last a maximum of 3 days, during which breaks, meals, accommodation and sometimes even closing cocktail buffets must be provided.

Conference: an informative event that can bring together up to 1,000 people. Meals must be provided, and breaks can take the form of a permanent bar where everyone pays for their own drinks.

Symposium: a working meeting led by experts on a specific topic. Participants may be divided into several working groups. A symposium can last two to three days. Accommodation, meals, breaks and a closing buffet must be provided.

Symposium: this event brings together a group of experts who debate a specific topic, with a passive audience attending the debates.

Convention: this is the English translation of the French word "congrès".

Lecture: one person discusses a specific topic in front of a passive audience; this type of event may require a break.

The main options

Banquet

This is a meal that can bring together 15 to 1,000 people or more. At a banquet, guests are seated and eat a pre-determined menu. The most common type of service used at banquets is English-style service and plated service. The organisation of a banquet is unique, both in terms of the layout and structure of the room and the organisation of the work in the room.

Cocktail buffet

A buffet is a large table on which food or canapés and drinks (cocktail bowls, wines and other aperitif drinks) are presented. A cocktail buffet is an aperitif buffet, offering a selection of savoury, hot and cold canapés, and possibly some sweet ones. Guests remain standing. Customers can help themselves or be served, and waiting staff may also circulate among the guests with trays of canapés.

Lunch buffet

The lunch buffet is similar to the cocktail buffet, but also offers the option of lunch or dinner. It therefore offers the same basis as a cocktail buffet, but is supplemented by cold and hot dishes that can be eaten standing up (e.g. skewers and other shafing dishes). Here too, guests can serve themselves or be served, and waiting staff can also serve canapés on trays. Plates are often fitted with a special clip to hold a glass.

Cold buffet

The cold buffet is a meal in its own right: it offers a selection of cold dishes such as mixed salads, cold meats, cold fish, cheeses and desserts, as well as alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks.

Customers can serve themselves or be served. They can stand or sit. This type of buffet can also be incorporated into a traditional catering service that is not a banquet-style event. Very often, waiting staff provide service for this type of buffet, but customers can also serve themselves.

Dinner buffet

This buffet is identical to the cold buffet except that it also offers hot dishes.