Discussion Post: Purchasing, Receiving & Storage
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.
Part I:
Proper purchasing, receiving, and storage of food and beverage items is critical to a food and beverage department's or eatery's 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 five days later to a new receiving clerk who stores nine of the 2-gallon containers containing the cream immediately. The chef sees one 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.
i. What were the problems in this scenario?
ii. Who should be responsible to remedy this situation and how should they resolve this problem while still obtaining the required amount of cream?
iii. What changes should be instituted going forward?
Part II:
Do some research out on the Internet and find out what kind of software you would recommend to the food and beverage director for a major resort complex in order to track receipt, storage, production, and inventory for food and beverages at the resort's many restaurants. Explain your recommendation.
The response should include a reference list. Using one-inch margins, Times New Roman 12 pnt font, double-space and APA style of writing and citations.