CH.8 Managed Services - The unique features of services

Challenge to Please Guest & Client

This student is not happy
with this healthy meal.

Different from other service industries, the managed services of food services operation providers are providing an integrated food service to other organization, which usually do not have their own food service.  As the result, they need to serve both guests and clients.  Providing school meal is the classic example here. 

US Student Restaurant

For service providers’ views, they have to deal with both students (guests) and their parents (clients), which could be really changeling since they demand differently.  Students usually want some delicious food with less nutritional value, such as French fries.  Parents, however, hope the providers to offer more vegetables. 

Guests are “Captive clientele”

China Student Restaurants

Customers who do not have realistic alternatives to buying power from the local utility are called “captive client. Students, especially those studied in primary and secondary schools, do not have alternative choices for eating lunch in other restaurants, but student canteens. Patients usually can only have their meals in hospital.

Food Service is not the Primary Business

Food service could never be considered as major service for those organizations we mentioned above, such as secondary schools and hospitals. However, these food services do not operate in isolation but requires the co-operation and integration of several disciplines to provide the ultimate experience.

Produce Food in Large Quantity

Managed services providers usually prepare large quantity of food for a fixed period to serve organizations. All of students in secondary school will have lunch in the same fixed period, so called lunch break, and it is almost more than a hundred peoples that the managed services providers need to serve. 

Batch Cooking Techniques

The really important technique for this feature is "batch cooking" , which is making a lot of a specific food all at once, then stores it in portions for later use.  Most of the time, food made in batches is frozen, but it can also be refrigerated or kept in airtight containers for short periods of time depending on how it is meant to be used. 

Volume of Business is Consistent

With pre-order information, fixed period, and predictable demand, the food operation in managed services is much more consistent, comparing with commercial restaurants.  It would be an advantage since they can easily to plan, organize, and serve to maximize profits with consistent information.

References:
http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-batch-cooking.htm#slideshow