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Date Submitted: 02/05/2014 05:42 PM
Purchasing and Production Functions
HTT/240
April 24, 2013
Purchasing and Production Functions
As a foodservice manager one of the most important responsibilities of the job is to have a knowledgeable purchasing system for successful production functions. It starts with proper forecasting. Forecasting is the prediction of menu items required for the menu for the day. A restaurant a foodservice manager will look at historical data. He or she will look at how many customers are served per meal, menu items sold per meal, and the amount and types of beverage sales. Along with forecasting is production planning and scheduling. Depending on what menu items are selected, planning the production of food need to be addressed. How long will it take to prepare the raw food for the meal, the ingredients required, and the amount of servings to be prepared? All of these steps need to go into forecasting and planning.
Once the forecast and projections are made, then the food sales manager will need to contact vendors for proper purchasing. There is a basic flow chart for purchasing activities. The first step is to identify needs by planning new or reviewing existing menus for each service unit of the restaurant. The next step is to determine standards of quality for each food item and write specifications. Next is to estimate quantities needed. Then the food service manager will need to calculate desired inventory or stock levels. Then he or she will identify amounts to purchase by subtracting stock levels from desired quantities. The foodservice manager will develop purchase orders, and conduct market research on potential vendors’ product availability. The last step is to select and negotiate with vendors (Payne-Palacio, J. 2005, p. 195).
It is critical for a foodservice manager to accurately know the functions of purchasing and production. If there is not proper forecasting for preparation and production, a restaurant could run out of food missing out on sales, or it...