Food court

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Typical shopping center food court vendor layout at Centre Eaton in Montreal,Quebec, Canada.

Patrons eat meals in a food court inCaracas, Venezuela.
A food court (in Asia-Pacific also called food hall)
[1]
is generally an indoor plaza or common
area within a facility that is contiguous with the counters of multiple food vendors and provides a
common area for self-serve dining.
[2][3]

Food courts may be found in shopping malls, airports, and parks. In various regions (such
as Asia, the Americas, andAfrica), it may be a standalone development. In some places of
learning such as high schools and universities, food courts have also come to replace or
complement traditional cafeterias.
[4][5][6]

The average cost of a meal per person in an American food court in 2004 was $6.
[7]

Contents
[hide]
1 Typical usage
2 History
3 See also
4 References
5 External links
Typical usage[edit]
Food courts consist of a number of vendors at food stalls or service counters. Meals are ordered
at one of the vendors and then carried to a common dining area. The food may also be ordered
as takeout for consumption at another location, such as a home, or workplace. In this case, it
may be packaged in foam food containers, though one common food tray used by all the stalls
might also be utilitzed to allow the food to be carried to the table. Food courts may also have
shops which sell prepared meals for consumers to take home and reheat, making the food court
a daily stop for some.
[7]

Food is usually eaten with plastic cutlery, and sporks are sometimes used to avoid the necessity
of providing both forksand spoons. There are exceptions: Carrefour Laval requires its food court
tenants to use solid dinnerware and cutlerywhich it provides.
[8]

Typical North American and European food courts have mostly fast food chains such
as McDonald's and Sbarro, with perhaps a few smaller private vendors. Berkshire Hathaway is
also a frequent presence at food courts via their Dairy Queen and Orange Julius divisions.
Cuisines and choices are varied, with larger food courts offering more global choices. Asian and
African food courts are mostly private vendors that offer local cuisine. In Singapore, food courts
and hawker centres are the people's main eating choice when dining out.
[9]

Common materials used in constructing food courts are tile, linoleum, Formica, stainless steel,
and glass, all of which facilitate easy cleanup.
[7]

History[edit]
The second-floor food court at the Paramus Park shopping mall in New Jersey, which opened in
March 1974, has been credited as the first successful shopping mall food court.
[10]
Built by The
Rouse Company, one of the leading mall building companies of the time, it followed an
unsuccessful attempt at the Plymouth Meeting Mall in 1971, which reportedly failed because it
was "deemed too small and insufficiently varied."
[10][11]

See also[edit]
Food hall
Food portal

Business and economics portal

References[edit]
1. Jump
up^ http://www.nzherald.co.nz/lifestyle/news/article.cfm?c_id=6&objec
tid=10726905
2. Jump up^ "Landlord Tenant Common Areas Law & Legal
Definition". definitions.uslegal.com. Retrieved 2009-03-12.
3. Jump up^ Food court. (n.d.). The American Heritage Dictionary of the
English Language, Fourth Edition. Retrieved May 22, 2007, from
Answers.com Web site:http://www.answers.com/topic/food-court
4. Jump up^ George Beach, "High School Food Courts: A New
Evolution in Student Dining", School Planning and Management; v39
n8, p2223; August 2000
5. Jump up^ Amy Milshtein, "Bye Bye Cafeteria - Hello Restaurant-Style
Dining", College Planning and Management, November 1999
6. Jump up^ Stamford University Food Court
7. ^ Jump up to:
a

b

c
Underhill, Paco (2004). Call of the Mall. Simon &
Schuster. ISBN 0-7432-3592-4.
8. Jump up^ "CARREFOUR LAVAL REINVENTS THE SHOPPING
CENTER FOOD EXPERIENCE WITH ITS NEW DINING TERRACE" 4
November 2009
9. Jump up^ Food & leisure - Eating in Singapore, famous Singapore
food
10. ^ Jump up to:
a

b
"Rouse Left Mark On Malls, Not Just His Own".
Shopping Centers Today (International Council of Shopping Centers).
May 2004. Retrieved April 20, 2010.
11. Jump up^ Bloom, Nicholas Dagen. Public Life as Consumerism:
American Businessmen Revolutionize Suburban Commerce, in From
department store to shopping mall (2005)
External links[edit]
Media related to Food courts at Wikimedia Commons
The dictionary definition of food court at Wiktionary
[hide]
V
T
E
Fast food

Types
Convenience food
Junk food
Street food
Snack food
Take-out

Points of sale
Fast food restaurant
Food booth
Food cart
Food court
Food truck

Select dishes
Bacon
Breakfast sandwich
Breakfast sausage
Buffalo wings
Cheeseburger
Chicken fingers / Chicken nuggets
Cookie
French fries
French toast
Fried chicken
Grilled cheese
Gyro
Hamburger
Hot dog
Hot pretzel
Ice cream
Kebab
Mac & cheese
Onion rings
Pancakes
Pasta
PB&J
Pizza
Salad
Sausage
Spaghetti
Taco
Waffles

Issues
Criticism of fast food

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How to Increase Productivity at a Fast Food Restaurant
by Daniel Ketchum, Demand Media

Keep your crew happy to increase productivity.
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Fast food restaurants live and die on productivity; customers expect quick and efficient service, but won't settle for
low quality. In the fast food environment, employees must maintain a high rate of production under high stress
conditions. Because productivity suffers for numerous reasons, there is no one right way to increase productivity at a
fast food restaurant. Try a combination of methods until you find the sweet spot for your particular crew.
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Step 1
Include your employees. Ask each individual crew member for thoughts and ideas in regards to increasing efficiency
and productivity. Listen and take ideas into account; incorporate the ideas that strike you, but hear each one out
regardless. Show that you appreciate an inside perspective.
Step 2
Foster a sense of teamwork among the staff. Even if you're in a management position, pitch in to the small tasks to
show your commitment. Set a good example to gain the respect of your team; a staff that respects the management is
more likely to turn in a productive performance. Get to know each staff member so you can communicate with them
on a personal level, appealing to their interests, likes and dislikes.
Related Reading: How to Own & Manage a Fast Food Restaurant
Step 3
Tweak the schedule. Don't overschedule workers by putting too many employees to work during the same shift.
Financially, your fast food company is purchasing the crew's labor, plus the cost of their benefits, uniforms and
other ancillary items. Though it's a risk, you can potentially increase financial productivity by decreasing the number
of employees per shift. This can also help ensure a consistent pace of labor rather than a restaurant full of workers
without tasks.
Step 4
Reward valuable employees. Employees that go above and beyond add to the restaurant's productivity immensely.
Encourage this productivity boost with whatever reward you can manage, whether it be a raise or a heartfelt
compliment. Always show your appreciation whether privately or publicly for a job well done.
Step 5
Distribute pet projects. If a job needs doing, package it as a special task for a trusted employee. Make a list of all the
niggling tasks -- such as cleaning the bottom of the ice bin or hosing off the floor mats -- that need to be done
around the restaurant and dole out pet projects evenly.
Step 6
Hold regular meetings. Keep your team on track by consistently reviewing the work week and noting what worked
and what didn't. Always propose solutions never leave a problem hanging and pitch ideas for improvement.
Recognize quality work. Leave each meeting with a set of new goals. Sit down regularly with shift managers to
address any problems that have arisen during their shifts.
Step 7
Lighten the mood. A fast food restaurant is a business, but taking fun completely out of the equation hurts morale,
which in turn hurts productivity. Joke with your staff when appropriate. Ask what you can do to add levity to the
work environment. Something as simple as playing a bit of music behind the counter can go a long way.
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AUTHOR
Sur esh Venkat eswar an
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THE 5 BIGGEST THREATS RESTAURANTS FACE I N 2014 AND BEYOND

19Mar2014
5 WAYS RESTAURANTS ARE IMPROVING
PRODUCTIVITY IN 2014

By Suresh Venkateswaran
Category: Features

Give your restaurant employees the power to recommend process improvements this year.
The New Year always seems to bring a few changes.
Some of us start new diets and exercise routines while those in the business world look for ways to
improve and grow.
At StaffRanker, we work with a number of restaurants, especially multi-location restaurants, and we're
seeing the owners, managers and HR staff taking steps early this year to improve productivity.
Productivity improvements can make your business more efficient while providing customers a better
product and improving work conditions for employees.
Here are some of the ways we're seeing improvement this year.
1. Asking Employees About Process Improvements
Processes are important for any business, but the effectiveness of processes is extremely evident in the
restaurant industry.
The beginning of the year is the perfect time to sit down with employees to ask them about their work
routines. See if there is room to improve processes.
Everything from food prep in the kitchen to handling customer bills should be examined to see if there
is room for improvement.
2. Simplifying Menus
Menus can get complex over time.
Even in one year's time, menus can become overly complex. There might be too many regular options
or specials. It can make it difficult for customers to choose, but it can also make it difficult for the
wait staff to handle and especially difficult on the kitchen staff.
Setup an annual review of your menu each year to determine if there is room to simplify. It usually
makes for a better work experience and could even increase revenue.
3. Cross Training
We're not talking about putting your cross trainers on and going for a run with the staff (although that's
not a bad idea either).
This cross training is training your employees on different jobs in the restaurant. The staff can have
their main jobs, but train them to move up in the ranks and also so they can cover other positions when
people leave.
An ongoing issue with restaurants and other hospitality businesses is turnover. Cross training can make
change a little easier to handle.
4. Partnering With Other Business For Events
One great way to grow your restaurant is to partner with other businesses.
You might host a radio station event in your restaurant. You might offer to sponsor a local charity
event. It's good for marketing, but it's also good for productivity.
When you work with other businesses you can learn from the way they work. It can lead to insight into
processes and systems, which can improve your restaurant.
5. Adding Management Software
Finally, more restaurants today are adding technology to improve productivity.
Being able to better understand the way each of your employees works across all your locations is
powerful. You can reward and learn from your most productive employees and use that knowledge to
help others improve their performance.
With management software, like StaffRanker, your managers will have the power to fully understand
how your business works and who the best members of the team area.
That can lead to less turnover, better productivity and happier customers.
Conclusion
We're a few months into the New Year, but it's still a good time to review things and make
improvements.
Restaurants are making changes to improve productivity. They're looking at all sorts of ways to improve
including the items mentioned above.
If you're in the restaurant industry or even the retail and hospitality industries, take this opportunity to
improve your productivity. Look into the items mentioned in this article and it should lead to a few
opportunities.
Did we miss any chances to improve productivity?
Share your advice in the comments.
We want to hear from you!
Image: Alan Turkus
#Productivity#Performance Management
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