MOBILE CATERING
A mobile caterer
serves food directly from a vehicle or cart that is designed for the purpose.
Mobile catering is common at outdoor events (such as concerts), workplaces, and
downtown business districts.
- A food cart is a motorless trailer that can be hauled by automobile, bicycle, or hand to the point of sale, often a public sidewalk or park. Carts typically have onboard heating and/or refrigeration system to keep the food ready for consumption.
A catering truck
enables a vendor to sell a larger volume than a cart and to reach a larger
market. The service is similar; the truck carries a stock of prepared foods
that customers can buy. Ice cream vans are a familiar example of a catering
truck in Canada,
the United States
and the United Kingdom.
A food truck or the mobile kitchen is a modified van with a built-in barbecue grill, deep fryer, or
other cooking equipment. It offers more flexibility in the menu since the
vendor can prepare food to order as well as fresh foods in advance. A vendor
can choose to park the van in one place, as with a cart, or to broaden the
business's reach by driving the van to several customer locations. Examples of
mobile kitchens include taco trucks on the west coast of the United States,
especially Southern California, and fish and
chips vans in the United
Kingdom. These vehicles are sometimes dysphemistic
ally called "roach coaches" or "ptomaine wagons".
A concession trailer
has preparation equipment like a mobile kitchen, but it cannot move on its own.
As such it is suited for events lasting several days, such as funfairs. A mobile
caterer uses a vehicle or cart in delivering the food.
Types of
vehicles are as follows:
1 Street cart - or a food cart is a motorless the trailer that often uses a hand, bicycle or automobile that can be seen on
public sidewalks and parks. Carts have an onboard heating device or a
refrigerator for keeping the food ready for consumption. Beverages and foods
include - tacos, hotdogs, and sausages, Mexican food such as burritos, frozen
treats like ice cream, doughnuts, sandwiches, bagels and Halal food such as
chicken or lamb over rice.
2
Food Truck - the truck carries stocks of
prepared foods that enable the vendor to sell a large volume. Examples are the ice
cream vans.
Mobile Kitchen - A large modified van with built-in
cooking equipment such as the grill and deep fryer. The vendor can prepare food
inside the van. Examples are fish and chips vans in UK and taco trucks on the United States.
Concession
Trailer - like a mobile kitchen,
it has equipment for preparation but it cannot move on its own. Trailer is
suited for lasting events such as funfairs.
Mobile catering services can also be
used to feed people in areas of natural disasters and in places where the
infrastructure is destroyed.
Requirements for Mobile Catering Vehicles:
Commissary –
Commissary –
It’s a place where all mobile units must report for the daily
supplies, servicing and cleaning. A commissary approval form must be submitted
and notarized if the owner is not present for the signing.
Requirements for commissary:
Requirements for commissary:
(1) Facilities
must have storage of food, washing and sanitizing equipment, single-service
articles, disposal of waste and washing and storage of vehicles.
(2) The facility must be inspected by the health authority.
(3) City permits.
Construction –
(1) Vehicle
must be a commercial type with enclosed, smooth, cleanable floors, walls, and
ceiling with no carpet inside.
(2) Proper the temperature of equipment must be NSF (National Sanitation Foundation) approved
for maintaining hazardous food. Provides and checks thermometer reading for
each holding unit of food.
(3) Liquid
waste must be collected, put in a holding tank, and disposed into a sanitary
sewerage system at the commissary.
(4) Firm
name, address, and contact numbers must be on both sides of the vehicle.
(5) Empty
vehicles are not permitted.
Operation –
Health code:
(1) Foods
cannot be sold from a mobile catering vehicle, cleaning and good repair of the
interior and exterior part of the vehicle, food containers must be stored
properly.
(2) Proper
temperature maintenance at all times - cold foods - 41 degrees Fahrenheit or
below, hot foods - 140 degrees Fahrenheit
(3) Transported
food must have insulated units and notify the Neighbourhood Services Department
for the rented vehicle.
Permit requirements - payment fee for the mobile food permit and vehicle inspection
permit.
Points to be kept in mind: -
1. Use & Application
It is applied to make
hot food and carry fuel, food raw materials and water for 80~100 persons each
day and personnel portable materials of two cooks and one driver.
2. Working capability
3. Technical
parameters
External
dimensions of complete vehicle: 5990×2020×3030mm, External dimensions of
vehicle compartment: 3600×2050×2000mm
Internal
dimensions of the vehicle compartment: 3485×1935×1885mm
4. Characteristics
Equipment
and working environment fit in the major Chinese food processing methods and
main food raw materials required by field food and drink support. Food
processing quality and working environment comply with the quantitative standard
and sanitary requirement of the field food supply.
Mobile Kitchen
can be refitted according to the customer’s requirements into a vehicle cooking
western-style food.
1. Deep Fat Fryers
2. Gas Ranges
3. Gas / Charcoal
Tandoors
4. Ovens
5. Vegetable Cutting
Machines
6. Coconut Scrappers
7. Wet Grinders Machines
8. Flour Kneading
Machines
9. Potato Peelers
10. Halwa Machines
11. Oil Shaking Machines
ETC.
12. Electrical Model Idly
Cookers
13. Rice &
Multipurpose Cookers
14. Rice Kettles
15. Dosa Plates
16. Masala Trolleys
17. Display Counters
18. Service Counters
19. Deep Freezers
20. Mobile Salad Bars
21. Roti Counters
22. Bain Marie Cabinets
23. Salamander/Bread
Toasters
Branches of Mobile Catering: -
- Airline catering
- Cruise/Ship catering
- Railway catering
- Automobile catering
SEA CATERING
The catering plays a vital role in the modern era; the catering
provides food and beverage services to the people. The people organize parties
at their homes, office or nearby banquet hall or hotels. The sea catering is a
luxury service which facilitates the person & provides comfort to that
extent level. People who are travelling for business purpose or/& vacations
from one country to another, they choose this kind of transport facilities.
There are two types of sea transports, which provide the catering
facilities: -
1
CRUISE LINERS: -
In
cruise liners, trips are sold as a package including food, accommodation and
many other facilities. However, liquor and tobacco are paid individually.
a. Most of the cruise liners have their
own pastry shops, dining halls, bar etc. Hence the menus are best and they may
differ to suit international tourist.
b. Table d’ hote menus with a wide choice
in each course are popular. There is a central kitchen known as “galley”, in
which there are various sectors such as butchery, pastry, the raw material is
packed up from ports in advance, service could be a fine plated buffet.
2 CARGO VESSELS: -
Cargo
vessels are the merchant ships which carry foods.
a. No. of staff is usually limited.
b. The cyclic menu is prepared to provide
meals to the staff.
c. Hours of operations are pre-decided.
d. Cost of food should be within the budget
figure.
e. Healthy and wholesome meal is
provided.
RAILWAY CATERING
As the rail is the main transport to travel from one place to
another and very convenient transport. The catering facility is provided by the
rail staff and the food is prepared at the railway station kitchen. There
is a coach in the rail, in which the food and beverage are stored and served
time to time. The catering facilities are provided in the limited rails
which run on long routes such as Rajdhani, The Palace and Duranto express,
Shatabadi etc. there are some points to be kept in mind: -
1. Cost of food sometimes included in
rail ticket or it is payable separate both ways the food cost should be kept in
mind within limits.
2. Normally a simple menu is planned
which includes dal, vegetables, rice & curd, chapatti’s & salad.
3. Mostly table d’ hote menu is adopted.
4. Food is cooked and packed at the
kitchen at the station and stored in the pantry in a train, soft drinks are also
kept.
5. Light equipment is used and usually, the disposable item is used and placed in the pantry.
AIRLINE CATERING
An airline meal or in-flight meal is a meal served to
passengers onboard a commercial airliner. These meals are prepared by airline
catering services.
The first kitchens
preparing meals in-flight were established by United Airlines in 1936.
These meals vary
widely in quality and quantity across different airline companies and classes
of travel. They range from a simple beverage in short-haul economy class to a
seven-course gourmet meal in long-haul first class.
The type of food
varies depending upon the Airline Company and class of travel. Meals may be
served as "one tray" or in multiple courses with no tray and with a
tablecloth, metal cutlery, and glassware (generally in first and business
classes).
The airline dinner
typically includes meat (most commonly chicken or beef) or fish, a salad or
vegetable, a small bread roll, and a dessert.
Caterers usually
produce alternative meals for passengers with restrictive diets. These must
usually be ordered in advance, sometimes when buying the ticket. Some of the
more common examples include:
- Cultural diets, such as French, Italian, Chinese, Japanese or Indian style.
- Infant and baby meals. Some airlines also offer children's meals, containing foods that children will enjoy such as baked beans, mini-hamburgers and hot dogs.
- Medical diets, including low/high fibre, low fat/cholesterol, diabetic, peanut-free, non-lactose, low salt/sodium, low-purine, low-calorie, low-protein, bland (non-spicy) and gluten-free meals.
- Religious diets, including kosher, halal, and Hindu, Buddhist and Jain vegetarian (sometimes termed Asian vegetarian) meals.
- Vegetarian and vegan meals. Some airlines do not offer a specific meal for vegetarians; instead, they are given a vegan meal.
Other non-food items
Condiments (typically
salt, pepper, and sugar) are supplied in small sachets. For cleanliness, most
meals come with a napkin and a moist towelette. First and business class
passengers are often provided with hot towels and proper salt and pepper
shakers.
