Wouldn’t you feel irked if you were given bland or tasteless veggies or chicken every other day?
Sadly, children at school and older people residing at assisted living facilities are provided with the same menu daily. Lately, food service companies have skyrocketed in popularity to squelch the stigma and shatter the stereotype of institutional food service, as assisted living facilities provide a lot of services besides foods, that’s why looking for great options in sites like www.carltonseniorliving.com/community/san-leandro/ could be a good decision.
Back in 3000 B.C., a food service company provided food in palaces and temples. Today, food service management companies take charge of their client’s food and beverage operations, which might include schools, hospitals, restaurants, caterers, and other organizations.
Instead of having a flavorless turkey sandwich every day, children and elderly adults get scrumptious yet nutritious food. Like other businesses, the scope and size of food service management companies vary. While some are dedicated to managing a few restaurants, others are in charge of hundreds of food service locations.
Tasks Food Servicing Companies Undertake To Offer Healthy Meals To Schools And Assisted Living Facilities
Basically, food service management companies are the jack of all trades that handle almost every food-related chore. In such companies, a team of chefs is accompanied by food service professionals who are in charge of developing menus, ordering supplies, and overseeing food preparation and service.
Many food service management companies even offer catering services and have their own fleet of catering trucks and equipment. Let’s now jump into the tasks that are carried out by food servicing companies.
- Plan Menus
To make sure you get fresh, innovative, lip-smacking yet nutritious dishes daily, a food service company develops menus that align with people’s diets, food tastes, and lifestyles. Often, they use software that assists with menu planning, inventory management, and other aspects of their operations.
- Ordering Food
Cafeteria vendors are responsible for ordering food for the companies they signed a contract with. Since they work with multiple firms, they order food in bulk from national food wholesalers and receive hefty discounts.
- Preparing Food
Coffee, sandwich, burger, pasta, or lasagna– executives at school or assisted living facilities need not worry about preparing food to satisfy the taste buds of every individual. The chef of a food service company undertakes the painstaking task of preparing food, depending on the contract you sign with them.
- Serving Food
When the food is cooked, it’s the duty of the food service company’s professionals to serve them to the people on the premises. In schools, serving stations are put up to serve meals to the children.
Contrarily, room service is provided, or buffets are set up for elderly people, so they can enjoy their mealtime to the fullest.
- Cleanup
As individuals toss their plates into a tub, the cafeteria employees store the leftover food in the refrigerator and wash the dirty utensils. So, one of the benefits of hiring a food service company is that you or your employees don’t have to spend time scrubbing the dishes after eating.
How Does A Food Service Company Make Money?
Did you know that a food service company is publicly traded or privately owned? The former makes money by selling stocks, while the latter raises funds through investments. Other than that, they earn money by delivering custom quotes for setting up an in-house cafeteria on your premises.
Of all the agencies, the largest food service management companies in the United States are Aramark, Compass Group, and Sodexo.
Interestingly in 2018, the food service management industry generated a whopping revenue of $78.1 billion. Equally noteworthy is the fact that the industry is expected to boom at a rate of 2.3% from the year 2019 to 2024.
There are approximately 24,700 food service management companies in the United States. And on average, each food service company employs about 100 employees to carry out day-to-day operations smoothly.
The food service management industry is a dominant sector of the hospitality industry, accounting for a sizable share of the economy. As a matter of fact, the industry accounts for 97.6% of small enterprises (organizations having less than 500 workers).
Of all the regions, California, Texas, and Florida are the top three states for food service management companies that defeat the rest of the country. While healthcare, education, and business and industry – are the top three industries that enter into an agreement with food service management companies.
3 Things To Look For Before Hiring A Food Service Company
- Size Of The Company
You must consider the size of the food service company before sealing the deal with one. A big company won’t be able to provide one-on-one attention to individuals, and for this reason, you must always go for a company that is committed to personalized dining.
- Technology Used To Improve Operations
The food service management industry uses state-of-the-art technologies and nutritional tracking software to meet the needs of students and senior care residents. With the help of such technologies, they are able to save time, stay prepared for emergencies, and engage with residents better.
- Food Producers
For children and senior residents, fresh and healthy food is the topmost priority. So, always ask your vendors whether they source food from local farms or prefer packaged ones. If they procure ingredients from the farms, you can go ahead and sign the contract with a catering company.
Food Service Management Companies Provide Cost Saving Solutions
Foodservice organizations have transformed the industry by providing people with fresh, healthy, and delicious food. What’s more, they oversee everything from planning menus to delivering food without charging a fortune.
Surprisingly, the average food service management company has a profit margin of approximately 4.4%, with operating expenses of $3.6 million.
Before sealing the deal with any food service vendor, take quotes from numerous organizations and then decide. After that, you can sit back and relax as they undertake the task of delivering lip-smacking yet healthy food to children and senior residents.
