Guest post: Caterers are super experts in micrologistics

Who among restaurant professionals hasn't had to lug heavy boxes, meal and glass packs, and food and drink containers from Toyota Hiace to the venue in their career? To a place with a narrow aisle, a tiny kitchen, and a party of 100 pax to squeeze out of it. And yet! After the initial stress, the evening goes well.

Catering professionals have to solve micrologistical problems every day. A van doesn't always get you right to the door. Refrigeration and storage space is scarce. Heating equipment is non-existent. There are narrow corridors, steep stairs, slippery strips and surfaces! There are challenges on the access and carrying routes: cars, people, snow, ice, leaves, puddles of water... 

Haaga-Helia and Turku University of Applied Sciences, together with Metos and various professional kitchens, are studying catering ergonomics, working conditions and work processes. The focus is on improving productivity and safety at work. At the same time, the aim is to streamline kitchen work and reduce sick leave.

In the broadest sense, all restaurant food transport and delivery can be defined as catering. For the purposes of this project, food transport has been divided into four types of operation:

a) In-house catering (e.g. exhibition, congress and shopping centres, airports), 
b) off-site catering (outdoor) e.g. banqueting and party services, 
c) catering provided by another company from the restaurant, e.g. Wolt, Foodora, Uber Eats 
d) food preparation in a kitchen outside the restaurant (visiting chefs).

Catering processes are difficult to conceptualise - the most important tool is your own memory?

Catering processes are difficult to conceptualise in detail as they are highly customer and event specific. The entire service and food production process starts with customer negotiations, ordering and reservations, through to service and experience production, final cleaning, invoicing and customer feedback collection. 

The actual food production, transport and serving processes are driven by resources, schedules, distances, skills, conditions, shifts and the number and availability of extras. Critical, ergonomic points include the arrival and storage of raw materials and supplies (e.g. supplier loads), the hectic nature of food and service production, quality requirements and outbound and return logistics. 

The delicate packaging and transport of food is an art in itself, where the key is to maintain the hygienic quality and consistency of the food throughout the "routing" and serving process. In Finland we also have a good command of nature and batch catering, special diets and recycling. 

However, the main challenge is communication. Many issues are in the heads and backbones of the management and catering professionals. The front person has both skill and intuition to manage the whole. He or she is able to lead the experience and identify critical points in advance.  There are not always even proper checklists to ensure that all the goods have arrived, and all the details have been taken care of. The most important tool is memory! But what if suddenly...

The performance of many top catering companies is governed by a well-honed event machinery, contracts, mutual trust and top partners. At their best, every detail of the catering and event is carefully considered. Plan B and C are also made! 

Whatever the catering event, it involves many stressful moments: preparation, transportation, exhaustion, forgetfulness, getting the party started, staying on schedule, customer experience, final clean-up. Sometimes the stress is brought on by the more important and knowledgeable last-minute adjusters and "food experts". In that hierarchy of celebrations, the master, the chef's boy and the waitress may first find themselves in the lowest caste, until at the end they are asked to march and pound in front of a clapping audience. The stress is over for everyone!

Author: Vesa Heikkinen, Senior Lecturer in Tourism, Accommodation and Food Service Innovation, Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences, Finland

Read also the first Guest post by Mr. Heikkinen: Aiming to a productive kitchen