HANDLING OF CHINAWARE IN THE
FOODSERVICE INDUSTRY
1. The in-use china inventory.
2. The back-up inventory.
3. The layout of the food preparation and soiled dish area.
4. The grade of stainless used for countertops and ware storage.
5. The grade of stainless flatware.
6. The storage system for china hollow ware items.
7. The bussing system for transporting the soiled ware.
Breakage, the occurrence of metal marking and glaze abrasion are directly related to the in-use inventory levels and the rotation of the china during use. This inventory should be out and in-use. Storage space should be available at the food preparation areas to store the china. Storage areas should be set up to ensure continual rotation of the china.
If the suggested in-use inventories are not maintained, there will be a shortage of china during peak cycles. This will result in delays of service to the customer, poor customer service (hot salad plates) and excessive demands on the soiled dish area.
The back-up inventory quantities will be dependent on the quality of the vendor¹s distribution system, and the inventory control systems and the inventory investment policies of the individual foodservice operation. Studies by the ³American Restaurant China Council² show a yearly china usage of approximately 33 percent. If we look at a 100-seat restaurant, it should have around 200 dozens of china in its in-use inventory. Breakage of two pieces of china per day will equal the 33 percent.
Allowing time for ordering, processing of paperwork and transportation, a minimum of eight to 12 weeks of back up inventory should be kept on hand. If the pattern is a custom or an extended delivery pattern, back-up inventories of four to six months should be kept on hand. These quantities will ensure the maintenance of the in-use inventory at the proper levels and minimize china consumption.
Physical inventories of both the in-use and the back-up inventory must be taken periodically. These inventories will provide an early warning if china consumption starts to increase. When the inventory is completed, any shortages in the in-use inventory should be replaced from the back-up inventory. Orders should then be written to replace the back-up inventory. The consumption of china can be tracked from these periodic inventories. If consumption does increase, checks should be made to determine if this is from increased customer count or from breakage.
Seventy-five to 80 percent of the breakage occurs at the soiled dish area. This can be attributed to two major factors. First, the soiled dish area is generally crowded into the floor space left after the dining and food preparation areas have been laid out. Second, this is generally the lowest paying job in the restaurant or it is the entry-level position and the turnover is excessive with minimal training.
The control of breakage in the soiled dish area starts with the bussing operation from the table to the soiled dish area. The important considerations in the bussing of the soiled china are:
1. Separating the soiled china, the glass ware and the stainless flatware and hollow ware prior to bussing.
2. Providing separate bus boxes for each of the above. Bussing of the china with the stainless items can cause metal marking of the china. Bussing of the china with the glassware can result in excessive breakage of the glassware.
3. Loading the bus boxes only to the point where the china will not fall from the bus box during transportation. If the bus box is overloaded, there is a high degree of probability that breakage will occur during transport or during sorting at the dishwasher.