FOOD & BEVERAGE SERVICES SAMPLE QUESTION & ANSWER PAPER 1.

Beverage & Basic Thermal Processing: What are they? The beverage markets are evolving rapidly on a daily basis. Through this growth, the need for thermal processing became apparent with the requirements for preservativefree, natural, shelf-stable, high-acid beverages that took hold of a market share along side the normal carbonated beverage product line. Thermal processing reduces bacteria and allows for longer storage without preservatives. Typical beverage types include: iced tea, 100% juice drinks, juicecontaining beverages, and isotonic sports drinks. All thermal processes are considered HTST (high-temperature-short-time). Basic Thermal Processing Methods include: Hot Filled - A finished beverage is heated to 190 degrees (F) and the container filled and capped. The product then goes through a cooling tunnel of cold water spray. The pH of the beverage must be below 4.6 but is commonly less than 3.9. Carbonated beverages CANNOT be hot filled. Cold Filled - A finished beverage is chemically preserved. This requires no heat treatment. Tunnel Pasteurization - A beverage without preservatives is filled into a can or bottle. The container is capped and then pasteurized by going through a tunnel with hot (160190 degrees-F) water followed by a cooling tunnel. A good product example of this process is beer. Aseptic Processing - The beverage is sterilized by heating to high temperatures for a short period of time and then rapidly cooling the beverage without the introduction of microorganisms. Package is sterilized with hydrogen peroxide and/or steam. Product is then filled into the package without microorganisms. This process requires a "clean room." It is very costly and many of the bottles are not approved in the U.S. Retort Processing - The retort process is common for unpreserved beverages with a pH of greater than 4.0. The product reaches temperatures of at least 250 degrees (F) while it is already packaged.

Choosing the appropriate process involves determining desired packaging, the product ingredient/content, and the shelf-life considerations 2. Preservatives: Which are Permitted in Manufacturing Non-alcoholic Beverages? The approval of preservatives for non-alcoholic beverages is regulated today in Appendix 5 of the Additives Approval Regulations. Part A of this appendix concerns sorbates and benzoates approved for use in soft drinks. The new Additives Law effective on February 6 1998 involves an important change. While according to previous legislation only "basic formulations and flavor systems for non-alcoholic beverages manufactured from fruit juice, as well as for lemonades, mineral waters, artificial hot and cold beverages were able to be preserved, now the direct preservation of soft drinks has been approved. Maximum permissible amounts are 300 mg/l of sorbic acid and 150 mg/l of benzoic acid. If preservation is brought about by a mixture of sorbic and benzoic acids, the maximum amount of sorbic acid permitted is 250 mg/l and of benzoic acid, 150 mg/l. In contrast to soft drinks, fruit juices and fruit nectars may not be preserved - as was the case in the past. Part B of Appendix 5 of the Additives Approval Regulations governs the use of sulfur dioxide and sulfites. Here there have also been a number of changes to previous legislation. For soft drinks containing fruit juice, a maximum of 20 mg/l of sulfur dioxide is permitted, but on the condition that this amount is derived solely from the fruit juice concentrate used. The addition of preservatives must be declared in the list of ingredients with the category name "preservatives", followed by the common name of the material (e.g. sodium benzoate) or its E number (e.g. E 211). If only the flavor system or basic formulation was preserved, no declaration is required if the preservative has no further technological effect on the end product. This is usually the case when the portion of basic formulation or flavor system containing preservatives amounts to no more than 20 g per kilogram of end product. Describe the duties and responsibilities of (any one) i) Sales Manager ii) Banquet Manager

3. What is Food and Beverage? What are their outlets??? Food and beverage service is the service of food made in the kitchen and drinks

prepared in the bar to the customers (guests) at the food & beverage premises, which can be restaurants, bars, hotels, airlines, cruise ships, trains, companies, schools, colleges, hospitals, prisons, takeaway, etc. Food & beverage outlets are divided in to the following categories: 1. Restaurants: Restaurants are places where Food & Drink is served. There are various types of Restaurants: All Day Dining Restaurants: They are sometimes called Coffee Shops or Cafes in Hotels. They are usually big in size with many Covers (seats), compared to other Restaurants in the same Hotel. The main reason why they are called All Day Dining Restaurants is because of their hours of operation, as they are open for Breakfast in the Morning to Lunch in the afternoon to Dinner in the Evening. Fine Dining Restaurants: Fine Dining Restaurants are characterized by their elaborate and exclusive menu with special emphasis on the very high quality food they serve. The emphasis being on fresh ingredients and natural flavors or on the type of Cuisine served, or both. Usually the operation of this restaurant revolves around the Head Chef or Chef De Cuisine of this Outlet. Specialty Restaurants: These are Restaurants which usually have a type of National or Regional Character or Cuisine attached to them, for example: Italian Specialty Restaurant, Chinese Specialty Restaurant etc. In some Hotels they do also sometimes have Multi Cuisine Specialty Restaurant, which literally means that Restaurant serves cuisine from more than one country, or the dishes on the Menu at that Restaurant has Food Specialties from many different countries. 2. Lounge: Lounges can be found in different hotels. Their main purpose is to offer Food & Drinks in relaxed surroundings with comfortable and cozy seating in relaxed surroundings. There are many kinds of Lounges ranging from a Lounge in a Lobby, Cocktail Lounge and Cigar Lounge to Executive and Club Lounge in special Floors. 3. Bar: Bar is a place where drinks are served. There is usually a small Snacks Menu too. The service is fast and quick. There are various kinds of Bars ranging from Formal bars to Club Bars, Pubs, Pool Bars, Wine Bars, Cocktail Bars, Beach Bar to Juice Bars and many more. 4. Discotheque/Nightclub: They are outlets where Music and Entertainment takes

priority with the Food & Drink. The operation is very fast and the guest numbers are large. Security is an important aspect in these operations. Music and entertainment can range from DJ to live bands playing. 5.Room Service/In Room Dining: Room Service, also known as In Room Dining.It is the service of Food & Drink in Guest Rooms in a Hotel or a Resort. Depending on the size and type of Hotel or Resort its functions vary. 6. Meeting and Conference Rooms: Meeting and Conference rooms together with Ball Rooms come under the Banquets & Conference section. They are a great source of Revenue in Food & Beverage Department usually in Corporate and City Hotels. MICE (Meetings, Incentives, and Conferences & Exhibitions) can alone bring much revenue in some hotels in comparison to other outlets in Hotel. 7. Ball Rooms: These are large Function Rooms which are primarily used for Functions and Weddings. The Staffing ration of Full Time Staff in this section is very less as the Function and Wedding Business can sometimes be seasonal and extra staff is usually filled in by the use of Casual Staff. This Section is the most Dynamic section in Food & Beverage with the Conference Section, which is more physically demanding and creatively oriented. 8. Delicatessen: Delicatessen or Deli traditionally had been a place where fresh meat and other produce were available. Hotels nowadays use this concept of having a Deli on their premises, where guests can buy fresh produce ranging from Freshly Baked Bread, Cold Meat, Fresh Salads, Cakes, Home Made Ice creams and light and healthy drinks. 9. Others: There are many other Food & Beverage outlets ranging from Fast Food Outlets to Food Courts to Snack Bars which are usually stand alone or in a shopping centre.

4. What are the basic types of menu and their characteristics? Answer: Every restaurant must have their own menu and it starts with the menu to offer your guests with a list of available foods. Therefore, a restaurant menu is a great sales tool for many restaurant and food service businesses around the world. For many guests, the menu is not just a list, but it also tells them how the operations image looks like and contributes to the overall dining experience. And for the restaurant owner, a menu is used to describe how the overall operation will be

organized and managed in order to achieve businesss goals and objectives. In addition, the menu also tells your production staffs of what items and materials should be purchased, types of equipments a restaurant must have, the number of workers need to be recruited and the skill level of those workers, etc. So, a restaurant menu has a very significant and crucial impact on almost every aspect of a restaurant business. BREAKFAST MENU. Its just a standard menu but plays an important role for the overall restaurant business. Why? Guests are more price-conscious at breakfast than at other meal periods because breakfast menus are fairly standard, such as: fruits, eggs, juices, cereals, pancakes, waffle, etc. So, you need to be careful when designing a breakfast menu by considering the value for money of what you offer to your guests, it is good to keep your breakfast prices down and create several simple menus to offer during breakfast. Besides that, guests are likely to be in a hurry to get to work or attend some appointments early in the morning, so you need to speed up your service to avoid guest complaints. LUNCH MENU. Its more less the same as the breakfast menu; guests who come for lunch are likely in a hurry as well. The majority of lunch guests are given a limited time to get their lunch and its normally up to an hour. So, create a quick, easy and attractive lunch menu to offer, such as: burgers, sandwiches, soups, salads, etc. Lunch menus are usually lighter than dinner menus, because I believe that most guests do not want to feel filled up so much and feel sleepy during the afternoon time. A good tip you must consider when creating a lunch menu: Lunch menu must have a wide variety of foods because many guests eat their lunch at the same restaurant several times a week due to their work location and they need to save their lunch time by not going too far from where they work. You can create and design several additional lunch menus instead of your regular lunch menu within a week and rotate these menus every day. You can simply create and print the lunch menu in a piece of paper and clipped onto the regular lunch menu that your restaurant has. DINNER MENU. Dinner time is the main meal of the day where many guests would mostly enjoy their dining experience. You should offer heavier menu choices to your guests with a complete selection of food and beverage. Many food service professionals believe that dinner is more likely to be eaten in a casual and leisurely condition than breakfast or lunch. Besides that, according to many studies and analysis, guests are more likely to pay more for their dinner bills than for lunch, but they also expect the highest standard of food quality and service from you.

Characteristics: GUESTS, NOT CUSTOMERS At our restaurants, we want people to feel like family or friends visiting our home and to receive that extreme special warmth of hospitality while there. Stop looking at folks who dine at your restaurant as a one-time transaction, and instead start building an ongoing relationship. When guests have a WOW experience at your restaurant, they will tell at least 5 other people and at least one of them will become a loyal guest. Just that bit of a change from customer to guest can make a huge difference in the way people visiting your restaurant will feel. Your employees will feel the difference as well. Developing this on-going relationship and history keeps your guests wanting to come back to your restaurant. KNOW YOUR NUMBERS This means for every important part of your business. Your restaurants operations numbers, financials and marketing as well as having a way to measure your guests experience will help you know how your restaurant rates. Keep a customer database so you can market to your existing, loyal guests. Reward them for their loyalty and have a feedback system in place to see what your guests are thinking. Let your marketing numbers speak for themselves. Cost can become irrelevant if it brings in more than youre shelling out! THE MASTER OF MEMORABLE DINING EXPERIENCES If you are working in the operations of your restaurant to be sure everything flows smoothly, then you are placing yourself into the payroll as another employee. You may have many roles that you do, but you certainly can not make the money that you were expecting to make if you are doing a job that you shouldnt be doing. You must work ON your business instead of IN your business. Once you are doing that well, you need to create a memorable dining experience. This is more than just experiencing dining. What is a memorable dining experience you may ask? Most likely you yourself have been on the receiving side of this once or twice in your life. Its when you get that Totally Outrageous Service, that over the top every detail taken care of and the connection with the restaurant and/or their staff. Maybe they toured your children through the restaurant when you and your spouse were dining, maybe it was the spot on service, or the way they made you feel when you were leaving and all you thought about was I dont want to go. It comes in many forms and when you have created a memorable dining experience for your guests, you have created raving fans which will drive the income that you expect to receive.

THE IMPORTANCE OF DIRECT RESPONSE MARKETING TO YOUR GUESTS Much of your time, energy, resources and focus need to be put into becoming a better restaurant marketer by creating systematized, measurable marketing. Figure out what you would say to convince someone to dine at your restaurant rather than any other option and put it in print. Having your guests return and refer friends is the way you can see some of your marketing strategies start to work. Direct response marketing, the type of marketing that makes people take action and respond, needs to be employed in every marketing piece you create. Using the direct response techniques that I use will easily double, triple or even quadruple the average response to any marketing or advertisement. You should figure out ways to make sure your messages evoke a response. Marketing to your restaurant guests creates a relationship that will help you succeed growing that relationship will grow your success too. GREAT MINDS THINK ALIKE! Become part of a mastermind group where you network with forward thinkers and share ideas regularly, where you can ask questions, get opinions and move forward. Get your staff involved also. When they see the increases in sales and their own personal profit, they too will want to become more involved because it impacts them as well. Constantly look and listen for what your guests want. Keep in touch with whats happening in the industry locally and in other parts of the country. Trade publications and discussion forums can both be a great source. If you feel stuck in a rut, look at your surroundings and join a group of others who will help you move forward. Virtually all top achievers know that to really get aheadyouve got to have a coach. Seek out someone that is advanced in the areas you want to excel and engage them to help you succeed as well. PROFIT THINKING can often lead to change. The people that are most successful are the ones that will change with the times. If you are still thinking of your restaurant in the same way that you did 5, 10 or 20 years ago, you need to stop limiting yourself, your restaurant and your guests! There are many ways to think about, in which your guests want to purchase food and experience a wonderful dining experience. Think big and your profits will meet you there. In todays economically trying times, we all can use some fresh ideas that will bring us success. If you would like to receive more information about how to succeed in the restaurant business, go to www.RestaurantSuccessMonthly.com and get your FREE Report. Youll find a ton of helpful information available to you for absolutely nothing! Anyone and everyone can benefit from receiving something for free, so dont delay. If

you liked or connected with any of my thoughts here you get more info in my completely FREE REPORT! Go online today for an interactive site that will help make your restaurant more profitable than it ever has been.

5. What is AVA? Explain the wine laws of the USA. Answer: An American Viticultural Area is a designated wine grape-growing region in the United States distinguishable by geographic features, with boundaries defined by the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB), United States Department of the Treasury.[1] The TTB defines AVAs at the request of wineries and other petitioners. There were 198 AVAs as of January 2010.[dated info][2] Prior to the installation of the AVA system, wine appellations of origin in the United States were designated based on state or countyboundaries. All of these appellations were grandfathered into federal law and may appear on wine labels as designated places of origin, but these appellations are distinct from AVAs. American Viticultural Areas range in size from the Upper Mississippi Valley AVA at 29,900 square miles (77,000 km2) across four states, to the Cole Ranch AVA in Mendocino County, California, at only 62 acres (25 ha). The Augusta AVA near the town of Augusta, Missouri, was the first recognized AVA, gaining the status on June 20, 1980.[3] Unlike most European wine appellations of origin, an AVA specifies only a geographical location from which at least 85% of the grapes used to make a wine must have been grown. AVAs are more similar to the Italian Indicazione Geografica Tipica than other European appellation of origin systems. American Viticultural Area designations do not limit the type of grapes grown, the method of vinification, or the crop yield. Some of those factors may, however, be used by the petitioner to justify uniqueness of place when proposing a new AVA. Current regulations impose the following additional requirements on an AVA: Evidence that the name of the proposed new AVA is locally or nationally known as referring to the area; Historical or current evidence that the boundaries are legitimate; Evidence that growing conditions such as climate, soil, elevation, and physical features are distinctive;

Petitioners are required to provide such information when applying for a new AVA, and are also required to use USGS maps to both describe (using terms from the map) and depict the boundaries. Once an AVA is established, at least 85% of the grapes used to make a wine must be grown in the specified area if an AVA is referenced on its label.[4] State or county boundaries such as for Oregon or Sonoma County are not AVAs, even though they are used to identify the source of a wine. AVAs are reserved for situations where a geographically defined area has been using the name and it has come to be identified with that area. A vineyard may be in more than one AVA. For example, the Santa Clara Valley AVA and Livermore Valley AVAs are located within the territory of the San Francisco Bay AVA, which is itself located within the Central Coast AVA USA WINE LABEL INFORMATION: Wine labels in the United States, like other New World wine-producing countries, are straightforward and easy to understand. US wine labels can be very basic, although the widespread use of back-of-bottle labels to further describe the wine means that they offer consumers a far broader understanding of the wine than European labels. The American labeling laws are enforced by the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB). It ensures that all wines produced in the country are within the framework of the US wine laws. The minimum information required on American wine labels is as follows:

Brand identification or brand name: This may be the producer's name, winery name, growing area, the name of the appellation where the wine originated, the grape variety, or a trademark name. Class or type of wine: It is mandatory for all wine labels to identify the contents as being one of several classes, including table wine, sparkling wine, fruit wine, aperitif wine or carbonated grape wine. Name and address of the bottler or producer: The words 'bottled by' must precede the name and address of the bottler. 'Produced and bottled by' is allowed if the bottler fermented and clarified at least 75% of the wine. Appellation of origin: The appellation system in the US is commonly referred to as AVA or American Viticultural Area. These AVAs are based on distinct climatic and geographical features, and are an important source of information. In order to have an AVA appear on a wine label, the following specifications must be met:

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The majority of US states require 75% of the grapes in a wine to be grown locally. With the larger state and county appellations, the laws vary depending on the area. For a County Appellation, 75% of the grapes used must be from that county. If a wine label specifies an officially designated viticultural area (e.g. Sonoma Valley), a minimum of 85% of the grapes must come from within the named region. Varietal labeling: Bottles labeled by variety must be made from at least 75% of the specified grape, although there are some exceptions. For example, in Oregon this requirement is 90%. Vintage labeling: At least 95% of the grapes used must be from a particular vintage in order for that year to appear on the label. Alcohol content: For wines under 14%, either the alcohol content or the designations 'Table Wine' or 'Light Wine' may be used; these denote an alcohol content between 7% and 14%. However, alcohol content is mandatory on any wines containing more than 14% alcohol by volume; these are often considered to be 'fortified'. Volume of contents: Mandatory information which may appear as 'Liters', 'Fluid Ounces' or 'Milliliters'. Declaration of sulfites: This information appears if the sulfur level in a wine is above a certain limit. Wines labeled as 'Organic' will be free of any artificially added sulfites, while those labeled 'Made with organically grown grapes' will have some sulfites. Government health warning: Any wine bottled or imported for sale or distribution in the United States must have a health warning on the label. The illustration below shows a typical US wine label.

6. What is brunch? What are Buffet and its arrangement? Answer: Brunch is a meal that is eaten in the late morning or early afternoon, generally between the hours of 10 AM and 2 PM. A typical brunch combines elements of breakfast and lunch, reflecting the fact that it is supposed to serve for both meals. Many people associate it with the weekends, particularly Sundays, perhaps because many people are able to sleep in on the weekends, making a late breakfast and early lunch combination more appealing. Technically, like breakfast, this meal can be served on any day of the week. The term is a portmanteau of breakfast and lunch, and its first appearance was in 1896, in Punch magazine. Evidence seems to suggest that brunch originated in the British upper classes. Many upper-class homes gave servants partial or full days off on Sunday, so the staff would lay out a buffet spread in the morning that allowed people to

graze for breakfast and lunch items. Punch originally brought up brunch to lampoon it, and the tradition of making fun of this meal endures to this day in some circles. Any number of foods can be served at brunch, ranging from traditional breakfast foods like pancakes and sausages to more lunch-like items, like seafood cocktails. It often features heavy, greasy foods, perhaps because people might be hung-over when they consume it, and such foods are treated as hangover cures in some communities. Upscale brunch is often accompanied with mixed drinks like mimosas or bloody Marys, and sometimes champagnes served as well. Buffet: Traditional restaurant service used to begin with a customer ordering his or her meal from items listed on a menu. The restaurant controlled the selection and portion sizes in order to maximize the profit from each plate served. With the advent of buffet meals, however, many restaurants can serve a larger number of customers with a minimum level of staffing, thus improving their profit margins through volume sales. A buffet is generally a self-service form of dining in which the customer pays a fixed price and is entitled to select as much food as he or she wishes. The wait staff in a buffet restaurant may still refill beverages and remove plates, but there is no menu as such. Cooks prepare food in bulk, and runners replenish the selection of food as necessary. A buffet arrangement could consist of one long serving line with both cold and hot items, or a collection of smaller stations dedicated to a particular part of the meal, such as cold salads, meats, vegetables or desserts. A buffet may be completely self-serve, with appropriate serving tools such as slotted spoons or tongs, or there may be workers assigned to carve meats or prepare made-to-order dishes, such as egg omelets. The concept of an all-you-can-eat buffet arrangement is often credited to the Swedish tradition of a smorgasbord, but the modern buffet philosophy is a bit different than the Swedish tradition. A smorgasbord, which literally translates to "sandwich table," was designed to allow guests an opportunity to sample small portions of food. A true smorgasbord starts with cold fish-based appetizers and works its way through sandwiches, meat dishes and finally a dessert. A modern buffet may offer cold salads, hot meats and desserts, but the diner can decide the order and amount of food to consume. The first modern buffet-style restaurant most likely started in the earliest casinos operated in Las Vegas, Nevada. Casino owners wanted to find a way to provide their customers with the maximum amount of food with the least amount of staffing. A buffet appeared to be the ideal solution, since it kept gamblers inside the building and provided another attraction for those who passed by the casinos. Even today, Las Vegas casinos are nearly as well-known for their elaborate buffet arrangements as they are

for gambling or musical entertainment. Many cruise ships have also embraced the idea as a way to serve a large number of guests at one time. A buffet restaurant does indeed lose some money on overindulgent diners and expensive cuts of meat and seafood. This is considered to be an acceptable loss, since other diners may not eat nearly as much food or select the most expensive items. A buffet restaurant obtains much of its food from a wholesaler or middleman who can buy food in bulk at a substantial discount. The price of the meal generally helps the restaurant recoup most of itsraw food expenses, but volume helps pay for the staffing and other costs. Buffet-style dining has become very popular, especially when combined with a menu service in ethnic restaurants or steakhouses. Diners can control their own portion sizes and side dishes, even if they decide not to overindulge. This ability to self-select entrees and side dishes also makes a buffet dining arrangement ideal for occasions such as wedding receptions and holiday parties. Instructions on buffet arrangement 1. Setting Up the Buffet Table The table should be set up at a minimum height of 30 inches from the floor. It should be covered with a linen table cloth, even for a casual dinner party. A flower arrangement in the center of the table will add color and height. Choose an arrangement that fits with the size of the table. Put the plates, napkins and eating utensils at the end of the table. If your room allows it, have the table set where people can move down either side. Keep the serving dishes set far enough apart that guests can set their plates down in order to serve themselves. Group the foods. If offering more than one meat/vegetable/dessert, keep them together so your guests can see they have a choice. Tips & Warnings

Use large, sturdy plates. This will be more convenient for your guests and help prevent nasty and embarrassing messes. Do not have anything on the buffet that requires a knife. If something must be cut into portions it must be done before it is placed on the buffet table.

7. What are Healthy Beverage Guidelines? Answer: Introduction In the beginning there was waterabundant, refreshing, providing everything the body needs to replenish the fluids it loses. Humans relied on it as their only beverage for millions of years. Milk came next, with the advent of agriculture and the domestication of animals. Then beer and wine and coffee and tea, all drunk for taste and pleasure as much as for the fluids they provide. The newcomerssoft drinks, sports and energy drinks, and the likeoffer hydration but with a hefty dose of unnecessary calories that the body may have a hard time regulating. With so many choices, all with different, sometimes unexpected effects on health, it's easy to be confused about the "best" beverages for health. This prompted a group of nutrition experts from across the U.S. to form the independent Beverage Guidance Panel. These six researchers, including Dr. Walter C. Willett of the Harvard School of Public Health's Department of Nutrition, reviewed the evidence on beverages and health and ranked categories of beverages into six levels, based on calories delivered, contribution to intake of energy and essential nutrients, and evidence for positive and negative effects on health. (1) The winner? Water. But that doesn't mean that water is the only beverage that's good for your health, or that everyone needs to drink eight glasses of water a day. Beverage Guidelines from the Experts The Beverage Guidance Panel distilled its advice into a six-level pitcher, much as food experts have done with the food pyramid. The group published its recommendations in the March 2006 issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Here is a description of each level: Level 1: Water Water provides everything the body needspure H2Oto restore fluids lost through metabolism, breathing, sweating, and the removal of waste. It's the perfect beverage for quenching thirst and rehydrating your system. When it comes from the tap, it costs a fraction of a penny per glass. Water should be the beverage you turn to most of the time. Level 2: Tea and Coffee After water, tea and coffee are the two most commonly consumed beverages on the planet. Drunk plain, they are calorie-free beverages brimming with antioxidants, flavonoids, and other biologically active substances that may be good for health. Up to

three or four cups of coffee or tea a day appear to be fine. Green tea, especially the strong variety served in Japan, has received attention for its potential role in protecting against heart disease, while coffee may help protect against type 2 diabetes. (2, 3) More research on the health benefits of tea and coffee is needed, but one thing is for certain: The addition of cream, sugar, whipped cream, and flavorings can turn coffee or tea from a healthful beverage into a not-so-healthful one. For example, a 16ounce Mint Mocha Chip Frappuccino with Chocolate Whipped Cream contains 470 calories. Tucked in this beverage (which is actually closer to a dessert) are 12 grams of saturated fatnearly a day's worthand 71 grams of sugar, the equivalent of 17 teaspoons of sugar. (4) Keep in mind that for pregnant women, the jury is still out on whether high coffee or caffeine intakes increase the risk of miscarriage, but it seems prudent to limit caffeinated beverages to one cup per day. (For more information about coffee and chronic disease, see Ask.) Level 3: Low-Fat and Skim Milk and Soy Beverages For children, milk is a key source of calcium and vitamin D. Fortified soy milk is a good alternative source of calcium and vitamin D for those who prefer not to drink's cow's milk. Both are also good sources of protein and other essential micronutrients. Low-fat milk, sold as 1% or 1.5% milk, or skim milk, which is virtually fat-free, are the best choices because they contain much less saturated fat than reduced-fat milk or whole milk, which contain 2% and 4% milk fat, respectively. Even low-fat milk is high in calories, and high levels of consumption may increase the risk of prostate and ovarian cancer (see The Nutrition Source article Calcium and Milk: What's Best for Your Bones and Health? for more information). So it's best for adults to limit milk (and all dairy products) to a glass or two a day; less is fine, as long as you get enough calcium from other sources. For growing children, the ideal amount of milk and calcium is less clear, but not pushing beyond two glasses of milk per day appears to provide sufficient nutrition without being excessive. Level 4: Noncalorically Sweetened Beverages So-called diet sodas and other diet drinks are sweetened with calorie-free artificial sweeteners such as aspartame (Equal, NutraSweet, others), saccharin (Sweet'N Low, Necta Sweet, others), or sucralose (Splenda); a new addition to the market are drinks sweetened with stevia, a calorie-free sweetener made from the leaves of a South and Central American shrub. These diet drinks are a better choice than sugarsweetened soft drinks because they are lower in calories. But the possibility that they may contribute to weight gain suggests that they aren't an innocuous alternative to water, and should be drunk as the occasional treat rather than as a daily beverage. For those who find it difficult to give up full-calorie soda, these may be useful in making the transition to healthier beverages, like a nicotine patch can do for smokers.

Level 5: Caloric Beverages with Some Nutrients This category includes fruit juice, vegetable juice, whole milk, sports drinks, vitaminenhanced waters, and alcoholic beverages. Each has its pluses and minuses. Onehundred-percent fruit juice has most of the nutrients of the fruit itself, but it usually delivers more energy. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends no more than one serving (4 ounces) of 100% fruit juice as part of the daily fruit intake. Fruit smoothies are usually very high in calories, and so aren't recommended as daily beverages. Vegetable juice is a lower calorie alternative to fruit juice, but may contain a lot of sodium. Whole milk is a good source of calcium and vitamin D, but has nearly twice the calories as skim milk. Whole milk is also a significant source of saturated fat, with 4.5 grams per glass. Sports drinks have fewer calories than soft drinks, and offer small amounts of sodium, chloride, and potassium. They aren't needed by casual athletes or daily walkers. The only people who really need them are endurance athletes who exercise for more than an hour at a stretch and who sweat a lot. Vitaminenhanced waters, meanwhile, are not necessary for anyone who takes a daily multivitamin, and adding vitamins to a sugary drink does not make it a healthy choice. Alcohol may have benefits for some but may be hazardous for others, and entire books have been written on the subject (see The Nutrition Source article Alcohol: Balancing Risks and Benefits for more information). Level 6: Calorically Sweetened Beverages The Beverage Guidance Panel gave its "least recommended" designation to beverages that are sweetened with sugar, high-fructose corn syrup, or other high-calorie sweeteners and that have few other nutrients. These include carbonated and noncarbonated soft drinks, fruit drinks, lemonade, and other "ades." They get the thumbs down as a daily beverage because they provide so many calories and virtually no other nutrients. Routinely drinking these beverages can lead to weight gain and increase the risk of type 2 diabetes. Fruit smoothies, many flavored coffee and tea drinks, and some so-called energy drinks also fall into this category. (For a handy guide to the calories and sugar in popular beverages, seeHow Sweet Is It? on The Nutrition Source.) Putting It All Together: A Sample Beverage Plan Your body would be perfectly content if you drank nothing but water. You would get all the fluid you need, and you would get all of your nutrients from food. But with so many choices available, most people drink a variety of beverages. To give some perspective to choosing beverages, the Beverage Guidance Panel poured its recommendations into a pitcher (see our version below). The exact number of ounces isn't what's importantthese are given for a typical person taking in 2,200 calories a day. What matters are the proportions. Here's one way the Panel suggests getting less than 10 percent of daily calories from beverages:

At least half of your daily fluid should come from water. For a person who needs 12 cups of fluid a day, that would mean six cups of water. More is fineup to 100% of your daily beverage needs. About one-third (or about three to four cups) can come from unsweetened coffee or tea. If you flavor your coffee or tea with a lot of sugar, cream, or whole milk, then drinking less would help manage weight. If you take a pass on coffee or tea, choose water instead. Low-fat milk can make up another 20 percent, or about two 8-ounce glasses. Less is fine, just make sure you get your calcium from another source. A small glass (4 ounces) of 100% fruit juice, and no more than 1 to 2 alcoholic drinks for men or no more than 1 for women. Ideally, zero "diet" drinks made with artificial sweeteners, but up to 1 to 2 glasses (8 to 16 ounces) a day (this is adapted from the Beverage Guidance Panel's original recommendation of up to 32 ounces per day). Ideally, zero drinks sweetened with sugar or high-fructose corn syrup, but up to a maximum of 8 ounces.

Suggested beverage consumption pattern for a person who requires 2,200 calories per day, providing 10 percent of calories from beverages. The values 50, 28, 16, and 4 fluid ounces are shown for illustrative purposes only; the total should sum to 98 fluid ounces, as shown at the top of the figure. The range listed at each level refers to the Beverage Guidance Panel's suggested consumption range for each beverage. Caffeine is a limiting factor for coffee and tea consumption; up to 400 mg per day, or approximately 32 fluid ounces of coffee per day (can replace water). Noncalorically sweetened beverages can substitute for tea and coffee with the same limitations regarding caffeine, up to 16 fluid ounces per day (this is adapted from the Beverage Guidance Panel's original recommendation of up to 32 fluid ounces per day). Adapted with permission from Am. J. Clin. Nutr. (2006; 83:529-542), American Society for Nutrition.

8. Duties and responsibilities of Banquet Manager: Menu

As a banquet manager, you develop a menu that fits the guests' needs and expectations. To that end, you may consult with multiple members of the party and coordinate with chefs and servers. Banquets typically consist of several courses, which means you must be meticulous in your coordination to ensure that food quality is at its highest. Set-Up

Banquets can be extremely elaborate and even involve a theme. You must have the skills to conceive an idea and set up whatever props or layout the guests need to fulfill the theme. For example, if an insurance company requests a luau theme for their banquet, you might transform a room into a Hawaiian setting. In addition, banquets must accommodate anywhere from 20 to more than 1,000 people. Table set-up as well as proper plate, cutlery and stemware placement is very important. A banquet manager must oversee this operation. Staff Training

Employee training is an important job of the manager. As employees are hired they must be oriented not only in food service but also customer and guest relations. In

addition to general training, servers require specific instruction before an event, as every banquet is different. You must effectively explain to staff conditions such as plate placement, wine service and other guests' requests. Food Expedition

Because plating food usually happens right before it gets to the table, you will set up food plating stations either in the kitchen or outside the banquet hall. During this operation several people are on an assembly line where the food is placed on the plates and then brought to tables. The banquet manager is in charge of overseeing this activity and ensuring that food expedition is efficient. Guest Relations

Perhaps the most important duty you will have as a banquet manager is providing impecable customer service. You must anticipate the wants and needs of all attendees of the banquet. In addition, you must communicate well in order to create an understanding with guests. Overall, as banquet manager you must negotiate arrangements with guests and execute a banquet that exceeds guests' expectations.