Hospitality Studies – evaluating hospitality locations (restaurants and cafes) theory lesson

A PPT used to structure a lesson for evaluating hospitality locations (restaurants and cafes). The lesson begins with some settling activities. The first is a question asking students whether they know the difference between sanitising and disinfecting (a poster pops up which explains the differences). There is an activity where they have to look at a series of images of a worker doing something wrong and identify the hazard + explain why it is dangerous + recommend what should have been done.

This is followed by an explanation of the criteria they will be assessed with for their upcoming exam (and the relevant cognitive verbs).

Following this the students are introduced to an acronym (W.A.T.C.H.E.D) which they can use to explain the personal presentation markers that people expect of hospitality staff. The cognitive verb ‘evaluate’ is explained. Then a list of criteria for evaluating a restaurant / café is put forward and explained over a series of slides.

Some factors that come into play when evaluating restaurants and cafes include:

1. the atmosphere,
2. the cleanliness,
3. the service and
4. the food.

There is a bank of words to describe the atmosphere of a premises. There are some images of places for students to practice describing the atmosphere – Cactus Jacks (Townsville) and Bubba Gump Shrimp Co (New Orleans). Students are asked to consider how music can contribute to the atmosphere of a venue.

The importance of cleanliness and prompt service is emphasised. Another priority is having staff who are aware of the ingredients in the various orders so that they can provide advice to people with specific allergens. Some rules for serving are included in dot point form. There is information about when to serve from the left and when to serve from the right + how to know when a customer is ready for you to clear the plates. Some table clearing etiquette.

Some tips for evaluating food offered by the venue is provided. criteria include plating and presentation, vale for money, appropriate portion sizes, taste, options for people with dietary requirements etc. Some tips about good plating (and examples of bad plating) are provided. A word bank is provided for describing food appearance, aroma, texture and taste. To conclude, some things that can go wrong with beverages and recommended solutions are included.

Resources designed for use in an 11 Hospitality Practices class in Australia (2019 curriculum). Unit 1: Introduction to Hospitality, Topic 1: Beverage operations and services. My school has 70-minute lessons. The assessment at the end of this unit was an examination (short response).