System catering - definition

System catering is a multi-faceted segment of the hospitality industry that integrates two core components:

Gastronomy and systematization. This area focuses on the commercial (= for profit) sale and consumption of food and beverages, an activity that is carried out in a variety of business forms, e.g. restaurants, self-service restaurants, cafés or bistros, snack bars, pubs or bars. These include traditional restaurants, self-service restaurants, cafés, bistros, fast food outlets, pubs and bars. System catering is characterized by its structure: the organization and the offer are developed uniformly (= standardized) from a central location and transferred (= multiplied) to several individual businesses. This standardization ensures uniform processes and offers in all participating establishments and thus sets it apart from so-called individual gastronomy, which is known for its diversity and less strict regulations.

System catering Definition and delimitation

System catering sells and serves standardized food for a fee. Its concept can be multiplied across several establishments and is controlled by a company headquarters. It differs from individual gastronomy (or classic gastronomy) in its systematized character. Standardization ensures uniform processes and offers in all establishments.

Characteristics of system catering

The defining characteristics of system catering include

Standardization: Compared to traditional gastronomy, system gastronomy has a higher degree of standardization. Work processes and recipes are specified by the system headquarters and are implemented uniformly in the establishments.
Multiplication: The concept and offer are multiplied and offered at different locations. This can happen regionally, nationally or even globally, as with well-known burger chains.
Central corporate management: Important decisions and guidelines are controlled from a central location, be it a head office, system center or head office.

Standards in system and individual gastronomy

In gastronomy, standards are characterized by traditions, from cooking recipes to table setting. Individual gastronomy offers flexibility, with less strict guidelines. Here, the focus is on the individual actions of the employees, emphasized by professional correctness and appropriate guest behavior. Recipes often belong personally to the chef and change with his or her changes.

In contrast, system catering relies on a high degree of standardization. Central company management specifies work processes and the businesses implement them. Management tasks focus on determining the level of standardization in order to optimize guests and the company. Some businesses adhere strictly to predefined product ranges, while others allow regional variations. The customer approach varies between strict specifications and an individual approach.

The challenge lies in the development of practicable standards, adapted to employee skills. Restaurants without specialist staff adapt service standards, for example simple cashiering by shift supervisors. Effective internal and external communication of these standards is important.

Advantages of system standards

Standardization in system catering offers several advantages:

Quality assurance: Standards help to ensure the consistently high quality of the products and services offered.
Cost efficiency: Standardized processes and purchases can optimize costs such as the use of goods and personnel costs.
Familiarity and trust: Customers appreciate the reliability and trust in the familiar range and quality.

Well-known example of system catering

Leading brands such as McDonald’s, famous for its iconic burgers and fries, Starbucks, which offers a wide range of specialty coffees, and Subway, which is known for its customizable sandwiches, dominate the system catering segment. KFC, with its famous fried chicken, and Burger King, which focuses on burgers in a similar way to McDonald’s, are also important players in this segment. These brands symbolize the success story of system catering, which is characterized by efficiency, uniformity and worldwide availability.

Summary:

System catering, an essential part of the hospitality industry, combines the principles of gastronomy with systematic and standardized processes. It concentrates on the commercial sale and consumption of food and beverages, which takes place in a variety of operating forms such as restaurants, cafés, bistros, snack bars and bars. In contrast to individual gastronomy, which is characterized by greater flexibility and individual freedom of choice, system gastronomy is based on the standardization and systematization of its operating processes and offerings, which are developed centrally by a system headquarters and transferred to several establishments.

A characteristic feature of system catering is the uniform design of work processes and recipes, which are specified centrally and implemented uniformly in the establishments. This is in contrast to individual gastronomy, where recipes are often the personal property of the chef and can vary individually..

System catering offers numerous benefits, including ensuring quality, increasing cost efficiency and building trust with customers through consistent adherence to standards. Management tasks include determining the depth and breadth of standardization, developing practical standards tailored to the skills of employees and communicating these standards effectively both internally and externally