Types of Restaurants and their Characteristics
A restaurant is a place where food and drinks are sold and served to customers. There are different types of restaurants that have evolved to meet the dynamic demands of consumers. The following are some well-known types of restaurants and their special features:
Bistro: It is a small restaurant that serves simple food and wine at moderate prices. Stewed meats are typical dishes served in a bistro. It may not have printed menus.
Brasserie – Formal restaurant serving drinks, light fare, and other meals. The waiters wear the traditional uniform of long aprons and waistcoats.
Cafeteria: mainly serves snacks and drinks 24 hours a day; however, you can serve all three meals. This concept has come from the US A ‘deck’ is a term that refers to a place with the necessary cutlery, crockery and glassware required at the beginning of service for one person. Although the main feature is 24-hour operation, some coffee shops may close early, depending on their location.
Specialty Restaurant: serves specialty dishes that are its strength and contribute to the brand image. Operates during lunch and dinner hours, between noon and 3 pm and between 7 pm and 11 pm The restaurant’s ambiance and décor reflects the specialty restaurant theme. Dishes from a particular region of a country or a particular set of people are also called ethnic cuisine.
Fine Dining Restaurant: This type of restaurant mainly caters to the requirements of the affluent market segment who wants to experience fine dining. The restaurant may offer dishes from a particular region or country or exotic dishes from various cuisines, wines, spirits and digestifs. Open mainly during dinner. The atmosphere and decoration of the restaurant will be elegant and rich. The serving staff employed are skilled and have a solid understanding of the dishes being served. The restaurant employs sommeliers to serve wine and other alcoholic beverages.
Popular restaurant: This type of restaurant is casual, but hygienically maintained and located in a busy area, such as bus stands, railway stations, shopping area, etc., which meets the requirements of the middle class and customers who are find themselves in a bind. The menu can be displayed on a board in a prominent location or printed and laminated. It operates from 7 am to 11 pm. Food is served in the kitchen and brought to the table on a tray and served. Service standards are low and informal. The space is used to the maximum to accommodate more decks. Seat turnover is very high, but average revenue per deck is low.
During busy lunch hours, these restaurants serve business lunches, mini-lunches, and thalis in a separate area to speed up service.
Dhaba – It is a roadside food stall found on the national and state highways, mainly catering to the requirements of the crew of heavy vehicles. It specializes in Ounjabi cuisine and Tandoor cuisine, serving very limited freshly prepared dishes. The service is very informal and cutlery is hardly used. The dishes served here are cheap and taste like home cooking.
Fast Food Place – The concept of fast food was first introduced in the US and has now become popular all over the world. It is characterized by the speed of service and the affordable price of the menu items. Changes in eating habits, the lack of time available to wait at the table and eat, the increase in the number of working women, the advancement in food processing technology, the growth of the adolescent market, etc., have contributed to the success of fast food operations. . It is located in a busy area.
Rotisserie: This type of restaurant specializes in grilled or broiled meat, poultry, and fish, which are prepared in front of diners.
Barbecue restaurant: the pieces of meat, chicken, fish, vegetables, paneer, etc. marinades are inserted into skewers and cooked over live charcoal or electric grill. It is usually located near a swimming pool, rooftop, lawn, by the sea, etc., and is open during the evening hours.
Disco: Operates through the night and offers dinner, dancing, and live entertainment. The cabarets or floor shows are the main attraction of the club. Guests must wear formal clothing.
Nightclubs charge an entrance fee.
Discotheque: operates at night. Provide a dance floor for guests to dance on. A special sound and lightning effect is created for an appropriate ambiance. Drinks, especially beer, and snacks are available during operations. The service is very informal. It is frequented mainly by young people and couples. Entry is limited to a certain number of guests based on floor/room capacity and an entry fee is charged.
Ice Cream Parlor: Serves different types of ice cream-sundae, coupe, bombe, cassata, etc. These ice creams are stored in ice cream containers and kept in clear glass refrigerated displays. Ice cream parlors can be a franchise or an independent one that makes its own varieties of ice cream. The seating arrangement and service are very informal. Guests can eat on the premises or have it packed up and to go.
Café: This is a restaurant of French origin, serving mainly coffee and snacks. The French colonies in India, but they served Indian snacks like vada, samosas, bonda, etc., along with coffee and cakes. Customers are served at the table following the American style, which increases the turnover of seats, but the average income per tapa is low due to the lower price of the dishes.
Cafeteria: The traditional cafeteria system consists of a straight line of counters containing a variety of hot and cold items. The cashier at the end of the counter issues invoices for the selected items and collects payment. This form is widely followed in institutional and industrial catering establishments.
In the modern ‘free flow cafeteria’ system, the counters are segregated according to the type of dishes on offer: hot or cold, appetizers, soups, breads, sandwiches, main courses, salads, pastas, etc. In most cafeteria-style operations in India, guests pay at the counter in advance for the items they wish to eat and collect them against the bill at the appropriate counters. Coffee shops are located in train stations, movie theaters, shopping complexes, university premises, office premises, etc., where the guest expects prompt service.
Food Court: Refers to a series of independent food stalls, each serving food. Customers order the food they want to have and consume it in a common dining room. The types of dishes offered represent local cuisine and dishes that are popular around the world. Food courts are found in large shopping complexes, entertainment complexes, amusement parks, airports, etc., where there is high customer traffic.
Kiosk: It is a small permanent or temporary structure on a sidewalk from which items such as coffee, tea, chocolates, cakes, savory, etc. can be sold. Most kiosks do not have seating provision.
Drive-In: Customers enter, park their vehicles in a parking lot, and remain seated in their vehicles. Waiters go to customers with menu cards, pick up orders and deliver food on specially designed trays and customers remain stationary while they eat.
Oyster Bar: is a restaurant that specializes in serving fresh oysters. The oysters are opened or shelled behind the counter, in full view of the diners. Fresh oysters are served on a bed of crushed ice with an oyster cruet, whole wheat bread, and butter.
Pub: Mainly serves various types of beer, especially draft beer and snacks.
Bars: offers all kinds of liquors such as whiskey, rum, gin, vodka, brandy, tequila, wines, and beers. Hotels and restaurants have an additional bar in the restaurant/food service area to dispense wine, beer and spirits during service, called a dispenser bar.
Carvery: It is a restaurant that serves roast meats and poultry, which are carved at the cutting counter by a carver in the presence of the guests. A three or four course table d’hôte menu is offered with roast meat or poultry as the main course.