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CHAPTER 9
FOODSERVICE
Excellence in foodservice is essential to the health,
morale, and efficiency of all Navy personnel.
Good foodservice begins with you as the MS in the
galley. The food must be properly prepared to look,
taste, and smell good. It should be brought to the serving
line in appropriate containers and be served in attractive
portions by properly trained, neat, and clean foodservice
personnel.
The serving lines and all the serving
operat ions should be arranged so foods are served at the
proper temperature.
One of the most important traits that you, the MS,
should have is a genuine feeling for people and a sincere
service-oriented attitude. Good customer relations start
with you. You should have a positive attitude toward
your job and the customers you service. Attitudes have
a major influence on people. A poor attitude will destroy
all the hard work that has been put into the preparation
and service of the meal. The key to good customer
relations is to treat a customer the way you would like
to be treated if you were a customer. The way you
conduct your.self can make or break the meal regarding
customer satisfaction.
Always remember that the MS rating is a
people-oriented rating and customer service is of the
utmost importance.
GENERAL MESS
General mess (GM) foodservice begins in the galley
with the preparation of the food. It is equally important
that food be properly served. The guidelines for
attractive food presentation and serving techniques in
the GM are geared to cafeteria and fast-food operations.
Wardroom styles of food presentation and serving
techniques are discussed later in this chapter.
APPLICABLE EQUIPMENT
Foodservice equipment used for preparing food was
discussed in chapter 4.
We will now address the
equipment associated with serving food.
Steam Table Pans
To make sure an appetizing appearance is
maintained, use shallow steam table inserts for serving
both vegetables such as mashed potatoes, broccoli, and
cauliflower and meat items such as breaded veal cutlets
or baked pork chops. If french-fried eggplant is stacked
in a deep insert, the first few customers served will
receive acceptable portions; everyone else will be
served a soggy portion. If the eggplant is spread loosely
in a shallow insert, you will know that all the customers
served will receive an appetizing, palatable portion.
Standard-sized inserts can be used to serve items
such as fried chicken, baked potatoes, and macaroni. If
foods require cooking in larger pans such as roasting
pans or sheet pans, food items should be transferred to
an awaiting insert on the serving line. Lasagna should
be prepared in full-sized shallow steam table pans to
prevent destroying the appearance and to increase the
overall acceptability of the product. All food items
should be covered to prevent shriveling or drying out,
Many recipes are prepared in steam table pans thus
eliminating the need for transferring the cooked food
into steam table pans on the line.
Serving Utensils
Serving utensils and serving techniques go hand in
hand. You cannot serve properly without the right
utensils. Using the right serving tool for each dish has
several advantages. It simplifies foodservice, exercises
portion control, reduces food waste, and maintains a
more appetizing appearance of foods in pans on the
serving line.
Portion sizes appropriate for each meal is the
responsibility of the galley watch captain. If the menu
features two vegetables, preparation of full portions of
both may result in plate waste. The portion size shown
on the recipe card is a guide, not a rule. Appropriate
portion sizes are shown on the food-preparation
worksheet. You should periodically check excess tray
waste. Portion sizes should be reduced if there is food
waste. The patron who desires more will request larger
portions. If the portions are hard to control, use
ice-cream scoops.
9-1
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