The serving area, which includes the salad bar, steam table, bread and pastry counter, drink or beverage dispensers, should be cleaned after each meal. This area should be checked again before each meal to make sure it is clean and sanitary.

Salad Bar

Most salad bars are self-service and refrigerated. Salad bars range from the proportioned to the make your own type. A fully stocked, large variety salad bar is very popular with patrons of the GM. Often, it offers an alternative food source for weight-conscious patrons.

ARRANGEMENT OF SALAD ITEMS.Overcrowding items on the salad bar detracts from the overall appearance, hinders easy self-service, slows down the service, and generates confusion. Careful attention should be given to the arrangement of the salad items to prevent the customer from having to reach over one container of food to get to another. Particles of food are often dropped from one container to another, resulting in an unappetizing, unsatisfactory display of food.

REFRIGERATION OF SALAD INGREDIENTSFor proper refrigeration of ingredients, place all salad bar items in pans of in trays on a bed of ice, or on a mechanically refrigerated salad bar unit. Proper drainage is essential if salad items are set in ice.

When the use of ice is not possible, and the salad bar is not refrigerated, the bar should be large enough to accommodate shallow pans or trays of salad items. These trays of salad items should be kept under refrigeration until just before serving time. Because of the high room temperature of most messing areas, easily contaminated food should be placed on the salad bar in small quantities and replenished as needed. Examples of such foods are salad mixtures containing meat, fish, poultry, eggs, cooked salad dressing, and mayonnaise. Commercially prepared salad dressings in individual portions and opened bottled salad dressing should be refrigerated.

Hot Food

Hot food should be placed on the steam table just before serving time.The quantities of food placed on the serving table should be small and should be replenished frequently during the serving period. It will be necessary to use progressive cooking techniques to meet these requirements.

If possible, arrange hot foods in the following order: soup, main entree, sauce or gravy, potatoes or potato substitute, and vegetables. All short-order types of items for breakfast such as pancakes, ham slices, and eggs should be served from the grill on a prepared-to-order basis.

Heat and juices are lost so quickly from sliced meats, Roasts are more palatable when carved on the serving line as the customers come through because most of the natural juices and the heat will be retained. Meat carving is covered later in this chapter.

Cold Food

Keeping cold foods, such as salads, properly chilled also requires planning and preparation. Salads contribute a great deal to the meal; they add variety, make meals more attractive, and help balance the meal. Because self-service salad bars are used increasingly in the GM, this method of serving salads is covered in another section in this chapter.

Desserts and Pastries

When possible, separate the dessert bar from the serving line and place it in the center of the messing area. Using this setup, the patrons can pick up desserts after eating the main course.

Desserts should be set in a tempting arrangement. Serve cleanly cut slices of pie and evenly sliced squares of cakes and cookie bars. Puddings and other similar desserts should be spooned neatly in bowls or dishes. Most desserts should be proportioned and replenished frequently to the serving line. If a special occasion cake is prepared, set the unsliced cake on the serving line. This will allow the decorated cake to be seen before it is sliced. Slice and proportion the cake on plates as the customers approach the dessert bar. One or two whole baked pies can be set on the serving line with sliced portions of the pie.

Highly perishable desserts such as cream puddings and pies, custards, fruit gelatin desserts, cream puffs, and eclairs should be served chilled. Place them on refrigerated units or on trays over ice. Keep ice cream frozen. Whipped toppings should be served cold. Serve toppings from a small container and replenish frequently.

Locate dessert dishes for ice cream next to the ice-cream freezer. If soft ice cream is served, place

paper cones or sugar cones near the machine. Sundae toppings should be located near the ice cream. If pie a la mode is the featured dessert, add scoops of ice cream as the dining patrons select the pie. Ice-cream pies should remain frozen. Place only a few slices of ice-cream pie on the serving line and replenish as required.

When preportioning desserts, you should provide a smaller portion with the standard size for the weight-conscious patrons.

Beverages

Cold drinks and juices should not be dispensed by ladle from an insert; milk dispensers or other appropriate dispensers should be used. Do not serve juices from their original container unless the cans are the individual size. Juices may be dispensed from beverage coolers or pitchers. Proportioned juices speed service and aid in portion control and can be replenished as required.

Serving Line Arrangement

A well-arranged serving line operates quickly and smoothly. Each customer can select the food that is desired and can get the food to the table while it is still at the proper eating temperature. Some of the planning techniques used to accomplish these goals are explained next.

Careful arrangement of hot and cold foods is extremely important. Personnel should be routed to avoid delay and unnecessary congestion in serving and dining areas.

If the physical setup allows, salad bars should be stationed where the patron can stop first before approaching the hot food serving line. Eliminating the stop at the salad bar en route to the tables will enable the hot food to be eaten while still hot.

If possible, separate the dessert bar from the serving line and place it in the center of the dining area. Using this setup, the patrons can pick up desserts after eating the main course. A reduction in the number of desserts convinced and a decrease in tray waste will usually be noticed.

Place trays and bowls at the head of the serving line. Silverware should be at the end of the serving line. Cups and glasses should be placed near the beverage dispensers. GMs with false overheads, wooden paneling, brand new equipment, and a showplace galley will enhance the atmosphere. However, the key to customer satisfaction is good food, well served.

Speed Line

Equipment specifically recommended for fast-food application is laborsaving and offers an activity a modern upgrade. Yet, fast food products are easily prepared in older, unmodified galleys.

For many years ships and shore activities have had a speed line in addition to a normal cafeteria-style full serving line.

The benefits GMs gain using both a normal and a speed line are as follows:

  Reduce their waiting lines

*Provide the sailors with a more pleasant atmosphere

  Prepare highly acceptable, easily prepared food items using modem, high-production equipment Most often, speed line items and recommended menus can be prepared and served in any GM without equipment changes or additions. An exception is when extruded french fries are to be prepared. The Armed Forces Recipe Service AAFRS) has recipes that can be used as speed line items.