- Establish Menu
- Identify what needs to be purchased; Search for bargains
- Locate specialty items if needed
- Identifying equipment needs which includes: serving spoons to steam tables
- Ensure adequate staffing
- Ensure staff is properly trained (i.e. safety, health department requirements, finance procedures, food booth routines etc…..),
- Work closely with the Festival Food Booth Chairman on the booth needs.
The food booth captain job typically requires the person to be at the festival the whole weekend beginning with Thursday night set up. Below is a recap of these activities in more detail.
The Menu
The food booth captain is responsible for determining the final menu of what will be sold in their booth. Many food booths have long established successful menus that they use year after year. For example the Filipino booth sells meat sticks, the Ice Cream Booth sells banana splits, and the Pizza Booth sells various types of Pizza. However, each year the menu is evaluated to determine if changes should be made. This is usually based on prior year sales and profitability. For example the Ice Cream booth determined that they sold very little banana splits and sundaes with butterscotch and marshmallow topping so they eliminated this item from their menu, the Filipino booth added a cantaloupe drink to their menu one year which was a success, the Mexican booth added tostadas to their menu one year which did not sell well so they eliminated this item the following year, and the Pizza booth decided to add a Hawaiian Pizza to their menu the year the festival was Hawaiian themed.
Establish Pricing
The food booth captain is responsible for pricing the items sold by the booth with the exception of sodas and water which is established for all booths by the festival committee. Consideration is made of prior years pricing, booth expenses and profitability from prior years when determining a price. The captain is also responsible for making signs listing the menu items and prices for the booths. Through the years signs have become very creative. Some booths take a digital photo of their product and display it in their booth as a way to entice perspective buyers. This technique is very successful.
Identifying Supply Needs
Once the menu is finalized the booth captain identifies supply needs. This includes all food items, tables needed, large equipment needs such as BBQs, steam tables, fryers, microwaves, small equipment items such as crock pots, tongs, serving spoons, pens, and special packaging needs. Please note that the “Food Booth Chairman” ensures that there are plenty of paper plates, plastic forks, spoons, knifes and cups in supply. If a booth needs a specialty item then it is up to the Food Booth Captain to let the chairman know. For example the Ice Cream Booth needs a special banana split dish, the Margarita booth needs a special cup for the Margaritas and the year that the Filipinos featured their cantaloupe drink they requested a special tall clear plastic cup. Note: The Food Booth Chairman has a record of food supplies ordered each year and will provide a copy to the captain as a reference prior to ordering supplies.
Staffing Needs
The Captains are responsible for ensuring that they have enough resources to run the booth and they are scheduled accordingly. Typically less staff is needed during the daytime hours. The busiest time for food booths is during the dinner hours such as after 6:00 pm on Fridays, after the 5:30 p.m. mass on Saturday and Sunday from 5:00 p.m. to closing. Some booths may experience an increase in customers after the 12:00 p.m. mass on Sunday. Sign up sheets for each booth are placed outside of mass each Sunday before the festival for sign ups. These sheets are typically given to booth captains one week before the festival so they can determine if there are shifts that require additional resources. In the pass booth captains have called upon friends and relatives to work those shifts. The food booth captains are also responsible for calling volunteers and reminding them that they have signed up to work.
Staff Training
Captains are responsible for training all staff. This includes booth routines such as food preparation, ordering, and pick-up, reviewing the menu items sold, health department requirements, finance procedures, safety rules, and enforcing the “no alcohol” rules. This is an ongoing activity throughout the weekend as with each shift there are new staff members that come to work the booth.
Set Up
Food booth set up begins the Thursday before the festival weekend. This includes validating that equipment has been received, placing tables in booths, decorating booths, placing signs on booths, and any food preparation that is required. For example the Italians begin making their sauce the Thursday before the festival. On the Friday of the festival the Captain will typically come early to set up the booth with supplies (paper plates, utensils, crock pots, etc…) prior opening.
Nightly Inventory
Each evening the food booth captain takes inventory of all their supplies to determine if a special purchase is needed. Typically the “Food Booth Chairman” visits each booth around 9:00 p.m. to take special orders. Also if an emergency purchase is needed during the weekend the captain will notify the chairman as well. The food booth captain is also responsible for food pick-ups of specialty items. For example the Mexican Booth had tamales made fresh each day for the festival. The booth captain is responsible for either picking up the tamales each day or coordinating with the Food Booth Chairman the pick up.
Nightly Clean Up and Equipment Maintenance
Captains are responsible for ensuring that food booths are cleaned-up each night and dishes are washed. They are also responsible for periodically checking on equipment. For example, steam tables require a certain amount of water which is usually designated on the table by some sort of engraved line. The captain needs to ensure that the water level does not get too low.
Closing
Captains are responsible for clean up of their booths and equipment (pots, pans, slow cookers, etc.) once the festival is over. They are also responsible for ensuring that reusable supplies make their way back to the garage (i.e. cups, plates, napkins, hair nets, etc….). If a festival appreciation dinner has been scheduled then booth captains are also responsible for ensuring that the staff knows of the date and time of the dinner.
Expense Reimbursement
There are instances when booth supplies are purchased by a booth captain. This usually occurs when specialty items are purchased such as special cheese for the Italian booth, tamales for the Mexican booth and egg roles for the Filipino booth. The captain is responsible for submitting an “expense claim” to the Festival Finance Chairperson with details of the expense. The expense must be accompanied by a receipt. It is important that the receipts are turned in timely to ensure reimbursement.
No comments:
Post a Comment