Institutional Food Service Definition

An institution is just an organisation in which customs or patterns of behavior important to society.

Institutional food service definition. Food service operations include all companies organizations and individuals who prepare supply and serve food outside of the home environment. This includes restaurants catering operations institutional catering hotels and quick service operations. Institutional food service is just the provision of catering and food services to institutions. Historically institutional foodservice was mass produced often characterized as lacking quality variety and value which reflected badly on institutions and service providers seeking to retain the patronage and goodwill of consumers.

Managers hold a very important place in the running of restaurants and kitchens in all sorts of institutions. This industry includes restaurants school and hospital cafeterias catering operations and many other formats. The retail food sector does not include trade transactions or devices use in food service market segments such as the branded restaurant and the institutional food services segment which includes catering and distribution. Institutional food service can be defined as entities that provide meals at institutions including schools colleges and universities and hospitals as well as correctional facilities public and private cafeterias nursing homes and day care and senior centers.

The companies that supply foodservice operators are called foodservice distributors. Interest lies in their potential roles in sourcing food from regional farmers ranchers and processors thereby contributing to the development of regional food systems through farm to institution fti or farm to cafeteria. An interest in a culinary career may lead you to an interest in institutional food service management.