In the catering industry, the main economic unit is the catering enterprise. The task of the catering enterprise is production, sale of culinary products and other food products and provision of services to consumers.
According to the type of activity, catering companies are divided into:
• monogamous (milk bars, cafes),
• multi-generic (restaurants, self-service bars).
According to the number of plants included in the enterprise, they are divided into:
• single-site,
• multi-site:
- small (do 10 establishments),
- medium (10-40 establishments),
- big (above 40 establishments).
The main part of the enterprise is the gastronomic facility. Catering establishments are divided into:
• Open catering establishments, which meet the needs of all consumers, np. restaurants, cafes.
• Closed catering establishments, which meet the needs of a specific group of consumers, np. staff canteens.
• Special nutrition establishments, np. canteens in hospitals, in holiday homes.
The results of a catering establishment are influenced by its equipment with machines and work tools. Good equipment contributes to a more economical use of resources, to save working time while reducing the physical effort of employees, to streamline and raise the level of customer service.
In addition to the selection of machines, it is also important to arrange them in individual rooms and workstations. Full use of the machines is ensured by setting them in one functional sequence, in accordance with the course of the technological process.
The modernization of catering establishments involves the installation of machines with greater efficiency, introducing devices that facilitate production processes and ensure higher quality of produced dishes.
Mechanization of catering establishments reduces the labor intensity of individual activities, making work more efficient. The increase in work efficiency is illustrated, for example, in the following table:
| Action | Performance
work manual |
Mechanized work efficiency |
| peeling potatoes | 15 kg/h | 150-330 kg/h |
| cabbage shredding | 15 kg/h | 80-200 kg/h |
| grinding meat | 20 kg/h | 50-300 kg/h |
| forming dumplings | 2,25 kg/h | 62,5-100 kg/h |
| frying cutlets | 18 kg/h | 45 kg/h |