STORE

A store has to store commodities for several reasons. When prices are low, it may necessitate buying more than the normal requirement. If chances of shortages loom large, they may buy more to tide over the period of shortage. Moreover, there are several kinds of commodities and beverages such as rice, flours, wines and liquors which gain their qualities and values when stored for a long period.

Storing of all items is the basic responsibility of a storekeeper and the person must be well aware about the nature of materials to be stored, in particular about the shelve life of specific materials.

In a good class of hotel, there are approximately more than 700 items, which require storage.

As students of facility planning it becomes our responsibility to design a facility in a perfect manner so that every item can be stored under its optimum and desired to store condition.

Size and type of store facilities vary from hotel to hotel according to their size, nature of the business, traffic flow, volume of business and type of clientele, etc. A small hotel may have a general store for storing all its requirements, while a large hotel may have different storage areas/sections but the basic fundamentals of storage facilities will be the same as per the nature of the commodities.

A good amount of fund is always tied up with the store for the smooth operation of a hotel.

General understanding of the various terms we are likely to come across:–

Hygiene- The word derived from the Greek word Hygeia, which means the goodness of health. It is essential to form a clear conception of the importance of kitchen hygiene. The aim of ensuring satisfactory hygienic conditions is to prevent any food being served from becoming a source infection to the consumer.

Sterilization- It is the destruction of all pathogenic or disease-causing microorganisms including their spores.

Surfactants- This is formed by a blend of three words – surface, active and agent. These are wetting agents that lower the surface tension of a liquid, allowing easier spreading and lowering the interfacial tension between two liquids.

They are usually organic compounds that are amphiphilic, meaning they contain hydrophobic (water-repelling) and hydrophilic (water dissolving) groups. So, they are soluble in both organic solvents and water.

Surfactants have wide commercial use, such as cleaning agents, paints, adhesives, etc.

Detergents- These are chemical compounds that are used for cleaning purposes. They contain significant quantities of surfactants. In the hotel industry, they may be used singly or in combination with other cleansing agents to produce a detergent suitable for a specific use.

Soap- A compound of fat and soda, used in washing and cleansing.

Tarnish- It is a discoloration caused by the chemical reaction between a metal and other substance, such as cloth, furniture, etc.

Polivit- A perforated aluminum sheet, which is best used in an aluminum or galvanized iron bowl.

Par Stock- It is minimum cutlery, crockery, hollowware required to meet the daily demands of a kitchen facility so as to ensure smooth operation.

Inventory- It is a detailed list of goods, which are used in operations.

Food Store  A food store is a  clean, well ventilated, properly illuminated, easy to operate, efficient place used by a catering establishment according to catering policy.

A well-controlled store and cellar provides a daily check on all issues and costs, and helps to lower the cost of raw materials (food/beverage cost) by controlling pilferage, wastage and reducing the possibility of frauds by the user department.

The necessity to have a store

Apart from large hotel and restaurant chains, there are a lot of entrepreneurs who are not in favor of a store, as according to them

= why it is necessary when daily materials can be purchased on a regular basis

= why to keep a storekeeper and waste space and capital in equipment and furnishing of a store, but it is wrong.

Following are the reasons to have a store in a catering facility:-

• For successful and smooth operations
• A storekeeper can save double the amount of his salary by controlling theft, waste, and spoilage by-

# keeping a track on receiving and issuing control.

# maintaining records of shortage/spoilage.

# maintaining reasonable par stock as per business volume and popularity of menu items.

# psychological impact on various user department created by a storeroom.

Types of stores:- According to nature of food and beverage commodities, stores can be categorized as:-

Perishable food store:- Used to store perishable food items such as fish, meat, poultry, dairy products, game, fats, vegetables and fruits.

Frozen store:- Used for storing frozen foods, which must be placed immediately in a deep freeze.

Non-perishable items or dry store (groceries store):- Used for storing pulses, cereals, sugar, flour, jams, pickles, bottled foods, canned foods, breads, cakes etc.

Cellar:- It is a dark and silent room in the purchasing department, hidden from public view. It is run jointly by the purchase and F&B department. It is an ideal place to store alcoholic beverages as it is dark, airy and quiet, with a constant temperature and protected from unpleasant smells. If a true cellar is not available in a catering organization, a dark quiet place where the temperature remains constant can be fitted with wine bins and if necessary, with a humidifier.

A large hotel may have additional storage facilities other than F&B. They are:-

Linen store- for all types of linens

Stationery store- for all types of stationery items

Maintenance store- for all types of equipments, tools, fixtures, devices etc.

Audio-video store- for all types of audio/video facilities

F and B store- for storage of chinaware, glasses, tableware etc.

Layout of a good food store

Size and shape of a store room varies from establishment to establishment and depends on individual requirement, availability of source of supply, volume of business and inventory turnover.

Inventory turnover by 3 to 4 times a ideal condition and can be calculated by the formula:-

Rate of stock turnover = Cost of food consumed / Average value of stock at cost price

Illustration:- In 28 days trading period the cost of food consumed was Rs 60,000 and opening stock on day 1 was Rs 20,000 and closing stock on day 28 was Rs 10,000

Rate of stock turnover = 60,000 / (20,000 + 10,000)/2 = 60,000 / 15,000 = 4.0 times

In 28-day trading period the total volume of stock turnover is 4 times and that an average of 1 week’s stock was held during the period.

Average Space Required for Dry Storages

Storing food can be a great way to lower down food costs and prepare for the possibility that food shortages could occur. Beyond the essentials, exactly how much room is required for storing food and for how long ?

• There are several factors to take into consideration like:-

# Size of catering units

# Amount of space available for storage

# Length of time for storing (e.g. storing for 2-3 months)

The most important point that determines the space requirement for storage facility is the number of meals served in restaurant and clubs, or number of employees being served at a particular facility. A rough idea of the space required for storage of dry rations can be made on the basis of these points.

Restaurants and clubs:- Area required for dry storage based on number of meals.

Meals / day                100-200          200-350            350-500            500-1000

Sq. Ft. Reqd.              120-200          200-250           250-400             300-650

Employee Feeding or Staff Cafeteria:- Dry storage space area required

Meals / day                    400                800                 1200               1500

Sq. Ft. Reqd.             350-450         550-650          700-850          950-1050

Location:- Ideally it should be near the receiving zone where goods are delivered by various vendors, and it should be easily approachable by the person of any section authorized to receive issues. Facing north is right direction for a store so as to maintain a cool temperature and avoid sunshine.

Special Features, Cleanliness and Shelving

While designing the layout of a store following points to be kept in mind:-

1. Store should be airy and free from moisture (dampness).
2. Floors should be tough enough to hold heavy traffic and easy to clean and wash.
3. Maintenance of standard of hygiene requires that the walls and ceilings be free of cracks.
4. Sufficient lighting (natural and artificial) should be there in all areas (recommended level 30 foot candle) and storekeeper’s desk should be well illuminated (recommended level 70 foot candle- FCL).
5. Should have a separate issuing counter / window.
6. The ceiling should not be less than 12 ft from floor level.
7. There should not be any right angle corner between floor and wall to prevent accumulation of dirt.
8. The height of issuing counter (reception platform) should not be less than 30 inch from floor level and length should not be less than 36 inch. It should be well illuminated.
9. The recommended height of the racks is 8 ft from floor level and space between shelves may vary 50-90 cms and for stacking of small cans or jars it should not be less than 15 inch.
10. Racks should be arranged with a minimum distance from wall not less than 3 inch and same gap should be maintained between two racks.
11. A make-up counter is essential and should be located at the centre of the store for holding commodities before issuing to the user department.
12. Follow a minimum aisle space of approximately 36 inch for gangway.
13. For turning an average truck space required is 72 inch.
14. Storekeeper should be provided with a suitable working table along with space to keep documents.
15. Shelving –

a) for perishable foods:- Shelving should be slatted to permit maximum circulation of air in refrigerated facilities.

b) for non-perishable food items:- Solid steel shelving is preferred.

Workflow in stores

Flow of work at Store Facility

The basic aim of a food store is to maintain an adequate supply of foods for the immediate needs of the business with the very minimum loss through spoilage and pilferage.

The standard established for storing food should address the following principal concerns:-

1. Location of storage facilities
2. Layout of storage facilities
3. Condition of facilities and equipment
4. Arrangement of foods

Security of storage areas