Types of catering establishment

Various catering establishments are categorised by the 
nature of the demands they meet. The following are some of the 
catering establishments. 

• Restaurant
• Transport Catering
• Airline Catering
• Railway Catering
• Ship Catering
• Surface Catering
• Outdoor Catering
• Retail Store Catering
• Club Catering
• Welfare Catering
• Industrial Catering
• Leisure-Linked Catering

Restaurant
A restaurant is an establishment that serves the customers 
with prepared food and beverages to order, to be consumed on the 
premises. The term covers a multiplicity of venues and a diversity of 
styles of cuisine. Restaurants are sometimes also a feature of a 
larger complex, typically a hotel, where the dining amenities are 
provided for the convenience of the residents and for the hotel to 
maximize their potential revenue. Such restaurants are often open to 
non-residents also. 
Transport Catering
The provision of food and beverages to passengers, before, 
during and after a journey on trains, aircraft and ships and in buses 
or private vehicles is termed as transport catering. These services 
may also be utilised by the general public, who are in the vicinity of a 
transport catering unit. The major forms of modern day transport 
catering are airline-catering, railways catering, ship catering and 
surface catering in coaches or buses which operate on long distance 
routes. 
Airline Catering
Catering to airline passengers on board the air craft, 
as well as at restaurants situated at airport terminals is 
termed as airline catering. Modern airports have a variety of 
food and beverage outlets to cater to the increasing number 
of air passengers. Catering to passengers en route i s 
normally contracted out to a flight catering unit of a reputed 
hotel or to a catering contractor or to the catering unit 
operated by the airline itself as an independent entity. 
Railway Catering
Catering to railway passengers both during the 
journey as well as during halts at different railway stations is 
called railway catering. Travelling by train for long distances 
can be very tiring; hence a constant supply of a variety of 
refreshment choices helps to make the journey less tedious. 
On-board meal services are also provided on long distance 
trains. 
Ship Catering
Ship catering is catering to cargo crew and passenger 
ship passengers. Ships have kitchens and restaurants on 
board. The quality of service and facilities offered depends on 
the class of the ship and the price the passengers are willing 
to pay. There are cruises to suit every pocket. They range 
from room service and cocktail bars to speciality dining 
restaurants. 
Surface Catering
Catering to passengers traveling by surface transport 
such as buses and private vehicles is called surface catering. 
These eating establishments are normally located around a 
bus terminus or on highways. They may be either 
government run restaurants, or privately owned 
establishments. Of late there has been a growing popularity 
of Punjabi style eateries called dhabas on the highways. 
Outdoor Catering
This catering includes the provision of food and drink away 
from home base and suppliers. The venue is left to the peoples' 
choice. Hotels, restaurants and catering contractors meet this 
growing demand. The type of food and set up depends entirely on 
the price agreed upon. Outdoor catering includes catering for 
functions such as marriages, parties and conventions. 

Retail Store Catering
Some retail stores, apart from carrying on their primary 
activity of retailing their own wares, provide catering as an additional 
facility. This type of catering evolved when large departmental stores 
wished to provide food and beverages to their customers as a part of 
their retailing concept. It is inconvenient and time consuming for 
customers to take a break from shopping, to have some 
refreshments at a different location. Thus arouse the need for some 
sort of a dining facility in the retail store itself. This style of catering is 
becoming more popular and varied nowadays. 
Club Catering
Club catering refers to the provision of food and beverages to 
a restricted member clientele. Some examples of clubs for people 
with similar interests are turf clubs, golf clubs, cricket clubs etc. The 
service and food in these clubs tend to be of a fairly good standard 
and are economically priced. 
Night clubs are usually situated in large cities that have an 
affluent urban population. They offer entertainment with good food 
and expensive drinks. 
Welfare Catering
The provision of food and beverages to people to fulfil a 
social obligation, determined by a recognised authority, is known as 
welfare catering. This grew out of the welfare state concept, 
prevalent in western countries. It includes catering in hospitals, 
schools, colleges, the armed forces and prisons. 
Industrial Catering
The provision of food and beverages to 'people at work,' in 
industries and factories at highly subsidised rates is called industrial 
catering. It is based on the assumption that better fed employees at 
concessional rates are happy and more productive. Catering for a 
large workforce may be undertaken by the management itself, or 
may be contracted out to professional caterers. Depending on the 
choice of the menu suggested by the management, catering 
contractors undertake to feed the workforce for a fixed period of time 
at a predetermined price. 
Leisure-Linked Catering
This type of catering refers to the provision of food and 
beverages to people engaged in 'rest and recreation' activities. This 
includes sale of food and beverages through different stalls and 
kiosks at exhibitions, theme parks, galleries and theatres. The 
increase in the availability of leisure time and a large disposable 
income for leisure activities has made it a very profitable form of 
catering.