Advanced Certificate in Food & Beverage Services

Study to Get to the Top of the Food & Beverage Industry

Hospitality is a major employer through enterprises ranging from hotels, resorts and guesthouses to restaurants and catering businesses.

This course provides knowledge and opportunities both for those who already work in hospitality or food services and those who hope to forge a career or start a business in this rewarding industry.

Learn to Manage a Restaurant, Café or Catering Business

Success in the hospitality industry is not just a matter of being able to do the job.  It is also very much dependent upon the attitude you have and the decisions you make.  This course is different to many others, because it goes well beyond just teaching you knowledge and skills in food and beverage service.  It is an "experiential based" learning program; designed to get you involved with cooks, waiters and staff within the industry.

The industry is changing faster than ever; and will continue to change; and for ongoing success you need to become "connected" and remain "connected."

How to better prepare for a Career in Food Service

• A learning program such as this helps open doors, but it's only part of what you need

• The things you learn throughout this course will help your career far more than the actual qualification -remember that as you study, and learn as much as you can.

• Experience is essential; even if it is unpaid -Volunteering can be a great way to get a leg in the door

• Experiment with cooking at home. People who know about a greater range of foods and beverages will impress employers; and customers.

• Networking is critical -We show you how and get you started in this course. Often it's who you know as much as what you know that gets you the job

• Build your communication skills. This is a service industry. You need to deal with people, communicating clearly and concisely. 

• Be prepared to do anything to get started. Many successful professionals started out sweeping floors and making coffee.

People who communicate well, know their foods and are well networked will have more chance of a successful career than someone with a qualification but lacking those things.

If your studies are to be an advantage, you need to get the lot; not just the qualification.

Modules

Note that each module in the Advanced Certificate in Food & Beverage Services is a short course in its own right, and may be studied separately.

How to be a Stand Out Success

Success is also very much dependent upon the attitude you have and the decisions you make.

Many people excel in their knowledge of food and hospitality services; but never progress beyond being a low level job in a kitchen or restaurant -perhaps because they don't see other opportunities, or perhaps because they don't act on opportunities they see.

If you want to be very successful; have a sustained career, and earn well; you need to learn more than just how to provide hospitality services. This course does that. Some courses don't.

Where can this course lead?

Some graduates find employment in larger organisations such as hotels or reception centres; but for most of the more successful graduates, they will eventually be operating their own business.

Whichever route you follow, the strong foundation gained through this course will set you on a have a great standing for any successful management career in food and hospitality.

Industry is changing faster than ever; and will continue to change; and for ongoing success you need to become "connected" and remain "connected", so that you see and adapt to recent changes, and ongoing changes as your career moves forward.

Job opportunities can be highly varied, if you develop an awareness of the possibilities (which is exactly what we foster through this course).  One of the strengths of this industry is that you are able to travel the world and work in the industry.  Seasonal work at snow fields, cruise ships and international hotels provides opportunity for employment and experience while exploring the world.     The one fact you should face from the start though is that the most successful people in this industry are self employed. If you don't want to ever be self employed, you need to face the fact that your options for a successful career in hospitality will always be severely limited. If in the other hand, you aspire to be self employed, this course could be the first step toward a "dream career".

WHAT MIGHT BE INVOLVED IN ESTABLISHING YOUR OWN RESTAURANT?

It takes hard work and persistence to own and run a successful restaurant, but the rewards are many. You get to meet and work with many different people; your schedule is varied; the work is very satisfying. If you plan well and put in the required effort, a restaurant business can provide a good, reliable profit, turning you from a struggling entrepreneur into a successful, comfortably well off, or even wealthy, businessperson.

As the owner though, you will reap all the rewards of your success.

If you are committed to good customer service, and have or are willing to develop strong administrative and management skills, this might just be the business for you.

Opportunities:

The opportunities for a restaurant owner are vast. There are many different kinds of restaurants, and many different ways to get started:

• You can buy an existing restaurant, and follow the established procedures and concept,

• Open a new restaurant with a different concept.

• You can join a franchise company and be trained in their system.

• You can buy or lease property.

The remuneration also has a vast range. A restaurateur’s profits can range from being heavily in debt and losing money through to being very successful and earning a large income.

Risks and challenges:

As the business owner, you set the pace for the growth of your business and establish the basis for improving your profits. Yes, this puts the entire financial burden on you (and your partners, if you have that kind of arrangement), but you are also the main beneficiary of profits. Do not expect immediate wealth, though. If you bought or built your restaurant, it can take years to be free of debt because there is considerable overhead associated with a restaurant - wages (your own included), equipment maintenance and repair, food and beverage stock, energy for ovens, cold rooms, etc. A restaurant owner might do it tough for a few years, paying off loans or a large mortgage, before enjoying more of the profits./p>

A restaurant owner must keep a very close eye on all aspects of the business, and there are many areas where things can go wrong. Power blackouts, equipment breakdowns, spoiled food, complaining customers, incorrect or late deliveries, cash missing from the register, sudden slumps in business, meals arriving to customers too slowly, customers arriving late for bookings, chefs quitting on a busy night, staff failing to show, high staff turnover, escalating costs, arguments between staff, temperamental or flustered cooks - all these situations are part of the normal life of a restaurateur. This is a high stress job. It takes careful planning, self-management, and focus to keep things under control. For many people in this business, these daily challenges are part of the fun; they test the owner's abilities and inner resources, and make sure that the job is never boring.

How to become a Restaurant Owner:

There are many ways to develop the skills to become a restaurateur. You can work your way into the business by learning from experience, listening and observing - even a former dishwasher or kitchen hand can become a successful restaurateur! You can take hospitality or cooking courses then strike out on your own.

Restaurants that fail are commonly destroyed by either poor customer service or poor business management. If your food is awful, the business won't even take off. Even if you are an excellent cook, you should prepare for this career by developing good customer service skills, and learning even the basics of good business practice, perhaps through a solid course.  Also, gain as much hands-on experience as possible in restaurant food preparation and service, which is nothing like cooking and serving food at home.

As an owner, you are not competing for a job, but you are competing for a place in the restaurant market. Therefore, do your research. Before setting up or taking over the business, study the demographics of the area (the kinds of populations - family, aged, students etc. that live there), and find out about the competition. Choose a target market and offer them something they want, and preferably, something that they can't easily find elsewhere (such as low-cost, healthy food; a child-friendly environment; special ethnic foods and atmosphere). Actively promote your business - offer special deals, extend invitations to important people, donate to community events, keep the media informed, reward repeat customers. Finally, always deliver what you promise: quality of food, reasonable prices, special atmosphere, and excellent service.
 
Because an investment is such a big investment, you should give serious thought to insurance. To set up and run a restaurant business, you usually need product liability (against possible harm from your food) and public liability (against possible harm to customers on your facility) insurance. You may also need insurance coverage against fire, theft, loss of income, and coverage for damage to glass, machinery and equipment. Insurance requirements may vary from country to country, so check on the insurance requirements in your region. Also, talk to restaurateurs in your area to find out what kinds of insurance they have. Insurance is expensive, but it can be far more costly to go without.
 
To open a restaurant, you need a special license. If you plan to sell liquor, you need a liquor license as well. You usually also need a workplace health and safety certificate, and provisions for workman's compensation. If you are building, you will probably need approval from the city council or a similar body. Check with your local government to find out what is required.
 
There's a lot more to running a successful restaurant than just investing money and buying or starting one. Above all, you need to know the industry, where you can make mistakes, and how to avoid problems. One of the best ways to do this is to study a good foundation course. You may consider studying both food and beverage, as well as management and business skills.

KEEP YOUR OPTIONS WIDE

When you start this course, you may well be aiming to set up a catering business or restaurant, and there is nothing wrong with that as an initial aim. Remember though, this is a fast changing world, and by the time you complete this course, other opportunities will become evident. The world of food service is inventive, exciting and fashionable. There's always a new trend on the horizon, and new or slightly off beat ideas emerging for providing food service.  The really successful entrepreneurs of this industry are those who see the best opportunities and take advantage of them - whether they fit with your original dream, or not.