S2201 - Restaurants, cafes, food concessions, canteens, delicatessens, licensed lounge, catering, coffee houses, ice cream concessions.

Operational Details
Restaurants and cafes cook and serve sit down meals to the general public. The cook or chef plans and directs food preparations, organizes the menu, and ensures the meals meet quality standards. Duties include teaching others their craft, and requisitioning food and kitchen supplies. Hosts or hostesses direct customers to their seat and generally inform them of whom their server will be and offer them a beverage menu.

The server, waitress or waiter, presents a food menu and takes the order for drinks. When the food has been prepared it is served to the customers and once finished, a bill is presented for the meal and drinks. Often the servers work on a wage that takes into account the customers “tip” or reward good service. Tips are assessable for WCB purposes.

Food concessions and canteens offer fast foods that have often been prepared and cooked before hand. They sell hot dogs, hamburgers, pastries, and confectionary items. A major difference between these establishments and a restaurant or cafe is that the customer pays for the food at time of purchase and is left to find a place to sit or stand. In many cases, the customer takes the food with them to another venue (such as in a sports arena, rodeo, track meet, exhibition, etc.). These fast food outlets do not have a menu, and sell a rather restricted list of food products.

Canteen operation refers to in-house concession sales. It may include micro-wave cooking of prepared food such as hamburgers and hot dogs. These establishments are found in hospitals, government buildings, large corporate offices, and anywhere there are large groups of workers employed in a centralized location. The canteen is often in response to employers' desire to keep staff on the premises. Cigarettes and confectionary items are big sellers in this venue.

Delicatessens are operated similar to a food concession and they may offer food on a sit down or stand up basis. Over the counter sales are also made to customers who take the products home. Items include barbequed chicken, sausage rolls, homemade soup, salads, and sandwiches.

Coffee houses rate similarly with a major focus being on a variety of coffee beverages & pastries. Coffee houses may also serve soup, sandwiches and other food items which may or may not be prepared on site. Coffee houses often blend and grind coffees and sell to customers' specifications. These stores are generally found in strip malls, shopping centres and high traffic areas where people can drop in for a coffee and bite to eat or purchase larger volumes to take home.

The deli operator chooses a central location or high volume traffic area and sets up shop, usually a small store front, and caters to those who want fast food items. The focus is on fresh prepared food, which may be cooked or prepared on site. Servers are not part of this activity. Workers behind the counter take orders, heat or retrieve the products, and operate the cash register. Usually, as with concession and canteen sales, credit cards are not accepted.

Licensed lounges offer a full menu and operate very similar to a restaurant. However, a major difference is the lounge focuses more on alcoholic beverage sales, with food being secondary. Food and beverages are ordered, prepared and served in the same manner as in a restaurant. The lounge is more appealing to sports minded customers who come to watch sporting events on television, or play recreational games such as pool, golf, other simulated games and video games. Most lounges open in the afternoon.

Sports lounges have become more popular since the early 1990s, and they offer a limited menu of fast food items such as chicken wings, hamburgers, hot dogs and chips.

Ice cream concessions offer various ice cream products and snacks. Some ice cream concessions will also offer small menu items such as hot dogs, popcorn or confectionary items. These operations are generally seasonal, operating from about May until September. Servers are not usually part of this operation and workers will work behind a counter, preparing the ice cream product, cleaning the equipment and food prep area, and operating the cash register. The customer will pay for their product and is often left to find a place to stand or sit.

In this industry, ordering food, planning menus, organizing food items sold, food preparation, serving and clean up are common activities. The workers cross-over among all the establishments and their expertise and experience is transferable among all in the group.

SIC Codes
000000726 - Restaurant
000000727 - Deli
000000728 - Lounge
000000878 - Canteen
000000877 - Concession
000000876 - Cafe
000000870 - Catering
000000154 - Coffee Houses
000001005 - Ice Cream Concession