TELEPHONE MANNERS ( FRONT OFFICE)

QUALITIES TO TRANSMIT BY TELEPHONE


FRIENDLINESS -
Your voice will carry your attitude over the phone.

CONFIDENCE -
Prepare yourself. This will enable you to speak with confidence. Know your property. Know how to analyze your status data quickly.

INTELLIGENCE -
Remember that you are talking with individuals from different backgrounds
and levels of education. Meet your caller on his level.

CLARITY -
It is embarrassing for the listener to ask you to repeat a statement.

CREATIVENESS -
If the opportunity avails itself, help solve problems. Use your expertise to offer alternatives he may not have thought of.

ENTHUSIASM -
Find out the positive points about your property and concentrate on them.

INTEGRITY -
Be honest, If you do not know, admit it & offer to find out. Do not mislead your prospect.

TACTFULNESS -
Be tactful in any situation. Try to convince the guest without hurting his feelings.

PRIDE -
Take pride in your company and your work. Let the pride reflect in your voice and your speech. Pride generates enthusiasm. Your pride in the hotel will instill interest & confidence in the mind of the caller.




USE OF TELEPHONE BY FRONT OFFICE STAFF

1. The telephone is to be used for reception business. If you want to make a private call, use the private call box in the lobby. If somebody telephones you personally (not on business), keep your conversation as brief as possible and offer to telephone back from the call box when you are free. Unless you do this, you may keep waiting a potential guest who wants to make a booking.

2. When the telephone rings answer it immediately. The call should be attended within three rings. If you are attending to a guest at that time, first answer the phone, excuse yourself. Do not let the telephone ring without answering it. Although it may at times be irritating the telephone should always come before any desk work, but should not take precedence over the guest at the counter with whom you were dealing before the telephone rang.

3. Do not keep the caller waiting for a long time before attending to him.
A caller on the telephone should never be left longer than 45 seconds without somebody picking up the telephone and telling him again “I am sorry to keep you waiting."

4. Answer the telephone by saying, “RECEPTION (inf. or reservation) GOOD MORNING (good afternoon or good evening), MAY I HELP YOU? Do not answer "Hello".

5. Speak clearly. Pronounce the words carefully. The caller may find it more difficult to understand you on the telephone than if you speak to him at the counter.

6. Be brief and to the point, but not abrupt. Remember that telephone time costs money and that the switchboard operator may be holding another call for you.

7. Be polite, friendly and helpful. On the telephone only your voice can indicate the welcome we want every potential guest to receive. Do not interrupt the caller while he is talking. You must never sound short, sharp, irritated and impatient.

8. Be accurate in what you say. The guest wants to have confidence in you. Do not ‘THINK’ or ‘SUPPOSE’ if you do not know the answer; find out and call back.

9. Be courteous in explaining the hotel rules. Do not use the phrase “You have to”, “I suggest” or “would you mind” is preferable. Never argue with the guest, the guest is always right. If you can not deal with a certain problem, inform the seniors in the department, so that they can deal with it.

10. Take the correct name and contact number of the caller. This information will help you if you have telephone the caller back.

11. Finally, Always remember that you represent the hotel or the organisation you are working for when you pick-up a telephone call at work. Caller does not see you or your hotel, so your voice alone has to help the caller become and remain a satisfied customer.










Telephone Etiquette: Thirty-Six Tips

Before you answer be prepared (this includes knowing how to use the phone/system features):

1. Turn away from your computer, desk or other work.
2. Have pens, pencils and notepaper handy.

In answering the phone:

3. Answer calls promptly, by the second or third ring.
4. Smile as you pick up the phone.
5. Assume your "telephone" voice, controlling your volume and speed.
6. Project a tone that is enthusiastic, natural, attentive and respectful.
7. Greet the caller and identify yourself and your company/department/unit.
8. Ask, "To whom am I speaking?"
9. Ask, "How may I help you?"

In the course of the conversation:

10. Focus your entire attention on the caller.
11. Enunciate/articulate clearly. Speak distinctly.
12. Use Plain English and avoid unnecessary jargon and acronyms.
13. Use action specific words and directions.
14. Use the caller's name during the conversation.
15. Always speak calmly and choose your words naturally.

16. Use all of your listening skills:
a. Focus your full attention on the caller and the conversation.
b. Listen "between" the words.
c. Use reflective/active listening to clarify and check for understanding.
17. If there is a problem, project a tone that is concerned, empathetic, and apologetic.

18. Avoid the Five Forbidden Phrases.

a. "I don't know"
Instead, say: "That is a good question; let me find out for you" or offer to connect the caller with someone who could provide the answer.
If a call involves some research, assure the person that you will call back by a specific time.
If you do not have an answer by the deadline, call back to say, “I don’t have an answer yet, but I’m still researching it.” There is no excuse for not returning calls.
b. "I/we can't do that."
Instead say: "This is what I/we can do."
c. "You'll have to"
Instead say: "You will need to" or "I need you to" or “Here’s how we can help you.”
d. "Just a second"
Instead: Give a more honest estimate of how long it will take you and/or let them know what you are doing.
e. "No."
Instead: Find a way to state the situation positively.

19. Use "LEAPS" with the emotional caller to vent.
L Listen; allow the caller to vent.
E Empathize; acknowledge the person's feelings
A Apologize when appropriate, even if the problem is not your fault, you can say, "I am really sorry this has happened" and mean it.
P (Be) Positive
S Solve; suggest/generate solutions that you can both agree on and/or ask what you can do to help and, if reasonable, do it! If not, find a compromise.

In concluding the call:

20. End the conversation with agreement on what is to happen next; if you are to follow-up, do so immediately.
21. Thank the caller for calling; invite the caller to call again.
In transferring calls:
22. Transfer ONLY when necessary; get the information yourself.
23. If you must transfer, avoid the use of the word "transfer." Say instead: "I am going to connect you with".
24. Explain why you are "transferring" the call.
25. Give the caller the person's name and direct number
26. Stay on the line and introduce the caller.

In taking messages:
27. Identify yourself and for whom you are answering the phone.
28. Practice political sensitivity.
29. Indicate the period of time the person will be unavailable.
30. Write down all the important information given:
a. The name of the caller. Ask for spelling if unclear.
b. The (correct) telephone number of the caller.
c. The message. Ask for clarification if necessary.
31. Read back what you've written to be sure you've understood the message correctly.
32. Always assure the person that you will deliver the message promptly.
33. Deliver the message in a timely fashion.

NEVER:
34. Eat, drink or chew gum while on the phone.
35. Leave an open line:
a. Place the caller on hold
b. Check back with the caller frequently: every 30-45 seconds.



ALWAYS:
36. Put a smile in your telephone voice and let your personality shine!

The Complaint Call
Complaint callers who are irate are really saying, "I rate." They have bought into society's "the squeaky
wheel gets the grease" mentality. When that happens, try the EAR method:
E mpathize with the caller.
A pologize and acknowledge the problem.
Accept R esponsibility. (You'll do something.)
Empathize with the caller. This is different from sympathy, where you take on someone else's problem.
Try to understand how the person is feeling.
Apologize and acknowledge the problem. You don't have to agree with the caller, but express regret that there is a problem. People want to be heard, and no one's complaint is trivial.
Each deserves prompt handling, so do not deal with it in a trivial manner.
Accept responsibility. Make sure something is done. Take it upon yourself to DO something.
Many times, that's all that people want: the reassurance that something will be done. People want to be helped. They want to know that you care.
Use these phrases to get that sentiment across: "How can I help you?" "What can I do for you?" "I'll make sure this message/information gets to the right person."

The acceptance of responsibility may be as simple as forwarding the call to the appropriate individual or sending the caller more information.
If you do forward the caller to someone else on your staff, follow up with that person to make sure the caller was taken care of.

If you get an irate caller, or even one who is calm, cool, and collected, here are some more methods to handle complaint calls:
First, don't overreact, especially if the caller starts using "trigger" words or phrases, such as: "I want to talk to someone who knows something." Most people respond by getting defensive when their "hot-button words" are pressed.

Remember, a positive attitude is the most important asset you have.
Second, listen completely to the complaint. Allow the caller the opportunity to vent some frustration.
When you listen, don't try to apply logic to the situation. Many people are beyond logic if they are angry, so accept the feelings being expressed. Avoid argument and criticism.
Third, do not blame anyone -- the caller, yourself, or someone on your staff -- even if you know who is to blame for a problem. This information should not be shared with the caller.

Fourth, paraphrase the caller's comments, and ask questions if you do not understand the information being presented to you. Restate the problem as you understand it.
Fifth, offer solutions and, if appropriate, offer alternatives. Providing alternatives empowers callers. It gives callers a feeling that they were not dictated to and that they were part of the solution.
Finally, confirm the solution with the caller. Make sure the caller agrees with what has been decided.
Of course, not everyone will be happy, no matter what you do. These people will not be content; they just like being grumpy. Usually, these are the people who want to talk to the person "above you." If that is what it takes to lessen their anger, then do so. By the time they have been transferred to a supervisor, they usually have become calmer and less demanding. It seems that they just needed to vent their anger at someone: you. Just remember that most people are not that way and keep a firm grip on that positive attitude of yours.

How do people answer the phone in different parts of the world?
In Spain they say "Get on with it!"
In Italy they say "Ready!"
In the Czech Republic they say "Ahoy!"
In Japan they say "Mushi-mushi!"
In New Zealand they ask "Are you there?"
In Hong Kong they say "Waay!"
In the Netherlands they say "With..."
In Finland they state their full name
Ways to answer the Phone!
"Hi."
"Hola!"
"Hey wassup ?"
"You have reached the residence of ___________, but no one is here right now... so please leave a...."
"Thank you, please pull around."
"Do-do-do- I'm sorry, you call cannot be completed as dialed!"

"Burp!"
"Talk to I!"
"911 Emergency!"
"Pizza Hut, may I take your order?"







Role-play 1

Employer: "Hello, Johnson Industries."
Applicant: "Hi, my name is student's name, and I am calling about the ad in the Sunday paper for the Customer Service Representative Position." (speak clearly and state who you are and why you are calling)
Employer: "OK, what I need you to do is come down to the office and fill out an application."
Applicant: "Could you tell me where you are located?" (you may want to write the information down)
Employer: "Do you know where the McDonalds® is on Main Street?"
Applicant: "Yes, I do." (try to say more than "yeah" or "no")
Employer: "Good, we are located right across the street."
Applicant: "When is a good time to come by and who should I ask for?"
Employer: "You can come by any time before 5 p.m. today, and ask for me, Fred Stevenson."
Applicant: "Thank you Mr. Stevenson." (always be polite)
Employer: "You are welcome."





Role-play 2

Receptionist: "Good afternoon, McDonnel and Associates."
Applicant: "Hi, may I please speak to Ms. Fredrickson?" (use formal names)
Receptionist: "Ms. Fedrickson is in a meeting right now."
Applicant: "May I leave a message?" (ask to leave a message)
Receptionist: "Yes."
Applicant: "My name is student's name and I am calling about the status of the job opening as her assistant. My number is 555-1234."
Receptionist: "OK, I'll give her the message."
Applicant: "Thank you." (always be polite)







Role-play 3

Applicant: "Hello." (When you are doing a job search, answer the phone with an appropriate greeting each time you answer the phone. You may give a potential employer the wrong impression if you answer the phone with a greeting such as "Yo" or "Yea.")
Employer: "Hi, may I speak to student's name."
Applicant: "This is she/he." (make sure people respond in a polite way)
Employer: "This is Ms. Fredrickson from McDonnel and Associates."
Applicant: "How are you Ms. Fredrickson?"
Employer: "I am fine. I have read over your application, and I am interested in having you come in for an interview."
Applicant: "That would be great. When would you like me to stop by?"
Employer: "How does Tuesday at 10 a.m. sound?"
Applicant: "That sounds good. Your office is located by Evergreen School on Elm Street, right?"
(don't forget to ask where you need to be)
Employer: "That's correct."

Telephone Etiquette-Workshop


Telephone Skills
Work Related Telephone Skills

OBJECTIVES
1. Develop proper phone skills for speaking to a potential employee.
2. Develop proper phone skills when at work.

MATERIALS NEEDED
Access to at least one telephone most recent local Sunday newspaper, paper, pens or pencils
SUPPLEMENTAL RESOURCES
Job Search/Job Survival – A $199.00 video package by Educational Design, Inc. (1800 221-9372). The Job Search video provides dramatizations of appropriate phone skills when contacting a potential employee.

INSTRUCTIONAL FORMAT
This lesson will provide training on proper phone etiquette when looking for work and while on the job. It is important to stress that a person's presentation on the phone is a significant factor in obtaining a job.
Additionally, poor phone skills at work can decrease an employee's chance for advancement or a pay raise.

1. Discuss contacting a potential employer.
First, one may have to answer a want ad with a call to the company. This call might involve answering questions, obtaining information about the job, and finding out where and how to apply for the position.
Second, following an interview or submission of an application, the applicant should follow up with a phone call to ask about the status of the position. This demonstrates an interest to the employer.
Regardless of why the applicant is calling, it is important that he speak clearly, identify who he is, and indicate the position in which he is interested.

2. Use modeling and role-playing to provide students an opportunity to learn and practice telephone skills when contacting a potential employee. There are sample scripts below to help guide the roleplays.

It is suggested that the applicant ask questions such as "Who will interview me? How long will the interview last? Should I bring anything?"

3. It is suggested that the class look at employment classifieds from the local Sunday paper and find want ads that instruct the reader to call a number for more information. Have each student make at least one call to practice the skills learned above.

4. Discuss phone etiquette at work. Different companies will have different procedures for answering the phones, directing phone calls, and taking messages. Review these basic procedures.
• Greet the caller and indicate the organization. "Hello. This is Krueger Automotive. How may I help you?"
• If the person the caller is asking for is available, transfer the call.
• If the person the caller is asking for is not available, ask if you can take a message. Never tell the caller why the person is not available unless they are in a meeting, with a customer, or on another line. Telling the caller that the person is in the bathroom or running errands is too personal.
• Write down all the necessary information that your boss wants you to when taking
messages.
• If the caller is a customer who wants help from you, be as helpful as possible. Direct the caller to person who can help if you can't. Always return calls as quickly as possible if you need to get the correct information and indicated that you would call back.
• Ask about the company's policy is on personal phone calls. A good rule of thumb is to only make or receive personal phone calls during breaks.
See the unit titled Family Responsibilities for additional information. Find out about the policy regarding cell phones and pagers.

5. Practice taking phone messages. The trainer can model appropriate ways to take phone messages.
It is suggested that the class decide on a company name and what information they should get for taking a message. It does not matter who the caller asks for because that person will never be in the office. The class members can critique and provide suggestions to the person answering the phone.
6. If it is feasible, it is suggested that students get an opportunity to answer phones at the program where they are receiving training. This will give them an opportunity to practice what they learned within the framework of an actual workplace's procedures.

SIGNS OF GENERALIZATION
Students use proper phone etiquette when searching or working at a job. If students can complete exercise number 3 and number 6 above, they should have the skills for future situations involving the phone and work.

http://www.workshopsinc.com/manual/Ch9L3.html

QUESTION BANK FOR FRONT OFFICE

QUESTION BANK FOR FRONT OFFICE

Q1 Define Twin Room.

Q2 Define Duplex.

Q3 Define Penthouse

Q4. Define Junior Suite.

Q5. Define Lanai

Q6. Define Efficiency Room

Q7. Define Hospitality Room

Q8. Define Hospitality Suite.

Q9. Define Suite.

Q10. Define Interconnecting Room.




Q11. Define Double Room.

Q12. Define Kabana.

Q13. Define Single Room.

Q14. What is A.P.
Ans. American Plan

Q15. What is MAP.
Ans. Modified American Plan

Q16. What is B.P.
Ans. Bermuda Plan.

Q17. What is C.P.
Ans Continental Plan.


Q18. What is E. P.
Ans. European Plan.

Q19. What is Goplan.?



Q20. Expand E.D.P.
Ans.. Electronic Data Processing.

Q21. Expand P.M.S.
Ans. Property Management System

Q22. Expand H.W.C.
Ans. Handle with Care.

Q23. Expand P.I.A.
Ans. Paid in advance.

Q24. Expand D.P.
Ans. Direct Payment.

Q25. Expand D.N.A.
Ans. Did not arrive.

Q26. Expand R.N.A.
Ans. Registered but not assigned.




Q27. Expand D.N.S.
Ans. Did not stay.

Q28. Expand M.F.C.
Ans. Mail Forwarding Card.

Q29. Expand M.C.O.
Ans. Miscellaneous Charge Order.

Q30. Expand G.R.C.
Ans. Guest Registration Card.

Q31. Expand U.N.D.P.
Ans. United Nations Development Programme.

Q32. Expand W.H.O.
Ans. World Health Orgqnisation.

Q33. Expand F.A.O.
Ans. Food & Agricultural Organisation.

Q34. Expand W.T.O.
Ans. World Tourism Organisation or World Trade Organisation.


Q35. Expand V.I.P.
Ans. Very Important Person.

Q36. Expand V.V.I.P.
Ans. Very Very Important Person.

Q37. Expand C.I.P.
Ans. Commercially Important Person.

Q38. Expand F.I.T.
Ans. Free Independent Traveller.

Q39. Expand G.I.T.
Ans. Group Inclusive Tours.

Q40. Expand H.R.A.C.C.
Ans. Hotel and Restaurant Approval Classification Committee.

Q41. Expand. F.H.R.A.I.
Ans. Federation of Hotels and Restaurants Association of India.




Q42. Expand I.L.O.
Ans. International Labour Organisation.

Q43. Expand F.R.R.O.
Ans. Foreigner’s Regional Registration Office.

Q44. Expand P.O.S.
Ans. Point of Sale.

Q45. Expand A.R.R.
Ans. Average Room Rate.

Q46. Expand A.D.R.
Ans. Average Daily Rate.

Q47. Expand O-O-O.
Ans. Out of Order.

Q48. Expand V.P.O.
Ans. Visitor’s Paid Out.

Q49. Expand V.T.L.
Ans. Visitor’s Tabular Ledger.

Q50. Expand U.S.P.
Ans. Unique Selling Proposition.


Q51. Name 5 Classical Dances and their place of origin.
Ans: Bharat Natyam (Tamil Nadu); Kathakali (Kerala)
Manipuri (Manipur) Kathak (North India)
Odissi (Orissa) Kuchipudi (Andhra Pradesh)
Mohini Attam (Kerala)


Q52. In which month does Sankranth occur?
Ans. January

Q53. In which month does Republic Day occur?
Ans. January 26

Q54. In which month does Holi occur?
Ans. March/April

Q55. In which month does Easter occur?
Ans. March/April


Q56. In which month does Maharashtra Day occur?
Ans. May 1






Q57. In which month does Raksha Bandhan occur?
Ans. July/August.

Q58. In which month does Onam occur?
Ans. August/September

Q59. In which month does Ganesh Chaturthi occur?
Ans. August/ September


Q60. In which month does Dassera occur?
Ans. September/ October


Q61. When did the Constitution of India come into force?
Ans. January 26th 1950.

Q62. Name five specialty restaurants in Mumbai and their location/cuisine.

Q63. Name five multiplexes in Mumbai and their location.

Q64. Name five International Travel Agents in Mumbai.

Q65. Name five Malls in Mumbai and their location.

Q66. Name five foreign Consulates/Embassies located in Mumbai.

Q67. Name five gardens/parks from Mumbai and their location.

Q68. Name five lakes supplying drinking water to Mumbai.

Q69. Name five trains that will take me to Delhi via western railway.

Q70. Name five countries from South America and their capitals.

Q71. Name five countries from Europe and their capitals.

Q72. Name five countries from Africa and their capitals.

Q73. Name five countries from Asia (not touching India) and their capitals.





Q74. Name the continents of the earth.

Q75. Name the first five planets of our solar system in sequence from the sun.
Ans. Mercury; Venus; Earth; Mars; Jupiter.

Q76. Name five religions followed in India.
Ans. Hinduism, Jainism, Sikhism, Christianity, Islam, Zoroastrianism,Buddhism.

Q77. Name five hill stations from North India and their location.

Q78. Name five game sanctuaries from South India and their location.

Q79. Name five states in South India and their capitals.

Q80. Name five states from North India and give their capitals.

Q81. Where would you find the Golden Temple?
Amritsar.

Q82. Where would you find the Sun Temple?
Ans. Konarak.

Q83. Where would you find the “Pan Chakki”?
Ans. Aurangabad.

Q84. Where would you find the “Buland Darwaza”?
Ans. Fatehpur Sikhri.

Q85. Where would you find the “Chand Minar”?
Ans. Daulatabad Fort, Aurangabad.

Q86. Where would you find the Panch Mahal?
Ans. Fatehpur Sikhri


Q87. Where would you find the “Bibi – ka- Maqbara”?
Ans. Aurangabad.

Q88. Where would you find the “Gomateshwara” statue?
Ans. Sravana Bel Gola.


Q89. Where would you find the “Golconda Fort”?
Ans. Hyderabad.

Q90. Where would you find the “Great Stupa”?
Ans. Sanchi




Q91. Which place is known as the “Meadow of Flowers”?
Ans. Gulmarg.

Q92. Which is the nearest airport to Nainital?
Ans. Pantnagar.

Q93. Which city is known as the “City of Nawabs”?
Ans. Lucknow

Q94. On the banks of which river is the “Taj Mahal” situated?
Ans. Jamuna.

Q95. Lucknow is situated on the banks of which river?
Ans. Gomti.

Q96. which is the nearest railway station to Nainital?
Ans. Kathgodam.

Q97. Where would you find the “Charminar”?
Ans. Hyderabad.

Q98. Where would you find the “Salar Jung Museum”?
Ans. Hyderabad.

Q99. Name the lake in Mahableshwar.
Ans. Venna Lake.

Q100. Name the lake in Mount Abu?
Ans. Nakki Lake.

Q101. Define “Retention Charge”.
Ans. The room charges for a no-show.

Q102. Define “Late Charge”.
Ans. The department charge voucher that reaches the front office cashier after the guest has checked out.

Q103. Name five places of tourist interest in Rajasthan .

Q104. Name five places of tourist interest in Karnataka.

Q105. Name five places of tourist interest in Madhya Pradesh.

Q106. Name five places of tourist interest in West Bengal.

Q107. Name five places of tourist interest in Himachal Pradesh.

Q108. Name five places of tourist interest in Uttar Pradesh.



Q109. Name the North Eastern States and their capitals.

Q110. Name the Scandinavian Countries and their capitals.
Ans. Sweden -----Stockholm
Denmark ---- Copenhagen
Finland ------ Helsinki
Norway ------ Oslo
Iceland ------- Reykjavik

Q111. What are the advantages of the Density Chart over the Advance Letting Chart?

Q112. Give the formula for calculating the overbooking percentage.

. No of Cancellations plus No of No-shows plus early departures 100
Ans. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- x
Total No of Available Rooms



Q113. What are the typed items using the Whitney System?
Ans. Whitney Slips: Registration Card; Permanent Arrival Notification /Slips and
Bill.

Q114. Give two other names for the Hotel Register.
Ans. “Red Book” and “ F “ Form.


Q115. Explain what happens to the “ C “ Form.
Ans. Two copies are made. Top copy goes to FRRO within 24 hrs except for
Chinese and Pakistanis within 12 hrs. Second copy is hotel’s copy.


Q116. Name five credit card companies. (not banks which issue them)
Ans. American Express; Diner’s Club; Master Card; Visa Card; Hilton Carte
Blanche.

Q117. Expand “ T. I. C. “
Ans. Tourist Introduction Card

Q118. Expand “C.D.F. “
Ans. Currency Declaration Form.

Q119. Expand “F.T.T.”
Ans. Foreign Travel Tax.

120.Expand “F.E.R.A.”
Ans. Foreign Exchange Regulation Act.

Q121. Give two alternate names for the “Door Man”.
Ans. Commissionaire and Link Man.





Q122. Expand “P.B.X.”.
Ans. Private Branch Exchange.

Q123. Expand “P.M.B.X.”
Ans. Private Manual Branch Exchange.

Q124. Expand “P.A.B.X.”
Ans. Private Automatic Branch Exchange.

Q125. Expand “E.P.A.B.X.”
Ans. Electronic Private Automatic Branch Exchange.

Q126. What is the area where the guest folios are kept called?
Ans. Bucket.

Q127. Expand “ D.G.”
Ans. Distinguished Guest”

Q128. Expand “SPATT”.
Ans. Special Attention.

Q129. What is the price of gold today?


Q130. At what reading did the Sensex close yesterday?

Q131. What was the Indian equivalent of the U.S. Dollar yesterday?

Q132. What was the Indian equivalent of the Euro yesterday?

Q133. What was the price of silver yesterday?

Q134. Which is the nearest registered game/bird sanctuary to us?
Ans. Mahim Bird Sanctuary.

Q135. When and where did the first Metro Railway start in India?
Ans. In 1984-85 in Kolkata.

Q136. Expand “R.R.B”.
Ans. Regional Rural Bank.





Q137. Expand “NABARD”.
Ans. National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development.

Q138. Expand “R.I.D.F”.
Ans. Rural Infrastructure Development Fund.
Q139. Expand “P.I.N”.
Ans. Postal Index Number.

Q140. What is the National Anthem of India and who composed it?
Ans. “Jana Gana Mana” by Rabindranath Tagore.

Q141. What is the National Song of India and who composed it?
Ans. “Vande Mataram” by Bankim Chandra Chatterji

Q142. Which is the National Animal of India?
Ans. Tiger.

Q143. Which is the National Bird of India?
Ans. Peacock.

Q144. What is the National Flower of India?
Ans. Lotus.

Q145. Expand “I.S.R.O.”
Ans. Indian Space Research Organisation.

Q146. Expand “A.S.L.V”.
Ans. Augmented Satellite Launch Vehicle

Q147. Where is the highest airfield in India?
Ans. Daulatbeg Oldhi in Ladakh.

Q148. Where is the highest Airport in India?
Ans. Leh Airport in Ladakh.

Q149. Which was India’s first Atomic Station.?
Ans. Tarapore Power Station near Mumbai.

Q150. What is the highest award in India?
Ans. Bharat Ratna.

Q151. What is the highest award for gallantry in India?
Ans. Param Vir Chakra.

Q152. Which is the highest Battleground in India?
Ans. Siachen Glacier.

Q153. Which is the longest beach in India?
Ans. Marina Beach at Chennai.

Q154. Which is the largest Residential Building in India?
Ans. Rastrapathi Bhavan in New Delhi.




Q155. Which is the highest Dam in India?
Ans. Bhakra Dam on Sutlej river in Punjab.

Q156. Which is the largest Delta in India?
Ans. Sunderbans formed by Ganga and Brahmaputra.

Q157. Which is the largest Desert in India?
Ans. Thar Desert in Rajasthan.

Q158. In which year were the First General Elections held in India?
Ans 1952.

Q159. Which is the largest lake in India?
Ans. “Wular Lake” in Kashmir.

Q160. Which is the highest Mountain Peak in India?
Ans. Mount Kanchenjunga (8,598 m)

Q161. Which is the largest Planetarium in India?
Ans. Birla Planetarium , Kolkata.

Q162. Which is the highest Waterfall in India?
Ans. Jog Waterfalls, Karnataka .


Q163. Name the continents of the earth.
Ans. Asia, Africa, Europe, North America, South America, Australia, and
Antartica.

Q164. What is the Aphelion?
Ans. Aphelion is the point in Earth’s or other planet’s orbit which is farthest from the Sun.

Q165. What is the Perihelion?
Ans. Perihelion is the point in Earth’s or other planet’s orbit which is nearest to the Sun.

Q166. What is the Solstice?
Ans. Solstice is the date on which the Sun shines vertically over a tropic when the days and nights are the longest and the shortest.

Q167. What is the Equinox?
Ans. Equinox means two days during the year, March 21, and September 23, when day and night are almost equal throughout the world because the Sun shines vertically on the Equator. March 21 is called “Vernal Equinox” and September 23 is called “Autumnal Equinox”




Q168. In which country is the river Nile. ?
Ans. Eqypt.

Q169. In which country is the river Tigris?
Ans. Iraq.

Q170. In which country is the river Danube?
Ans Yugoslavia.

Q171. In which country is the river Rhine?
Ans. Germany.

Q172. Cairo is on the banks of which river?
Ans. Nile.

Q173. Baghdad is on the banks of which river?
Ans. Tigris.

Q174. Belgrade is on the banks of which river?
Ans. Danube.

Q175. Bonn is on the banks of which river?
Ans. Rhine.


Q176. Canton is on the banks of which river?
Ans. Canton.

Q177. Karachi is on the banks of which river?
Ans. Indus.

Q178. Khartoum is on the banks of which river?
Ans. Blue & White Nile.

Q179. Lahore is on the banks of which river?
Ans. Ravi.

Q180. London is on the banks of which river?
Ans. Thames.

Q181. Montreal is on the banks of which river?
Ans. Ottawa.

Q182. Moscow is on the banks of which river?
Ans. Moskva.

Q183. Nanking is on the banks of which river?
Ans. Yang – tse- Kiang.



Q184. New Orleans is on the banks of which river?
Ans. Mississippi.

Q185. New York is on the banks of which river?
Ans. Hudson.
Q186. Paris is on the banks of which river?
Ans. Seine.

Q187. Philadelphia is on the banks of which river?
Ans. Delaware.

Q188. Quebec is on the banks of which river?
Ans. St. Lawrence.

Q189. Rome is on the banks of which river?
Ans. Tiber.

Q190. Washington is on the banks of which river?
Ans. Potomac.

Q191. Agra is on the banks of which river?
Ans. Yamuna.
Q192. Ahmedabad is on the banks of which river?
Ans. Sabarmati.

Q193. Kolkata is on the banks of which river?
Ans. Hooghly.

Q194. Guwahati is on the banks of which river?
Ans. Brahmaputra.

Q195. Lucknow is on the banks of which river?
Ans. Gomti.

Q196. Ludhiana is on the banks of which river?
Ans. Sutlej.

Q197. Nasik is on the banks of which river?
Ans. Godavari.

Q198. Srinagar is on the banks of which river?
Ans. Jhelum.

Q199. Surat is on the banks of which river?
Ans. Tapti.



Q200. Vijayawada is on the banks of which river?
Ans. Krishna.

Q201. Bandipur National Park is in which state?
Ans. Karnataka.

Q202. Jim Corbett National Park is in which state?
Ans. Uttaranchal.
Q203.Dachigam Sanctuary is in which state?
Ans. Jammu & Kashmir.

Q204. Keoladeo Ghana Bird Sanctuary is in which state?
Ans. Rajasthan.

Q205. Hazaribagh National Park is in which state?
Ans Jharkand.

Q206. Jaldapara Sanctuary is in which state?
Ans. West Bengal.


Q207. Kanha National Park is in which state?
Ans. Chattisgarh.

Q208. Kaziranga National Park is in which state?
Ans. Assam

Q209. Manas Tiger Sanctuary is in which state?
Ans. Assam.

Q210. Mudumalai Sanctuary is in which state?
Ans. Tamil Nadu.

Q211. Nagarhole National Park is in which state?
Ans. Karnataka.

Q212. Nal Sarovar Bird Sanctuary is in which state?
Ans. Gujarat.

Q213. Periyar Game Sanctuary is in which state?
Ans. Kerala.

Q214. Ranganthitoo Bird Sanctuary is in which state?
Ans. Karnataka.

Q215. Shivpuri National Park is in which state?
Ans. Madhya Pradesh.
Q216. Ranthambore Tiger Sanctuary is in which state?
Ans. Rajasthan.




Q217. Expand “U.N.C.T.A.D.”
Ans. United Nations Conference on Trade and Development.

Q218. Expand “U.N.D.P.”
Ans. United Nations Development Programme.

Q219. Expand “U.N.R.I.S.D.”
Ans. United Nations Research Institute for Social Development.

Q220. Expand “I.C.A.O.”
Ans. International Civil Aviation Organisation.

Q221. Expand “I.F.A.D.”
Ans. International Fund for Agricultural Development.


Q222. Expand “I.M.F.”.
Ans. International Monetary Fund.

Q223. Expand “U.N.E.S.C.O.”
Ans. United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation.

Q224. Expand “C.I.S.”
Ans. The Commonwealth of Independent States.

Q225. Expand “S.A.A.R.C.”
Ans. South Asian Association for Regional Co-operation.

Q226. Expand “A.S.E.A.N.”
Ans. Association of South East Asian Nations.

Q227. Expand “E.E.C.”
Ans. European Economic Community.

Q228. Expand “N.A.T.O.”
Ans. North Atlantic Treaty Organisation.

Q229.Expand “O.P.E.C.”
Ans. Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries.

Q230. Expand “A.D.F.”
Ans. Asian Development Fund.

Q231. Expand “A.E.C.”
Ans. Atomic Energy Commission.

Q232. Expand “A.I.A.D.M.K.”
Ans. All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam.





Q233. Expand “A.I.C.C.”
Ans. All India Congress Committee.

Q234. Expand “A.I.C.T.E.”
Ans. All India Council for Technical Education.

Q235. Expand “A.I.I.M.S.”
Ans. All India Institute of Medical Sciences.
Q236. Expand “A.I.T.U.C.”
Ans. All India Trade Union Congress.
Q237. Expand “A.S.I.”
Ans. Archeological Survey of India.

Q238. Expand “A.T.C.”
Ans. Air Traffic Control.

Q239. Expand. “A.T.M.”.
Ans. Automated Teller Machine.

Q240. Expand “A. W.A.C.S.”
Ans. Airborne Warning and Control System.

Q241. Expand. “B.A.R.C.”
Ans. Bhabha Atomic Research Centre.

Q242. Expand “B.I.F.R.”
Ans. Board for Industrial and Financial Reconstruction.

Q243. Expand “B.P.O.”
Ans. Business Process Outsourcing.

Q244. Expand “C.A.R.E.”
Ans. Co-operative for American Relief Everywhere.

Q245. Expand “C.B.D.T.”
Ans. Central Board of Direct Taxes.

Q246. Expand “C.H.O.G.M.”
Ans. Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting.

Q247. Expand “C.I.S.F.”
Ans. Central Industrial Security Force.

Q248. Expand “C.O.D.”
Ans. Cash on Delivery or Central Ordinance Depot.




Q249. Expand “C.O.F.E.P.O.S.A.”
Ans. Conservation of Foreign /Exchange and Prevention of Smuggling Act.

Q250. Expand “C.P.C.B”.
Ans. Central Pollution Control Board.

Q251. Expand “C.R.P.F.”
Ans. Central Reserve Police Force.

Q252. Expand “C.T.B.T.”
Ans. Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty.

Q253. Expand “C.R.T.”
Ans. Cathode Ray Tube.
Q254. Expand “ C.V.R.”
Ans. Cockpit Voice Recorder.

Q255. Expand “D.D.T.”
Ans. Dichloro Diphenyl Trichloroethane.

Q256. Expand “D.L.O.”
Ans. Dead Letter Office.

Q257. Expand “ D.T.H.”
Ans. Direct-to-Home.

Q258. Expand “D.V.D.”
Ans. Digital Versatile/Video Disc.

Q259. Expand “ E & O. E. “
Ans. Errors and Omissions Excepted.

Q260. Expand “E.C.G.”
Ans. Electro Cardiogram.

Q261. Expand “E.C.S.”
Ans. Electronic Clearing Service.

Q262. Expand “E.E.C.”
Ans. European Economic Community

Q263. Expand “ E.E.G”
Ans. Electro Encephalogram.

Q264. Expand “E.E.Z.”
Ans. Exclusive Economic Zone.




Q265. Expand “F.C.I.”
Ans. Food Corporation of India.

Q266. Expand “F.T.S.”
Ans. Foreign Travel Scheme.

Q267. Expand. “G.A.T.T.”
Ans. General Agreement on Tariff and Trade.

Q268. Expand “ G.D.P.”
Ans. Gross Domestic Product.

Q269. Expand “G.M.A.T.”
Ans. Graduate Management Admission Test.

Q270. Expand “G.S.L.V.”
Ans. Geo-synchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle.

Q271. Expand “H.I.V.”
Ans. Human Immunodeficiency Virus.

Q272. Expand “A.A.I.”
Ans. Airports Authority of India

Q273. Expand “H.R.D.”
Ans. Human Resource Development.

Q274. Expand “I.A.T.A.”
Ans. International Air Transport Association.

Q275. Expand. “IC.A.O.”
Ans. International Civil Aviation Organisation.

Q276. Expand “ I.C.A.R.”
Ans. Indian Council of Agricultural Research.

Q277. Expand “I.C.B.M.”
Ans. Inter-Continental Ballistic Missile

Q278. Expand “I.C.M.R”
Ans. Indian Council of Medical Research

Q279. Expand “I.F.A.D.”
Ans. International Fund for Agricultural Development.



Q280. Expand “I.S.D.N”
Ans. Integrated Services Digital Network.

Q281. Expand “I.S.K.C.O.N.”
Ans. International Society for Krishna Consciousness.

Q282. Expand “I.S.R.O.”
Ans. Indian Space Research Organisation.

Q283. Expand I.T.D.C.”
Ans. India Tourism Development Corporation.

Q284. Expand “L.A.S.E.R”
Ans. Light Amplification by the Stimulated Emission of Radiation.

Q285. Expand “L.C.D.”
Ans. Liquid Crystal Display.

Q286. Expand “ L.T.C.”
Ans. Leave Travel Concession.
Q287. Expand “M.C.O.C.A.”
Ans. Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act.

Q288. Expand “N.A.B.A.R.D.”
Ans. National Bank for Agricultural and Rural Development.

Q289. Expand “N.A.S.A.”
Ans. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (of USA)

Q290. Expand “N.A.T.O.”
Ans. North Atlantic Treaty Organisation.

Q291. Expand. “N.C.C”
Ans. National Cadet Corps.

Q292. Expand “N.G.O.”
Ans. Non Governmental Organisation.

Q293. Expand “N.H.R.C.”
Ans. National Human Rights Commission

Q294. Expand “O.N.G.C.”
Ans. Oil and Natural Gas Corporation.

Q295. Expand. “O.P.E.C”
Ans. Oil and Petroleum Exporting Countries.

Q296. Expand “O.Y.T.”
Ans. Own Your Telephone.




Q297. Expand “ P.A. N.”
Ans. Permanent Account Number

Q298. Expand. “P.A.T.A.”
Ans. Pacific Asia Travel Association.

Q299. Expand “P.D.S.”
Ans. Public Distribution System.

Q300. Expand. “P.E.T.A.”
Ans. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals

Q301. Expand “P.O.K.”
Ans. Pakistan Occupied Kashmir.

Q302. Expand “ P.O.T.A.”
Ans. Prevention of Terrorism Act.

Q303. Expand. “P.O.W.”
Ans. Prisoner of War.
Q304. Expand. “P.S.L.V.”
Ans. Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle.

Q305. Expand “ P.T.B.T”.
Ans. Partial Test Ban Treaty.

Q306. Expand “P.T.I”.
Ans. Press Trust of India

Q307. Expand “P.V.C.”
Ans. Param Vir Chakra or. Poly Vinyl Chloride.

Q308. Expand “P.W.D”.
Ans. Public Works Department

Q309. Expand “R.C.C”.
Ans. Reinforced Cement Concrete.

Q310. Expand “R.D.X.”
Ans. Research and Development Explosive.

Q311. Expand “R.M.O”.
Ans. Resident Medical Officer



Q312. Expand “R.P.F.”
Ans. Railway Protection Force

Q313. Expand “R.P.M.”
Ans. Revolutions per Minute

Q314. Expand “R.P.V.”
Ans. Remote-controlled Pilotless Vehicle

Q315. Expand “R.S.V.P”.
Ans. Repondez S’il Vous Plait (Please Reply)

Q316. Expand “SAARC”.
Ans. South Asian Association for Regional Co-operation.

Q317. Expand “S.A.I”
Ans. Sports Authority of India.

Q318. Expand “S.A.L.T.”
Ans. Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty.

Q319. Expand “S.A.M”.
Ans. Surface to Air Missile.

Q320. Expand “S.C.U.B.A”.
Ans. Self Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus.


Q321. Expand “R.A.D.A.R”
Ans. Radio Detection and Ranging

Q322. Expand “S.E.B.I”
Ans. Securities Exchange Bureau of India.

Q323. Expand “SENSEX”
Ans. Sensitive Index (of share prices)

Q324. Expand “S.E.Z.”
Ans. Special Economic Zone

Q325. Expand “S.T.C”
Ans. State Trading Corporation

Q326. Expand “S.P.C.A”
Ans. Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals

Q327.Expand “ S.P.G”.
Ans. Special Protection Group





Q328.Expand “S.S.M”.
Ans. Surface to Surface Missile

Q329. Expand “S.T.D”.
Ans. Subscriber Trunk Dialling or Sexually Transmitted Disease.

Q330. Expand “S.W.O.T.”
Ans.Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats.

Q331.Expand “T.D.S”.
Ans. Tax Deduction at Source.

Q332.Expand”T.I.F.R.”
Ans. Tata Institute of Fundamental Research

Q333.Expand “T.N.T.”
Ans. Tri-Nitro-Toluene.

Q334.Expand “T.R.A.I”.
Ans. Telecom Regulatory Authority of India

Q335.Expand “T.R.P”.
Ans. Television Rating Points.
Q336. Expand “T.T.E”.
Ans. Travelling Ticket Examiner.

Q337. Expand “U.A.E”.
Ans. United Arab Emirates.

Q338.Expand “U.D.C”.
Ans. Upper Division Clerk.

Q339.Expand “U.F.O”.
Ans. Unidentified Flying Object.

Q340.Expand “U.G.C”.
Ans. University Grants Commission.

Q341. Expand “U.H.F”.
Ans. Ultra High Frequency

Q342.Expand “U.L.F.A.”
Ans. United Liberation Front of Assam.

Q343.Expand “UNCTAD”
Ans. United Nations Conference on Trade and Development.




Q344.Expand “U.N.D.P”.
Ans. United Nations Development Programme.

Q345.Expand “UNESCO”.
Ans. United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation.

Q346.Expand “ UNICEF”.
Ans. United Nations Childrens Fund.

Q347. Expand” U.P.S”.
Ans. Uninterrupted Power Supply.

Q348. Expand “U.S.P.”
Ans. Unique Selling Proposition.

Q349. Expand “U.T.I”
Ans. Unit Trust of India.

Q350. Expand “VAT”.
Ans. Value Added Tax.

Q351. Expand” VHF”.
Ans. Very High Frequency.
Q352.Expand”V.H.S”
Ans. Video Home System.

Q353. Expand “V.P.P”.
Ans. Value Payable Post.




Q354.Expand “V.R.S.”
Ans. Voluntary Retirement Scheme.

Q355. Expand “WAP”
Ans. Wireless Application Protocol.

Q356. Expand” WPI”
Ans. Wholesale Price Index.

Q357. Expand “W.T.O.”
Ans. World Tourism Organisation or World Trade Organisation.

Q358. Expand “WWW”.
Ans. World Wide Web.

Q359.Expand “XLRI”
Ans. Xavier’s Labour Relations Institute

Q360.Expand “YMCA”
Ans. Young Men’s Christian Association.


Q361.Expand “YWCA”
Ans. Young Women’s Christian Association


Q362. What is the new name for “Abyssinia”?
Ans. Ethiopia.

FOOD AND BEVERAGE OUTLETS (F & B)

FOOD AND BEVERAGE OUTLETS

Food and beverage outlets are the areas in a hotel where food and beverage are sold to both in-house and outside guests. The following types of food and beverage can be seen which may or may not attach to a hotel.

Specialty restaurant
These restaurants deal in a particular type of cuisine like Chinese, Italian or French etc. Each and every aspect of the restaurant is typical and related to the area of region of community whose food is being served. The food, service, uniform, décor etc. are ethnic and authentic of the area whose cuisine the restaurant specializes upon. When one enters into such kind of restaurant one can feel the culture and tradition of that area. These restaurants may be attached to a hotel or may independently exist. They have specific hours of function and normally more expensive than ordinary restaurants.

Multi cuisine restaurant
These restaurants deal with more than one cuisine like Indian, Chinese and Continental etc. They are not as exclusive as the specialty restaurants. There is no emphasis on adherence to the culture and tradition of a particular area of region or community. They may be attached to a hotel or may independently exist. They generally have specific time of operation when attached to a hotel. They may be operating on a straight shift from morning till night when independently existing. They are not as highly priced as a speciality restaurant.

Bar
These food and beverage outlets deal with the alcoholic beverages only. They may be attached to a hotel or independently existing. They have certain specific hours of operation and the law strictly governs the operation. Their hours of operation, inventory, location and client to whom they should serve etc are governed and regulated by the law-enforcing agency.

Room Service
This food and beverage outlet is attached to a hotel and caters to the F and B requirements of the guests who are staying in the hotel only. These F and B outlets cannot independently exist. The service in room service is always in trays and trolleys. In a five star hotel the room service operates round the clock. The prices in the room service are generally more than the coffee shop.

Banquets
This is generally attached to a hotel of restaurant. This outlet generally caters to a huge gathering of people who assemble in the banquet hall for events like reception, marriage party, birthday, conference, seminar etc. The service is generally from a buffet when a lot of guests have to be served within a short span of time. Sometimes formal lunch, dinner etc also takes place in banquet halls. This is the highest revenue producing F and B outlet in any commercial hotel. Sometimes banquet halls can independently exist where an outside contractor does the catering part.


Coffee Shop
This is generally attached to a hotel. In a five star hotel the coffee shop operates round the clock. It cannot independently exist. The service is very informal and emphasis is on pace of service. Service is generally snacks and very light meals.
The meals part is not as elaborate as the restaurant. Prices are not as exorbitant as the restaurants. Although the coffee shop is operational round the clock there are meal timings when the certain items are available which are not available at other times. There are some dishes, which are available all 24 hours.

Pub
A pub generally independently exists, which serves only beer. The atmosphere in a pub is generally very informal most pubs have a very informal seating arrangement and generally designed to suit the likings and requirements of the youth. They also have specific hours of operation and the law like a bar governs operations. Books of inventory and accounts are maintained as per the government regulation and are supposed to produce them before the concerned authority as and when required.

Discotheque
This may be attached to a hotel or may independently exist. The ones, which independently exist, are open to anybody who can pay but most allow only couples. The ones, which are attached to the hotels, are not only opened to the members but guests accompanied by members are also allowed. They also have specific hours of operations and are normally attached with a bar.

Pastry shop
They may be attached to a hotel or may independently exist. They deal with only pastry or pastry related products. Those, which are attached to hotels, deal with pastry prepared in the same hotel. The ones, which are not attached to hotels, have their own bakery either in the same premises of outside the premises. Service is done across the counter. Very limited seating arrangements may be provided if space permits.

Cafeteria
These generally independently exist and are found in railway stations and airports etc. The service is generally self-service. Food is displayed in the counter and the guests helps himself in picking up the food as per his liking as he moves along the counter and finally pays the bill at the end of the counter. Sometimes payment of the bill may be through coupon also. Very informal atmosphere exists in these outlets and prices are not very high.

Poolside barbeque
These are generally attached to the hotels and operate near the poolside. They generally operate for lunch and dinner only. There are adequate lighting arrangements to take care of the dinnertime. The menu is not very elaborate and comprises a lot of grilled and barbequed items. Some light meals are also available. These outlets are generally attached with their own kitchens, which are more often than not makeshift. A bar may be attached to the outlet or alcoholic beverages may be served from the service bar. Once again the décor is very informal like a coffee shop. Service is very much similar to the coffee shop as well.

Grill Room
These kinds of hotels are generally attached to the star hotels although they can be found independently existing also. They specialize in grills and barbequed items only. The kitchen is separated from the service area by a glass partition so that guest can see the chef preparing the food. This give rise to impulse buying. The guests are normally assured of better hygienic condition as they can see the actual food preparation.

Permit Room
They are generally found in restaurants and in hotels existing in the dry states like Gujarat. In a restaurant there is a specific area where one can serve alcoholic beverages. The restaurant cannot pour alcoholic beverages an area outside this.
Same set of rules and regulations are applicable to the permit room as applicable to the bar. Prior license have to be secured from the appropriate authority before starting a permit room.

Night Club
They are generally attached to hotels and are open to members only. The operation starts late in the evening and goes on till late in the night. Stripes, cabarets and floorshows etc. are performed as a part of the entertainment. These are not seen in recognized star and commercial hotels. An elaborate menu is offered and the service is quite formal and extensive. It opens only for members. Alcohol is served to the members.

Fast Food Outlets
They are generally not attached to a hotel and are found independently existing. They serve fast foods, which are easy to prepare to easy to carry and eat. These outlets provide very limited seating arrangements and people are not encouraged to sit and pass time in these places. Service is done in disposable plates and packets. Patrons are supposed to get their food from across the counter. There may be one person to look after the clearance and cleanliness of the place. Very limited service is provided.

Coffee Bar: This is a very recent development and becoming very popular. These outlets deal with only coffee. They specialize in different types of coffee. Both alcoholic and non-alcoholic coffees are served here. The alcoholic coffees are commonly called as speciality coffee.

Cyber Café
These are also very recent developments and fast growing in popularity. Each outlet provides computers with Internet facility and the guest can surf the Internet for a specific period of time paying certain amount of money. The outlet also provides light refreshments like tea, coffee and snacks to keep the people engaged when there are two different sessions with the computer.







Vending machine
Such kind of a service involves service from a machine is requiring a coin or token of a particular denomination and the product comes out through an outlet in the machine itself. These machines are not extensively used in India and the use is still confined to tea, coffee and packed milk etc.

Pizza outlets
These are outlets that mostly stand-alone. These outlets have been a recent development in India over the past decades. Their food mainly deals with pizzas. They also offer food & beverage like pasta, garlic bread, soft drinks, ice-tea etc. In India chains like Pizzeria, U .S pizza, Pizza hut, Smoking Joe’s etc are very popular. This trend has given rise to the franchising business, hence making pizza a youth food trend along with family and office treat zones. Basically covering all age groups of people. These outlets also deal with home delivery and take away. They usually have a moderate or minimum seating arrangement in an informal manner or tables are attached to walls with high chairs. Here one can enjoy hot & fresh food. One also has the optional at most places to plan their own pizza as per the available ingredients in the menu.

Home delivery/ take away
This has been a recent trend over the past few years. As the name suggests, these outlets deal with delivery of food till your doorstep. These are stand-alone restaurants (kitchen only) that emphasize only on quick preparation of food & its delivery. There is no seating arrangement available here. The staff may contain chefs, order taker, cashier and delivery boys. The order taker takes orders over the phone or of walk in guest, notifies the kitchen and hands over the food packets to guest or delivery boys. He also might take the cashiering responsibilities at the counter, which might be overlooked by the manger. Normally such outlets do not charge for home delivery. Food is provided in plastic containers, aluminum foils, plastic bags etc. These outlets must not be confused with restaurants, which provides services of home delivery.

Drive-Inns
These are developing outlets, which have not yet made a strong base in India. In places like U.S, U.K etc they have already make their mark and are best accepted. Mc Donald has stared this type of service in few of its outlets. This kind of restaurant may be attached to a hotel or stand-alone. They are normally situated at highways or near petrol pumps etc. This kind of outlet has no seating arrangement only a path around the outlet for vehicles to enter and exit. It has one or two counters where the attendant takes your order and payment, at the other counter if any pick up / delivery of the food is order is done. These outlets are time saving and economical.

Chai- bars
Just like coffee bar these outlets also deals with only one kind of beverage i.e. tea. In India, tea in the Hindi language is known as “chai”. These outlets may mostly have an informal atmosphere and seating arrangement. The menu here includes variety of tea based on different regions, method of preparation etc. These outlets may also provide light snacks on the menu to go along with the beverage. These outlets may be stand-alone or may be attached to a restaurant. If attached to a restaurant the same premises is used for service with a different menu card or tent card only for tea.




Bakery
These outlets may be attached to a hotel, pastry shop or may be stand-alone. They may or may not have a seating arrangement. They may have a kitchen/ place attached to the outlet where bakery items are prepared. The ready to eat food items are then put at the counter for display. . The food items mainly deal with various bread preparations .The guests can then choose his food and make payment over or at the end of the counter.


Grill and eat
These are restaurants, which give a lot of emphasis on guests and their interests in food. The main attraction being the fact that guest has to pick ingredients, raw meat, vegetables etc of their choice from the counter & cook food himself on grillers / cooking range provided on the table itself. The grillers or cooking range is a part of the décor. The chefs are available for assistance at all times. The guests may not have knowledge of cooking & might harm themselves hence safety and first aid is also given importance. These kinds of restaurants may be attached to a hotel or stand-alone. Here they do have an elaborate seating arrangement. The restaurant may or may not a theme for itself depending upon the country, region or cuisine they are dealing with.

QSR: quick service restaurant
Theses are fast food outlets, which give importance not only to the pace but also to the quality of service delivered. These are basically stand-alone restaurants that might have a brand name attached to them; hence quality plays an important role here. The seating arrangement and ambience is usually informal. The service staff may or may not collect order from the table as some of these restaurants have counter service available.























TYPES AND STYLES OF SERVICE
Depending upon different factors like the client, the location, the volume of operation, peak hours etc. service can be of many different types to suit the requirements of a particular establishment. An establishment can have a particular type of service or a combination of service depending upon the requirement of the restaurant. The different types of service shich one can some across are:
Silver service: This type of service involves service from entrée dishes and platters with the helo of service spoon and fork on to the guest plate by the steward or the waiter. This is a very formal type of service which is carried out in very exclusive restaurants. Such kind of a service require skilled and professional staff. The service is slower in comparison to plated service. This is also known as English service.
Plated Service: This kind of service involves service of preplated food. The food is pre portioned. Placed and garnished on the plate itself in the kitchen. The steward is supposed to just place the plate infront of the guest. Such kind of service does not require much skill and generally carried out in the coffeeshop where emphasis is on the pace of service and not on the quality of service. This is also called American service.
French Service: This service involves presentation of food to the guest individually by the service staff and the guests help themselves. This is also known as buttler service. Such kind of service is generally seen in the military establishment.
Russian Service: This kind of service involves the lay up of the table with the food already presented for the guest to have themselves. Sometimes wrongly referred to as gueridon service.
Gueridon service: This service involves preparation of food gueridon or the side table infront of the full view of the guests. Gueridon service involves operations like filleting, flambeying, carving, jointing etc. This kind of service generally requires special skills and generally seen in very high class restaurant. One of the most common item which is prepared on the gueridon is salads. In gueridon service the main preparations are done in the kitchen and the final touch is given on the gueridon inside the restaurant in the full view of the guests.
Bar counter service: hear the service is done on the semicircular counter to the guest who are seated on the other side of the counter. Generally seen in the bars. Now a days seen in some fast food oulets as well.
Buffet service: this service involve presentation of food on the buffet counter in chafing dishes and large.platters and the guest are supposed to help themselves
A stand of buffet the only cutlery kept on the buffet is fork the guest have to help themselves from a separate counter for water as well. The guest are supposed to keep their dirty plate at a designet place and the stewards are supposed to clear them at a time.when a lot of guests are to be served in a short span of time this service is carried out.
Room service: this is done from the room service dept. of the hotel to guests staying in the room of the hotel only. Here the service is done with the help of trayes and trollies.the trollies are generally attached with hot cases to keep the food hot. Here the food is pre plated from kitchen and when it is carried on a tray the plate is covered with the plate cover.
Cafeteria service :hear the food are displayed in the counters the guest are supposed to move around the counter to pick up the food as per they liking and pay at the end pf the counter. In certain cases the payment is done in way of coupons. Such kind of a service is generally seen in railway station and air ports.
Free flow: Here the guest can freely move to any service point but the exit is generally through one particular point where the bill may be paid. The adwantage is that the guest does not hase to stay in a queue for his
Automatic vending machine: such kind of a service involves service from a machine is require a coin or token of a particular denomination and the product comes out through an outlet in the machine itself. These machine are not extensively used in India and the use is still confined to tea,coffee and packed milk etc.
Echelon: conters are at an angle in a free flow area for saving of space and expedite the service
Food court: there are counter of different cuisine and separate dining area . food can be picked up from the choosen area and it can be eaten in the dining area.
Super market: here there are island service counters and a separate dining area . here food can be picked up from any counter without having to wait or stand in a queue and can be eaten in the designated dining area.
Tray and trolley service: (in situ)this refer to service in an area which is not desined for the proper service of food and beverage like hospital and office premises. Here the service is done with the help of tray and trolley.

TEA

Tea is an important beverage. Most people drink tea more than any other beverage. Tea drinking, in fact has become a part of man’s cultural heritage – an expression of social living.
Tea comes from a hardy evergreen plant that belongs to the camellia family. It comes from two main types of shrubs – one from India (Camellia assimica) and the other from Chine (Camellia sinensis). The tea shrub requires a tropical or sub-tropical climate and a well drained acid type soil with and even rainfall of not less than 70” of rain a year. The tree shrub (bush) is maintained at a height of 3-4’. This trimming and pruning of the shrub enables it to produce large quantities of shoots. Tea is made from the young leaves of the plant called “Flush”. Usually only two small leaves and a bud are picked. Picking is done every 7 to 14 days Plucking or picking of leaves is mainly done by women and young girls because by temperament, they are adaptable to this type of work.

Tea components
Theine was originally identified as the stimulant in tea, but it has since been shown to be identical with caffeine. Tea also contains theobromine, theophylline and polyphenolic compounds – flavonols. Polyphenolic compounds contribute to the flavour and are chiefly responsible for its astringency.

Producers and Exporters
The main producers and exporters of tea are
1. From South Asia : India and Sri Lanka, with smaller supplies from Bangladesh
2. From the Far-east : China and Taiwan; Green tea from Japan
3. South-East Asia : Indonesia, Vietnam and Malaysia.
4. From Africa : Kenya, Uganda, Mozambique and Tanzania.
5. From South America : Argentina and Brazil.

In India, the main areas of production are Assam hills and West Bengal. Assam produces the most pungent tea. Tea produces in the Brahmaputra Valley is in great demand all over the world and are particularly suited for blending with other teas to improve strength and colour. The Darjeeling tea, famous for its flavour, is grown on the mountain slopes of Himalayas. Nowhere in the world has the “Darjeeling flavour” being duplicated, while Assam tea makes good liquor. Therefore, these two are blended for both fine flavour and liquor.
Tea is also grown in Himachal Pradesh, U.P., Tripura, Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh. In the south, cultivation is mainly confined to Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Kerela.

Classification
Tea may be classified under the following headings:
1. By the country of origin (Indian or Chinese Tea).
2. By the type (Green or Black Tea).
3. By the method of manufacture (CTC or Fermented).
4. By the grade
(The four main grades of tea are:
- Leaf teas.
- Broken and small leaf teas.
- Fannings.
- Dust.)
5. By the blend (To be used by a particular catering company).
6. By the catering use (For bulk production or for vending machines).

Manufacture of Tea
There are five main stages in the manufacture of tea:
1. Withering the leaf
On reaching the factory, which is usually close to the plantation, the plucked leaves are first weighed. They are then spread out evenly and thinly on special racks (slatted). At this stage, they lose 50% of their moisture by evaporation. This stage takes 24 hours, depending on the surrounding temperature and the humidity in the air.
2. Rolling the leaves
The leaves are put through rolling machines that break up the leaf cells, thus releasing natural juices and bringing them into contact with air. At this stage, the finer leaves are separated from the larger coarser leaves and are then further separately processed.
3. Fermenting the leaves
This isn’t really a true fermentation, but the oxidation stage. Tannin, which is the astringent substance in the tea leaf, is oxidized and leads to development of aroma, flavour and colour of the leaf. The leaves are spread out in a cool but humid room under controlled conditions, on racks for approximately 3 hours, during which they turn a coppery colour by the absorption of oxygen.
4. Firing the leaves
To stop the fermentation process, the leaves are ‘fired’ through a current of hot and dry air for about 20 to 30 minutes. The leaves turn black, dry and crisp.
5. Sifting and Grading
The dry tea is then sifted, graded and packed into foil – lined tea chests and sealed to protect the leaves from moisture and other odours. These chests are then shipped to the blenders.

Green tea is processed similarly to black tea, except that the fermentation stage is omitted. Because of this, it doesn’t have characteristic flavour and aroma of black tea. Oolong tea is partially fermented.

Tasting and Blending
Tea that is purchased by tea merchant is first cleaned to remove particles like dust, splinters, traces of metals etc. Next, expert tea tasters or blenders will taste the tea and examine the leaf and assess the tea for quality, flavour, strength, body and size. An assessment is then made, bearing in mind the cost of the tea as well.
Tea from each sample is made in a separate pot and allowed to infuse for a standard time of six minutes. As tasting is by comparison against a quality standard, each batch of tasting are standardized i.e. they are presented to the taster in exactly the same way, made with equal weights of leaf, equal quantities of fresh boiling water, equal infusion times and finally with or without a measured amount of milk. After infusion, tea is drained into a bowl, the infused tea tipped into the pot lid and both placed against all the other samples and standard for that type of tea.
Most of the teas purchased today are blended teas and are pre-packed. Blending is a highly skilled job to ensure a standard product in quality, flavour and appearance is available throughout the year at a standard price. To maintain the standard of a blended tea, the blender would make up many samples of mixtures of teas from different estates, each with different characteristics and taste and compare them against the original standard, before a quantity of blend is made up in the factory.

Types (Market forms) of Tea
1. Tea Blends
Tea blends are a mixture of two or more varieties of tea grown on various plantations e.g. Orange pekoe, Broken Orange pekoe, Earl Grey, Darjeeling etc.
2. Tea bags
These are the modern convenient version of loose tea. They may contain upto 30 varieties of teas that have been blended together. The material used to make the bags is strong, yet porous enough to impart the flavour of the tea. They don’t interfere with the flavour of the tea and they should be strong enough not to burst during the infusion. In spite of being costlier, tea bags have the advantage of aiding cost and portion control, besides being easier to dispose off the used leaves. Tea bags allow the individual to control the strength of his cup of tea.
3. Catering Packs
Catering packs are similar to tea bags as they are packed in specific quantities to make a fixed quantity of tea. They normally are available in ½ gallon, 1, 3 and 5 gallon packs. These are useful for large-scale production of the beverage.
4. Instant Tea
This is comparatively a new product, developed on the lines of instant coffee. An infusion of tea is spray dried or freeze-dried and packed in air-tight containers. It is mainly confined to vending machines, where a small quantity of about 0.7 Gms of highly concentrated tea is sufficient to make a cup of tea.
5. Scented Teas
Dried jasmine flowers, rose petals, cloves, mint leaves or orange zest is added to the leaves during the firing stage after which they may be sieved. Scented teas are now commonly available in tea bags.

Rules to make a good cup of Tea
 Use a good blend of tea.
 Follow a recipe (For small quantities, 1 teaspoon per cup + 1 for the pot).
 Use freshly boiled water.
 Warm the teapot by swirling with hot water.
 Add tea leaves to the warm pot.
 Take the pot to the water so that the water never goes off the boil.
 Allow the infusion to stand for at least 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
 Remember – “Tea should be brewed, not stewed”.

Iced Tea
Iced tea may be prepared with tea leaves or instant tea. A strong tea is prepared and poured over ice cubes. The strong tea compensates for diluting effect of the melting ice. Dissolved polyphenols may precipitate upon cooling and cloud the tea. The addition of lemon juice or small amount of water restores clarity. Instant tea could be combined with cold water to produce iced tea.
A well brewed tea is sparkling clear and free from surface film. Green tea is a pale green in colour with a slightly bitter flavour and little aroma. Oolong tea is an intermediate light brownish green with a slightly bitter flavour and a mild aroma. Black tea is amber coloured with a full flavour free of bitterness and distinctive pleasing aroma.

MILK

Milk is the natural food for mammals in the first stages of life. It is the near-perfect single food containing protein, carbohydrate, fat, minerals and vitamins. However, it is lacking in iron, vitamin C and D. It is one of the most complete foods, because it contains the nutrients required for growth and development. Milk obtained from several species of animals is used for human consumption, but the most popular are cows, buffaloes and goats’ milk.

Composition

Components Cow’s milk Buffalo’s milk
Water 85-87% 80%
Carbohydrate 5% 5%
Protein 3% 4.5%
Fat 4% 9%
Vitamins and Minerals 1% 1.5%

However, the composition doesn’t always remain the same. This will vary slightly, depending upon the species, the age and the feed of the animal. It will also depend upon the lactation period and as animal advances in age, the fat content will also increase. Animals who feed on grass pastures produce a high yield of milk, richer in Vitamin A.

Nutritive Value
Protein
Some of the most complete forms of protein are found in milk. Casein is the main milk protein. It is insoluble in water and is very easily precipitated by acids. This results in the curdling of milk. Lactoglobulin and Lactalbumin are the other two proteins that are found in milk. They coagulate easily on heating and are responsible for the precipitate found at the bottom and the sides of the pan used for the heating of milk. They are not easily precipitated by acid.

Carbohydrates
The main carbohydrate found in milk is Lactose or milk sugar. Lactose is not very soluble in water and it is responsible for the sweet taste in milk. Lactose also tends to crystallize in milk powder during storage and results in lump formation and caking. It isn’t water soluble and is responsible for the sandy or gritty texture in condensed milk and ice-cream. In the souring of milk, lactic acid bacteria converts lactose into lactic acid, giving sour milk its characteristic flavour.

Fat
The fat constituent of milk is present in the form of cream. It is dispersed as fine globules. When heated, it rises to the surface, where it forms a layer. It contains fat-soluble vitamin A and D. Together with lactose, fat provides the energy in the diet.

Minerals and Vitamins
Milk is rich in calcium, phosphorus, sodium, potassium and all the vitamins known to be essential for human nutrition are present in milk. Milk is rich in Vitamin A, S, E and K.
Since milk contains a great deal of water, it is a very dilute food. Because of this, it is easy to consume and digest. Milk is an ideal food for all, especially infants and young children. There is no evidence that it is an indispensable constituent of the adult diet.

Processing
From the time it is milked from the animal to the time of sale, milk has to undergo processing to improve the keeping quality and to make it fit for consumption. The various stages are:
1. Collection
Milk is brought to the dairy in clean sterilized vessels, preferably stainless steel.
2. Holding tanks
The milk is immediately transferred to holding tanks and is held at 10°C to keep it safe. Cooling is done either in a tank, jacketed with pipes in which runs a brine solution. Else the milk is run over very cold water pipes.
3. Filtration
The milk is passed through a series screens and filters to remove sediment and floating particles.
4. Pasteurization
It is the process of heating milk to 63.7°C and holding it at that temperature for 30 minutes. This is known as the “Holder Process of Pasteurization”. Nowadays, the Flash Pasteurization is more commonly used. It is also called the HTST or High Temperature Short Time method, where the milk is heated to 71.6°C for only 15 seconds. Pasteurization makes milk safe for human consumption by destroying pathogenic germs (pathogens). It also helps to increase the shelf life. Flavour of the milk remains unaffected at pasteurization temperature.
5. Homogenization
At temperature of 60°C, milk is passed under high pressure through small opening of a machine called homogenizer. The main purpose is to subdivide the fat globules in milk and disperse them evenly in the entire mass. Fat has a low density and tends to rise to the surface during heating. Homogenization prevents this by first breaking up the fat into tiny particles and then dispersing them throughout the milk. This adds to the flavour and results in a better body.
6. Bottling
The bottles of selected and uniform size have to be sterilized by steam and hot water and then they are filled with milk, which are capped automatically. Nowadays milk is filled in plastic pouches and these are more economical, easily transported and save storage space. Plastic pouches are easily disposed and are safe to handle.
7. Sterilization
The sealed bottles are now heated for 30 to 40 minutes at temperatures ranging from 104-110°C in steam chambers called autoclaves and then allowed to cool. Milk can also be sterilized before bottling. It is subjected to temperatures of 135-150°C for just 1 second. This is called the UHT or Ultra Heat Treatment. This process kills off all microorganisms and the very short holding temperature reduces the changes in colour and lined with aluminum foil. Milk is then distributed through various outlets.

Effect of heat on Milk
Digestibility is slightly improved in the heated milk as it tends to form smaller, tenderer curds in the stomach than are formed from raw milk. Heating to higher temperatures than those used in pasteurization effects a greater variety of changes in milk. The tendency of milk to curdle is diminished by the use of low or moderate temperatures. Casein is not coagulated at the usual temperatures. It coagulates when heated at too high temperatures or for long period of time at boiling temperature.
The coagulation of milk protein by heat is accelerated by an increase in acidity. Heating milk brings about an increase in acidity. The addition of acid foods to milk may also result in coagulation.
The browning reaction, non-enzymatic browning or Millard reaction occurs when sugars and proteins are heated together. The prolonged heating of condensed milk in the can results in a product of brown colour, caramel flavour and thickened consistency.
Minerals like calcium phosphate is precipitated by heat and sometimes gets collected at the bottom of the pan with coagulated albumin and some of it gets entangled in the scum on the top surface of the milk.
Skin formation is one of the most troublesome of reactions that occurs during the heating of milk. It may be prevented by covering the pan, by diluting the milk, or by presence of fat floating on the surface. As the temperature is increased, a tough scum forms, which is insoluble and can be removed from the surface. The scum is composed of coagulated albumin with some precipitated salts and fat globules. Scum formation can be prevented by beating the cooked milk with a beater. The formation of scum on boiled milk is the principal reason for the behaviour of milk in boiling over. A certain amount of pressure develops under the scum, which later forces the scum upward and the milk flow over the sides of the pan i.e. spill.
The flavour of milk that has been heated to boiling temperatures or above is described as Flat. It is due to the loss of dissolved gases, carbon dioxide and oxygen. Some change that occurs in the protein also influences the flavour of the cooked milk.
The layer of fat that may form on milk that is boiled is the result of the breaking of the films of protein that surround the fat globules in unheated milk. The breaking of the films of emulsifying agent permits the firm coalescence of fat globules.
The scorching of milk placed over direct heat is due in part to the film of coagulated albumin that collects on the bottom and sides of the pan. Stirring the milk while heating lessens the thickness of the film, but may not prevent scorching, particularly if large quantity of milk is heated. Millard reaction is responsible for the brown colour of the scorched milk. Heating milk over hot water will retard or completely prevent scorching.

Acid coagulation of milk
Acid - either that which is formed by bacterial action in milk, or by added acid – precipitates casein as curd. The acid curdling the milk is a desired reaction in the making of some cheese and curd, but is undesirable in food products such as curdling of tomato soup, fruit cream and causes the casein to precipitate.
Rennin is an enzyme present in the stomach of man and animals which helps to clot milk during digestion. Commercially the enzyme is available in the form of rennet tablets or extract, which are prepared from the inner lining of the stomach of calves and lambs.
The action of vegetable enzyme – bromelin – from pineapple also clots milk, but later digests the clot. Other enzymes in fruits are responsible for some of the curdling action that occurs when milk or cream and certain fruits are combined. All fruits and vegetables contain some organic acids but not always in sufficient concentration to cause the curdling of milk. Destroying the enzymes before combining the fruit with the milk will prevent curdling caused by enzyme action. Curdling of milk may occur if tannin containing foods, such as potatoes are cooked in milk. Tannins are also present in brown sugar and in cocoa product.
Besides enzymes, acids and tannins, salts present in the milk, in the food combined with the milk, or added sodium chloride may also influence coagulation of the casein. Of the meats commonly cooked in milk, ham usually causes more coagulation than chicken, veal or pork. The high sodium content of ham may be responsible for the excessive curdling that occurs when cooked with milk.

Type of Milk

A. Fluid Milk
1. Whole milk
Milk that has none of its fat removed. It generally contains 3.25% fat. This fat is not homogenized so that the milk will have cream line.
2. Skimmed Milk
This type of milk became popular because of the emphasis on low-fat diet. Cream is separated by machine. Skimmed milk resembles fresh whole milk, except that the fat content is less than 0.5%, but rest of the nutrients remains the same, except for fat soluble vitamins. It is often fortified with vitamin D and minerals. Skimmed milk is usually pasteurized and may also be homogenized.
3. Homogenized Milk
It has the same composition as the whole fluid milk, but the fat content is dispersed throughout the mass through the process of halogenations. There won’t be any cream line when the milk is heated.
4. Toned Milk
Toning is done to make buffalo milk resemble in appearance and flavour to cow’s milk. It is done by dilution and addition of skimmed milk powder. 40 % of skimmed milk is added to 60% of buffalo milk. The addition of skimmed milk powder makes up for the dilution of the nutrients, the fat content remains diluted and equal to that of cow’s milk.
5. Fortified Milk
Additional nutrients such as Vitamin D may be added to milk to improve the quality.
6. Flavoured Milk
Addition of flavouring agents such as essences like vanilla, strawberry and masalas to improve the flavour, appearance and to add more variety.

B. Concentrated Milk
1. Evaporated Milk
This is unsweetened concentrated milk. After pasteurization. The milk is evaporated under reduced pressure in steam heated vacuum pans, till the volume has been reduced to 60%. It is then homogenized, cooled and canned.
2. Condensed Milk
The term usually implies whole milk, which has been partially evaporated and to which sugar has been added. This is sweetened concentrated milk. 27% moisture remains out of 80%. It has a 62% sugar concentration. The milk is cooled very carefully, so that the crystallization of the lactose is in very fine crystals before being canned.
3. Dried Milk or Milk Powder
In this case, the water content is removed completely and thereby the bulk is reduced. It requires no special storage facilities and is an outlet for the skimmed milk from cream and butter production. There are two processes for drying milk:
a. Roller Drying
The milk is usually concentrated in an evaporator until it has 97% total solids as against 11.5% in normal fluid milk. The milk is then fed into the very smooth surface of single or twin heated drums, operating at temperatures of 150°C (303°F). The water content of the milk evaporates very quickly, leaving behind a thin film of dried milk, which is then scraped off by a blade that is attached to the drums. This is then cooled before being ground into a very fine powder. It is then sieved and packed into airtight containers. Milk powder is hydroscopic and will quickly absorb moisture from the air and the powder will deteriorate, becoming stale in flavour and less soluble in reconstitution. Although roller drying is cheaper and produces a product that is practically free from bacteria owing to the severe heat treatment it receives, it does develop a cooked flavour and will not reconstitute easily. The structure of the fat globules in milk is destroyed, causing an oily layer on the surface when reconstituted in warm water.
b. Spray Drying
The milk is pre-heated to 80-90°C for 10 seconds. It is homogenized and concentrated at 43°C to about 40% total solids. The milk is then atomized to a fine mist in a drying chamber containing hot air at 165°C (330°F). The very minute milk particles give off their moisture content almost instantaneously and drop to the bottom of the drying chamber as tiny grains of dried milk. The powder is removed to cool as quickly as possible, before being packed into airtight containers. This method is more expensive than Roller drying, but has 98% solubility with less pronounced flavour changes than Roller dried milk.
c. Instant Milk Powder
This type of powder will dissolve easily and completely when added to water, tea or coffee. The process is a modified spray-drying method in which the dried milk powder is moistened with steam to give a lumpy porous structure; the lumps of powder are being dried, cooled and then reduced to a more standard size. When added to a liquid, they quickly absorb it and dissolve completely. The cost of this type of milk powder is high and it is mainly used in hot beverages

The concentration of milk serves three main purposes:
1. It reduces bulk by the reduction of the water content.
2. The heat treatment and high sugar content in condensed milk gives the product a good shelf life.
3. It is convenient outlet for skimmed milk from the production of butter and cream.

Substitute milk powder
It doesn’t contain any milk constituent at all, but are especially processed from products such as dried glucose, syrup and vegetable fat.

Imitation milk
Also known as Substitute milk, it is a recent development. The products don’t contain any milk constituent, but contain glucose syrup and vegetable fat. It has a very low calorific value. Another substitute being promoted as a healthier alternative to milk is Soya milk. Soya milk is much cheaper, but leaves an unpleasant after-taste and flavour. Imitation and substitute milk are ideal for those who are lactose intolerant i.e. allergic to milk.

C. Cultured Milk
The process consists of deliberately souring the milk by adding specific harmless bacteria, which will then produce an acid and so control the growth of possible harmful bacteria. The process originated by man’s attempts to prevent milk from being totally unusable and develops into a variety of products, which are nutritious and easily digestible. Cultured milk can be classified into three groups, as listed:
1. Butter Culture
These include butter-milk and cultured cream.
Butter-milk is a byproduct from the manufacture of butter. It is made from pasteurized skimmed milk, which is incubated with an acid producing butter culture.
Cultured cream is prepared from pasteurized single cream, which is incubated with an acid producing butter culture. It is often marketed as “fresh soured cream” to distinguish it clearly from cream, which has soured by accident or carelessness. It may be used in recipes instead of sour cream.
2. Yogurt Culture
These include yogurt (in many forms and flavours), curdled milk and soured milk drinks. Yogurt can be made from whole, skimmed, evaporated or dried milk or a mixture of these. Various types of yogurt are available – natural yogurt made from milk products, natural yogurt sweetened with sugar, fruit yogurt, which may be flavoured with pieces of fruits or just fruit juice or a flavouring essence.
3. Weak alcoholic beverages
This group differs from the previous groups in that yeast cultures, which produce alcohol, are added, in addition to bacterial cultures. This group includes:
a. Kefir (Poland)
It is made from whole or skimmed cow’s milk to which the kefir grain is added. The milk is incubated for three days, during which the alcohol and acid percentage increases. The finished product resembles single cream in appearance and has a lactic acid flavour.
b. Koumiss/Kumis (Russia)
It was originally made from mare’s milk and is now produced from cow’s milk. Two cultures are added to milk and is incubated at 37°C for about 4-6 hours and cooled to 30°C and yeast added and incubated for 4 hours at 25°C. Matured for 3 days during which the alcoholic and acid percentage increases. The product resembles single cream in appearance, but is slightly grey in colour and has smell gas bubbles throughout, sour in taste and has a faint alcoholic smell.
c. Whey Champagne (Poland)
This is made from clarified way with the addition of yeast and caramel. The product is of a clear, light amber colour with a slight sparkle to it and a faint caramel flavour.
d. Feliwsoka (Poland)
It is made from buttermilk, which is fermented at 15-18°C for 8-10 hours, until the required acidity is reached. The liquid that has separated to the top is removed and sugar and yeast are added. The buttermilk is then bottled, sealed and kept at 18-20°C for 4 hours, cooled below 8°C and stored. The final product appears foamy due to carbon dioxide production and has a sweet, yeasty and refreshing taste.

Uses of Milk
1. Served as a refreshing drink – both hot and cold.
2. Served as a beverage with tea and coffee.
3. The main ingredient in some sauces like Béchamel.
4. Used to enrich dishes like soups and to give a smooth texture.
5. The main ingredient in several desserts like ice-cream, puddings and custards.
6. The first food for new born infants.
7. Acts as a cooking medium for Indian sweets like Kheer or Payasams.

Storage of Milk
The rich nutritional composition of milk makes it readily infected with micro-organisms, which may be derived from the animal, the equipment or the people handling the milk. Fresh milk should be purchased daily. Old and new milk should never be mixed. Leftover milk can be easily converted into curds. Fresh milk should be stored at refrigerated temperatures of 2°C after boiling and cooling. Milk should never be stored near strong smelling foods such as cut onions and peeled garlic as milk readily absorbs flavours and odour. Milk must never be exposed to direct sunlight as riboflavin is very easily lost. UTH and canned (evaporated and condensed) milk must be stored at slightly lower than room temperatures. When opened, they must be refrigerated immediately and used within two days. Dried milk must be stored in airtight containers in a cool and dry area of the storeroom.