ABSTRACT
The provision of food and drink plays an important part in the product mix for a cruise. For many cruise guests the food is paid for as part of the package, and they are informed in their motivation to book by considering the offer of food as an element of the cruise against their needs and expectations. For the cruise company, food and drink are also opportunities to increase revenue, and there is a balancing act required to attract additional sales by making sure potential supplementary expenditure in speciality restaurants is seen as being of value. Managing these products and the associated service takes a lot of care to ensure safe practices, consistency and high guest satisfaction and to control profitability. This chapter highlights the key issues at stake to meet the demands of this area and reflects on the practices that are applied on board ships to deliver the highest standards possible.
