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Chapter 18. Refreshments, Restaurants, and Catering Facilities

  • Refreshment Video

    Important Information
    • Food and refreshments must be available for participants to purchase inside the convention center.  Preferably outside caterers should be allowed inside the venue to provide more catering options. 
    • Standard refreshments in meetings and offices generally include coffee, tea, water, and cookies. However, the host country may also choose to serve local delicacies and beverages to showcase their country’s culture and tradition.
    • A variety of menus for breakfasts, lunches and cocktails are provided by the caterer to ADB for sharing with the other event organizers.
    • At least two waiters are required to serve and to clean up coffee, tea, or water during meetings at the offices of the ADB President, ADB Secretariat, Board and Management offices.
    • The media center is provided with sandwiches, in addition to regular refreshments, during the 4-day meeting.
    • International food safety and hygiene standards shall be observed for service providers that serve food at any office or event during the Annual Meeting.  Refer to Manual for Controlling Food-Related Risks at Appendix 52. 

    Related Tasks

    1. The catering and restaurant requirements are extensive and complex during an Annual Meeting.  With up to 5000 participants and local staff needing to eat and drink, demand is high.  It is also varied, and caterers need to be able to provide a range of cuisines, including Asian and Western, halal and vegetarian, dairy and non-dairy.  
    2. Many participants eat at functions and events; however, a number will also need to purchase their own food every day. The preference is for fast food that can be eaten at the outlet or taken away. However, there is also a demand for sit-down meals. ADB cannot estimate the number of meals that will be required outside of the official events and functions organized through ADB. The caterers therefore have to estimate this themselves. A table is provided to help caterers estimate facilities and staff requirements; however, this is a very rough guide, and actual consumption may be lower or higher. Consumption will depend on the cost and range of food available, and other options in and around the venue. 

      Facility and Staff Requirements
      Comparative Population Levels < = 410 500-700 1,200 1,800 2,500
      Daily on-site population @ 90-95%
      (vacant; travel; absenteeism)      		 360 665 1,140 1,710 2250
      Breakfast Meals (Meals Per Day = mpd)
      (12% of on-site population)      		 43 mpd 80 mpd 140 mpd 215 mpd 365 mpd
      Noon Meals (Meals Per Day)
      (45-65% of on site population)      		 162 mpd 332 mpd 600 mpd 875 mpd 1462 mpd
      Catering Meals (Meals Per Day) 20 mpd 35 mpd 50 mpd 75 mpd 100 mpd
      Total Meals Per Day 225 mpd 447 mpd 760 mpd 1,165 mpd 1,927 mpd
      Dining Area (Square meter) 185.80 sq m 209.03 sq m 389.44 sq m 595.50 sq m 713.49 sq m
      Seating Capacity (Public dining areas) 130 seats 150 seats 262 seats 410 seats 480 seats
      Serving Area (Square meter) 65.03 sq m 111.48 sq m 185.34 sq m 278.70 sq m 475.38 sq m
      Kitchen/Support Area (Square meter) 102.19 sq m 181.71 sq m 287.07 sq m 327.01 sq m 387.87 sq m
      Catering Support (Square meter) -- -- 27.87 sq m 27.87 sq m 27.87 sq m

      Onsite Staffing (Actual staffing requirements are based on service style as in staffed counters vs. self-service counters) 

      		 4-5 6-8 11-12 12-15 17-19
    3. Catering. Breakfast meetings, luncheon meetings, and receptions, hosted by ADB are mostly held at the Annual Meeting venue. These activities are organized and paid for by ADB. Experienced caterers are appointed to provide refreshments and catering for participants. The caterers should provide a variety of menus from which ADB and the host country organizers choose a variety of dishes for official events. The caterer also provides tables, chairs, linens, china, silverware, glassware, flowers, and other decorations. The caterers must be able to prepare food at one place and transport it and serve it in another, with enough staff to give prompt and efficient service in a short period of time. 
    4. Offices. The host country provides coffee, tea, chilled mineral water, and cookies in all ADB offices as well as in the offices of the Host Country Secretariat and the ADB Secretariat, including the media center, registration center, and NGO and civil society room. Meals and refreshments are also provided in the media center.
    5. Meetings. Refreshments are also provided in the delegates, guests’ and observers’ lounges. Coffee, tea, chilled mineral water, and cookies are provided in the meeting rooms used for constituency, bilateral and other meetings, and seminars. Bottled water is also required in meeting rooms and simultaneous interpretation booths. The caterer is responsible for monitoring use and replenishing empty water bottles and glasses between meetings.  
    6. ADB prepares a detailed catering and refreshment schedule for provision of refreshments in temporary offices, meeting services, constituency, other meetings, and seminars. Sample schedules are in Appendix 53.  For catering services charged to ADB, the ADB payment process is shown in Chapter 14. Payments by ADB. 
    7. Restaurants. The meeting venue(s) must have adequate restaurant, cafeteria, and snack bar facilities for all participants for the duration of the meeting and a capacity for small functions on an ad hoc basis. They provide a variety of hot and cold dishes and beverage service on an extended daily schedule to be agreed with ADB. Provision is made to cater to the needs of Secretariat members and other workers, who need reasonably priced food that can be served quickly and eaten in their offices. Secretariat and locally engaged staff also need to be able to buy food early in the morning and late in the evening. Consideration may be given to preparing packed lunches for staff to purchase. In addition, arrangements are made for dining facilities to be open when the meeting period falls on a weekend or on a public holiday. 
    8. The food outlets are paid in cash on an individual basis. The outlets also need to accept all major credit cards.
    9. Food Safety. Careful attention must be paid attention to food standards by all services covering food and food handling (including those under Tours), who shall ensure appropriate safety and hygiene. The accreditation process must include a review of legislation on national food safety standards and food safety standards, and contingencies in case of an emergency must be covered in the contracts of the suppliers. Caterers will be selected at least 6 months prior to the Annual Meeting and should meet the pre-qualification requirements. The caterer must have in place a food safety management system that controls the five most common risk factors responsible for food borne illness, namely:
      1. Purchasing food from unsafe sources.
      2. Failing to cook food adequately.
      3. Holding food at improper temperatures.
      4. Using contaminated equipment.
      5. Practicing poor personal hygiene.
    10. Refer to the Pre-Qualification Form at Appendix 54). During the actual service of food, the provider should do the following as a minimum:
      1. Hot Food – foods cooked and kept hot or re-heated
        • Hot food must be held at an internal temperature of 60 degrees Celcius or higher;
        • If reheating is required, heat food at 74 degrees Celsius;
        • Only use heat-holding equipment that can keep food at the proper temperature.
      2. Cold Food - chilled and prepared cold foods
        • Cold food must be held at an internal temperature of 5 degrees Celsius or lower;
        • Use only cold-holding equipment that can keep food at the proper temperature;
        • Do not store food directly on ice; whole fruit and vegetables are the only exception.
    11. Menus should have a wide range of food choices such as fish, meat (including halal), vegetables, cereals, breads, fruits and a variety of beverages to accommodate all kinds of food restrictions, with adequate quantity and reasonably priced. No pork is included in menus for ADB-hosted events, and beef is also not advisable.
    12. Host country may also consider providing food free of charge for some categories of participants on certain days.